My pipes are turning blue !!

[corv66dd]

Sorry guys but I am a weekend warrier. I enjoy the bike out on rides with the gang on Sundays. Location is Southwest Fla. Usually temps in the 80's and 90's. Lately I have been noticing my front header pipes are starting to turn blue all the way back to the cat. Is this normal at 5500 miles or am I ruunning lean and hot? We dont have ethenal in our fuel yet, but soon to come. Sometimes when I accelerate hard I hear it pinging a little. This probably adds to my problem. Are these engines sensitive to fuel that sits in the tank for a month or so? I am using 93 octane. Thanks

[ColumbiaBMW]

I don't know at what point mine turned blue, because I bought mine at about 16,000 miles and it now has 18,xxx+, but this appears to be normal on this bike. I saw a thread a while ago that had instructions on how to polish them and get rid of the blue, but apparently it will come back so it's not worth the time. I'm sure your bike is fine, because pinging is another thing I was worried about after I bought mine and really pinned the throttle, but I was reassured again that it is just one of those things that they all do.

[The Velvet Monkey]

That's entirely normal and many consider it an endearing aspect of this bike. Mine turned blue, then brown.

[wncbmw]

'They all do that' You'll hear that phrase a lot around here.

It is a lot of work to remove the blue and it comes back quickly. In the old airhead days, I was told the further back the pipes blued, the faster you rode, so it was a badge of honor!

Brown discoloring can be removed with polish much easier. I would not worry about bluing.

[rdsmith3]

Blue is OK.

This is not:

[OU812]

They all do that.
sorry I had to say it.

[boxermania]

Blue is normal as the exhaust is not double walled like the 1200 cruiser.

Most people polish it and end loosing the chrome coat and it dulls....at that point the best thing is to have them Jet-Hot coated, silver or black. I have been doing that to my bikes for the last few years as I hate blue pipes......a bit pricey, but it lasts and is also a thermal coating.

[def38]

Blue pipes turning to yellow pipes are normal. The BMW exhaust pipes run very hot (observe your pipes at night some time while you're idling around town in traffic...you'll see cherry red). Don't even attempt to keep them polished. The color will only return again soon. The suggestion of ceramic coating is a good one. These coatings keep the engine a bit cooler, as well.

As for fuel, your just fine...93 R+M/2 is the good stuff. As for ethanol, are you sure? I believe all US motor fuel is mandated to contain some ethanol, the amount depends on the region...there are some ~160 different fuel blends (they're called botique fuels) mandated by state, regional and local governments...WTF do politicians know about fuels and internal combustion engines...another cost adder to our already overpriced motor fuel.

If your detonation persists, a spirited ride of ~50 miles will clean up the top end and detonation will likely abate.

[abglenn]

Best for removing blue ... called "Blue Job", expensive, about $11.00 per 5-oz. jar and you'll need 2 plastic white jars to clean both sides. Do not add to much water. Lots of rubbing, I use a cloth buffing wheel on my electric drill chuck. Include CAT box. Protect all adjacent body work with shop towels. After doing all that rubbing, about 1-hour's worth, start engine and the pipes will turn a golden chrome tone. Application will last about 8-months. You can buy this stuff on=line, or most cycle shops. Reviewed by BikeWorld, if you need more info.

[Boris Badenov]

doon wurry bout it... it aint harley ya know...

[jfslater98]

Blue is OK.

This is not:

What the hell is that? Bob, it looks like your exhaust has the mange. Wha' happen?

[Daryl_stamp]

doon wurry bout it... it aint harley ya know...

+1

It's hard to see them from the seat anyway, and who cares what other people think. Personal tastes are what they are, some like them polished and some like them looking like a favorite pair of old jeans and re-soled boots.

DLS

[digga]

another cost adder to our already overpriced motor fuel.

You ought to try paying UK prices, then you would appreciate your cheap fuel!

[rdsmith3]

Blue is OK.

This is not:

What the hell is that? Bob, it looks like your exhaust has the mange. Wha' happen?

I was stuck in traffic in the rain on I-80 and a plastic grocery bag blew onto my pipes and melted.

[CorvuS]

A bmw without blue pipes is like uh.... Well anyway, those pipes should go blue
If you don't like the coloring you can always paint em black.

[jacksgp]

Hey Man, blue is cool. You don,t have to shine em up and the less chrome the better IMO. Ride it, don,t shine it!
It ain,t a harley, it,s a motorcycle!

[Ves]

Titanium turns blue when it gets hot... if anyone asks... just tell them you have titanium pipes...

[boxermania]

Yep....that's it, titanium pipes and gold input shaft splines.......

[iowabeakster]

You guys are too nice.

Next time remember, The correct answer is:

The blue comes off real easy. Grab a damp towel, and rub in small circles. It should only take a few minutes.

We need some newbie initiation pranks.

[allanj255]

The front part of my pipes turned blue on the way home from picking the bike brand new from the dealers, I got caught in slow moving trafic and that was it. I like the blue tinge to my pipes and they have developed a gold tinge over the years