Burnt Pants and Boots

Ever burnt a pair of pants or boots on your motorcycle exhaust and wondered how to remove it? Below is a collection of several tips and techniques that we’ve learned over the years. Before trying any of these techniques you should always test it out on a small non-visible section of your exhaust to make sure it will not ruin your finish as different finishes react differently to different products. Do NOT use abrasives such as steel wool, or scratch pads as you will end up scratching up your exhaust. Do NOT use solvents on painted or powder coated parts as you will ruin the finish.

Road Rub ® – is probably the best overall product we’ve found for removing burnt material on exhaust. You can find it at most local dealerships. It comes in a dry stick form (looks like deodorant) , so it’s nice and easy to pack in a saddle bag. Works best on metallic finishes, chrome in particular.

Various Cleaning Products / Hydrocarbons– There are host of generic cleaning products that you can try. The key with most of these is to let them soak and it will usually take several applications. Most of these are NOT good to use on paint or powder coat. Below is a short list:

1. Paint Remover (works well for burnt on rain suits)
2. Generic oven cleaner
3. Acetone (found in most fingernail polish removers)
4. Carb cleaners / starters
5. Mineral Spirits, Paint Thinners, Gasoline, Diesel, etc
6. WD-40, Goof off, etc.

Polishing Compound – Polishing compound with a buffing/polishing wheel works great on some material and best on metallic surfaces, but be careful especially on highly reflective surfaces such as chrome as you can end up scratching your exhaust. The scratches are generally very light and hard to see until you get them out in the sunlight.

Re-melting – Some materials can be re-melted and then wiped off. If the material is fairly easy to melt you may be able to use and old iron to melt or soften it up and then wipe it away with a cloth. Just be careful not scratch or burn your pipes with the iron. The other option is to let your bike run long enough to heat up the pipes again which may soften up / melt the material enough for it to be removed. Again just be careful not to burn yourself in the process.

The Human Fingernail – For whatever reason the human fingernail is one of the best devices know to man when it comes to scraping stuff off without ruining the base material below. It can be a long, tedious and sometimes painful process but when all else fails chipping it off bit by bit with your fingernail after your pipes have cooled may be your best option.

Disclaimer: The solutions mentioned above are only suggestions, depending on the type of material you’ve melted onto your exhaust they may or may not work. Use only at your own risk. TAB Performance is not responsible for any damage done to your bike or components due to trying any of these suggestions.