Carbon Fiber Maintenance???

[Krieg]

Ok thinking of getting carbon fiber exhaust cans, and I got a question. How do you properly maintain carbon fiber? Is there a polish/wax/protectant of some sort or is it self maintaining?

[grabntwist]

Just what you clean the rest of the bike with. A good automotive/cycle cleaner wax is ok.

[Krieg]

OK. How long is the life expectancy of carbon fiber? I mean titanium is going to last as long as I am alive without a crash and with basic maintenance. Can I expect the same thing from carbon fiber?

[redbusa04]

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Carbon Fiber is extremely strong and durable. Don't forget that the Stealth bomber is made of the stuff, along with alot of other military hardware.
-Tim

[Revlis]

Heh, yeah just don't forget that the Stealth Bomber Couldn't get wet.

A good quality carbon fibre product should last and last. But a cheaply made product will come apart within just a couple years as sunlight, roadgrime, and chemical influences start to breakdown the composite resins "Glue" holding everything together. Vibration can also play hell with thinner areas of carbon fibre causing cracks and other ugliness. The F1 or Aerospace carbon fibre and the techniques used to form it are a far cry from what we get as consumers when it comes to body parts or canisters.

If your just after canisters I would look into the Akropovics, they sound just amazing and the carbon is just a thin sleeve covering the titanium sleeve that actually provides all the structural strength. A candy wrapper if you will...

I have also heard that you have to be careful with cheap carbon canisters on liter class twins, they produce powerful exhaust gas pulses that can actually make a cheap carbon can "pop".... This could just be rumor and I cannot seem to find any real information on this at the moment so I could be completely full of it.