Step By Step Process How to Wrap Motorcycle Exhaust

Before you plan to add a bike exhaust wrap, keep in mind that wrap can produce a lot of horsepowers and are hard on your pipes. After a while, it will discolor and won’t look amazing anymore. But wraps are something that can lessen the engine temperature and keep the heat inside the exhaust!

Apart from these, the outlook of the wrap looks better anyway and this is the reason most people want to wrap up their motorcycle exhaust. You do not need professional hands for this work!

Today, we will tell you how to wrap motorcycle exhausts at home with basic equipment. Go through them and have fun!

Contents at a glance show

Step by Step Process of How to Wrap Motorcycle Exhaust

This step-by-step guide on the wrapping of your motorcycle exhaust is going to save your money and effort for sure! Check it out!

Step 1: Collect the Gears

Whenever you are ready with your Harley Davidson exhaust system to wrap it, your first job when it comes to wrapping motorcycle exhaust is to gather the necessary gears. First of all, you will need pipe wrap. Keep in mind that the four-cylinder will require more wrap than a twin. So, it is better that you collect an adequate amount of wrap beforehand.

Along with this, keeping them in the right place will require some wrap too! In this case, you can settle for safety wire too. But there are stainless steel clamps available on the market for this work. You can go for them. For this, settling for radiator hose clamps is also a great idea. But if you want to reduce all your burdens and make it easy, go for the pipe wrap kit.

This kit will come up with all the fasteners and wraps you need! Apart from the kit, you will need latex gloves for working. This is to keep your hands away from being itchy during the process. Keep a small bucket nearby too. Never forget a set of new exhaust gaskets for the future!

Step 2: Take off the Exhaust

Your next job is to take off your exhaust. For this, unbolting it is necessary. In this position, it is better that you check for the broken weld and pinholes. In most cases, we avoid it but checking all the cracked brackets should be a part of your job here.

You have to do it after unbolting the exhaust and then taking it down. In rare cases, there might be heavy rust or scale in the whole place. To get a better result, you have to remove them. Get a wire brush if you have or a wire cup brush can be a better option.

With the brush, start taking off the heavy rust and make the area clean. After you are done with the process, you have to clean the whole area carefully.

Step 3: Wrap Soaking

You might have been thinking about why you have arranged a bucket nearby in the first step. That is what we will explain today. In this step, you have to soap the wrap. Get your hands on the rolls of wrap and get it inside the bucket.

All you need to do is soak them. In some cases, if you are using colored wraps you might see that it is taking off the color from your wrap. However, you can completely forget about it. When you are going to ride for several months, the wrap you are using will eventually lose a lot of its color. So, worrying over the color is not worth it. On the other hand, soaking the wrap will help you in the installation by making the process easier.

Apart from this, keeping the airborne fiberglass away is what this step does for you! If you are concerned about your health issues, this can be a good reason to go through this step. Now, it is your time to wet the wrap stretches a little. It will help you in wrapping tighter and better. And finally, your finished product will look perfect!

Step 4: The Wrapping Process

No matter you are dealing with the Harley Sportster exhaust system or the Harley Street Glide exhaust system, the right wrap is necessary before everything. Once you get the perfect wrap, the next steps are easy. Once you are done with the preparation, get ready for the wrapping procedure. First of all, you have to go through one end of the wrap at your motorcycle’s exhaust outlet and wire it down.

There, you have to start the wrapping. Make sure you have pulled the wrap tight. Also, you must overlap the preceding layer halfway with every wrap. You should do it roughly and keep in mind that this is a necessary step. Affixing the end of the wrap is necessary too. But when it comes to proper overlapping, this can be an amazing substitute.

After you do it in this overlapping manner, securing both ends and starting points is what you should do. While wrapping, make sure you go from the outlet to the inlet. This will certify that the openings in the overlaps are facing the back of your motorcycle.

It will aid in keeping away the road scuzz. At times, you might want to wrap around the bung or the bracket. In such a situation, the first wrap should be an X and then you can work on the overlapping manner. The side of the pipe that will be visible should be wrapped carefully. Otherwise, the outlook will be terrible.

Step 5: Complete the Wrapping

It is time for affixing the wrap to the exhaust manifold’s end. Do you have removable exhaust flanges? In that case, certify that those are installed after the previous step. When you use safety wire, you have to keep in mind that you cannot stick yourself.

For this purpose, go through the twisted section of your wire in the wrap and bury it. This is a common mistake that most users do. So, you must ensure that you are not sticking yourself when you are getting close to it!

Step 6: Add the Pipes and Bolt them

Now, you are once again back to the gears! Yes, we are talking about the gaskets. Remember that you had some new and fresh gaskets ready? Yes, you have to start working with them now! All you need to do now is reinstall the pipe so that you can finish your work.

It will take you about 30 minutes to 60 minutes depending on your experiences and skills. Don’t forget to go through the bolts you have unbolted in the first step. Set them and fix them.

Step 7: The Test Drive

And you are done! It’s time for your test drive! When you start it for the first time, you will see a whole bunch of smoke along with a bad odor. It will take time for this to go. All you need to do is keep your eyes on the wrap and make sure it is looking perfect or not. However, never forget that the wrap will discolor after several months of use. So, make sure you maintain it well!

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Wrap Up

No, you never really need to go to the mechanic to wrap up the motorcycle exhaust. All you need is a little bit of sweat and the proper step-by-step process! You can do it on your own alone!

Check out for more info regarding the exhaust of your vehicle. No matter you own a bike or a car or a truck, we can surely help you with your difficulties!

Raphael E Loy

Hi, I am, Raphael E Loy, have profound knowledge of the automotive industry, and my passion for the car goes beyond just the technical aspects. For the past decade, I have pursued a carrier in automotive photography and journalism. I am a car enthusiast and love everything that has to do with cars and automotive vehicles. In my leisure time, I can be found in my small garage under the hood of a rare model. Over the years of experience in line with this, I have been writing for popular blogs and websites.