Extending the Life of the Stock HM422 Exhaust


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Milt

Extending the Life of the Stock HM422 Exhaust

Post by Milt »

I want to share something that I learned the hard way. I apologize if this is already common knowledge and there certainly can be variations on this technique.

My story is a common one: The original exhaust system rusted out rather badly at its lowest point within 5-6 years of the bike being new. At that time I put on an aftermarket 6-into-2 that I believe was made by Kerker. However although louder, the CBX didn't make as much low-end torque where I used it the most. After living with the Kerkers for awhile I knew that someday I would want to return to stock exhausts and so bit the bullet and ordered a pair from Honda. They took 3 months to arrive for the outrageous cost of around $700 for the pair. :D At that point they went into dry protected storage.

Fast forward several more years and I am ready to install them. That's when I finally noticed that there were NO DRAIN HOLES at the low points. Every Honda Four I had ever owned had these holes from the factory to allow moisture to drain from the pipes. No wonder the CBX pipes rusted so quickly! So before installation, I drilled a single 1/8" hole in each pipe at the low point and sprayed aluminum rust preventative paint through the holes. From that point on, following every ride I have religiously sprayed WD-40 or a similar rust preventing lubricant through these new holes and also sprayed it into the holes under the muffler outlets until it drips out of the bottom holes.

Although there is sometimes a little smoke as this oil burns off at the beginning of each new ride, it has kept the new exhausts structurally sound for 10 years.

FWIW, Milt

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Post by Terry »

Good idea! I've had stainless steel patches welded into those areas twice on my 79's pipes trying to keep them for as long as possible.
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Post by alimey4u2 »

Milt, I saw that you were selling your CBX after 27 years of ownership & my fear was that all that knowledge would be lost in time. Please, even though you may sell your beloved CBX, please maintain the support which your previous post exemplifies.... :thumupp:
Last edited by alimey4u2 on Wed Oct 24, 2007 6:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by Chris »

The previous owner of my '79 had drilled a drain hole at the lowest point of it's replacement 422 pipes. After several years of use, they are still in perfect shape.

Thanks for letting other folks know about this Milt.

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Post by Terry »

Maybe I should drill a tiny hole thru the SS patch that's on mine.
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Post by Chris »

Terry wrote:Maybe I should drill a tiny hole thru the SS patch that's on mine.
Its worth a try. Mine (like Milt's) has an 1/8" dia hole at the low spot on each side.

Milt

Post by Milt »

Terry wrote:Maybe I should drill a tiny hole thru the SS patch that's on mine.
Terry, my experience with stainless steel is that it is virtually immune to rust. However, depending on the size of your patch, the water could back up onto the steel so it might still be a good idea. The new holes also probably promote more air circulation.

Milt

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Post by alimey4u2 »

I think a small hole on the low point is a very wise decision. When drilling stainless, a cobalt drill at low speed with high pressure & plenty of coolant is the way to go....
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Post by Phil »

No short trips :( and rubber band some baggies over the ends when washing. Thought about slugging them full of silver Rustoleum and hanging them up and let it drip out, heard somewhere this was an old beemer trick.

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Post by Louis »

What I always done was after running my bikes short, long or just to start the bikes once every few months was when I shut it off I ran 2 fans into the back of the exhausts for a couple hours. Everyone of all my bike had the original pipes on them and never showed any signs of the pipes rusting from the inside out. This works for sure. Louis

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Post by GregW »

In what little experience I have in the biking hobby, & after ruining my original set of Honda CB750 pipes (& the 4 into 2 slip on mufflers after that), I found that the 4/4 Honda pipes with their little holes (which can plug up if not kept clean) only help if you ride the machine enough miles to get the pipes warm enough to burn off the moisture in the them.....reason being those 4/4 pipes are designed to dissipate heat & they do this with a vengance. Many is the time I've ridden to my parents home 80 miles from here & the pipes from the bend back are still cool enough to put your hand on. They're hot, but not enough to burn you. At the bend, it's very hot, but cools quickly.
When I got my CBX, the PO had used it for short runs & it had rust slits about 2 1/2 inches long, at the bend of the mufflers...luckily, this was on the inside, out of view, so I just used some fiberglass muffler patch & sealed it with JB Weld. That was 7 years ago & it's holding well.
Anyway, just my opinion. :)
Greg
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