Suzuki 2 Strokes

Why on ebay have I seen so many GT exhausts with acid stains ? Is it something Im not aware of about older batteries ( common to explode or crack ? ) or is there that many people that are careless ? I can understand a drop here and there on some. But, many of them look like someone literally poored it on. On a side note, I found a very effective and easy way to remove them as if they were never there.

Lead acid batteries generate hydrogen and oxygen gasses when charged with a higher than designed for voltage (> ~13.5VDC). The gasses carry a bit of the sulfuric acid electrolyte as the pressure builds in the battery, and it follows the drain hose onto the exhaust.

The Suzuki charging systems from the 1970's don't seem to have very robust voltage regulation.

The T-series bikes are even worse.
The T250 / T350 / early GT250 don't even have a voltage regulator.
The T500 voltage regulator limits voltage to around 16V.

The mechanical voltage regulators on the GT-series was a big improvement.

Back then cars also had mechanical voltage regulators.
Car batteries were just like the stock batteries on these bikes -- they had caps over the cells so you could top them off.
Was fairly common for car battery trays to have bad corrosion problems as a result.

If you want to keep your exhausts pristine, then the best bet is to upgrade to a modern voltage regulator & a sealed battery.
Sealed battery manufacturers often list max charging voltage specs. Most of the ones I've seen are 14.7V but some are 14.5V.

I've never seen any without acid stains to some degree. At first glance, the pipes on my GT750 appear to be excellent. A closer look at the lower pipe is in order. You will notice just behind the center stand, you will see where I painted over the acid stain with high temp aluminum paint (dupli-color) and feathered it out right there. My 550 pipes were the same way, but they were junk because some clown PO welded the baffles in. Conehead!
pearljam, I can't imagine any secret formula to remove acid stains. 9 times out of 10 the chrome is already gone.

pearljam724 wrote:On a side note, I found a very effective and easy way to remove them as if they were never there.

Okay - I'll bite. What's the method ?

oldjapanesebikes wrote:

pearljam724 wrote:On a side note, I found a very effective and easy way to remove them as if they were never there.

Okay - I'll bite. What's the method ?

I will gladly share. But, give me the patience of a month or so and I'll show before and after pics of the one particular pipe that is my worst and I've yet to get to. I finished one that had a few small dime size spots. Turned out great. But, I was in such a hurry to see if it will work that I didn't take the time to take before pictures of that particular pipe. No paint, grinding, abrasives or chemicals involved. And yes, they are acid stains. Couldn't be removed by any other method. That I know of.

ConnerVT wrote:Lead acid batteries generate hydrogen and oxygen gasses when charged with a higher than designed for voltage (> ~13.5VDC). The gasses carry a bit of the sulfuric acid electrolyte as the pressure builds in the battery, and it follows the drain hose onto the exhaust.

The Suzuki charging systems from the 1970's don't seem to have very robust voltage regulation.

That information is what I pretty much assumed. The leak down part you mentioned from the breather hose on the battery or not having a breather hose. But, many of the pipes I observed also have bad stains on the outer left pipe. I could be wrong, but I don't think those particular pipes are prone to that also ? Or are they ?

Coyote wrote:I've never seen any without acid stains to some degree. At first glance, the pipes on my GT750 appear to be excellent. A closer look at the lower pipe is in order. You will notice just behind the center stand, you will see where I painted over the acid stain with high temp aluminum paint (dupli-color) and feathered it out right there. My 550 pipes were the same way, but they were junk because some clown PO welded the baffles in. Conehead!
pearljam, I can't imagine any secret formula to remove acid stains. 9 times out of 10 the chrome is already gone.

Then hang on for the next episode. Lol ! Man, I like that seat !

jabcb wrote:The T-series bikes are even worse.
The T250 / T350 / early GT250 don't even have a voltage regulator.
The T500 voltage regulator limits voltage to around 16V.

The mechanical voltage regulators on the GT-series was a big improvement.

Back then cars also had mechanical voltage regulators.
Car batteries were just like the stock batteries on these bikes -- they had caps over the cells so you could top them off.
Was fairly common for car battery trays to have bad corrosion problems as a result.

If you want to keep your exhausts pristine, then the best bet is to upgrade to a modern voltage regulator & a sealed battery.
Sealed battery manufacturers often list max charging voltage specs. Most of the ones I've seen are 14.7V but some are 14.5V.

Eventually, within a year of being finished. I plan to buy chambers. Most definitely will be adding a sealed battery for those reasons. My stock exhaust is in pretty good shape and I plan to keep them for resale value if I ever decide to sell the bike. I also thought of replacing the voltage regulator with an upgrade. Do you know of one to suggest ? With a non sealed acid filled type battery, is charging with a trickle charger only at 2 amps still a risk ? I have the battery on trickle at all times, not installed on the bike. It stops charging once the battery is at full capacity.

For AGM batteries, a "Smart" charger is best. A Battery Tender Jr is what I use, is not expensive ($20-40), and sold many places.

ConnerVT wrote:For AGM batteries, a "Smart" charger is best. A Battery Tender Jr is what I use, is not expensive ($20-40), and sold many places.

That's what I pretty much have and use on a regular basis. Mine has a 2 or 6 amp selection, if I remember correctly. I've learned a long time ago they are very important to maintain a bike battery. That fact was magnified since owning the 550. These systems and non sealed batteries seem to constantly need attention. And my battery is new. I learned this early on a rather far bike trip, barely made it home. Lesson learned.

Yep. This is what you need to be using. I think a constant 2 volts will give your batter a short life. These things charge at .75 volts and will never 'overcharge' your lead acid battery and can be keft on for months on end.

http://www.amazon.com/Battery-Tender-02 ... +tender+jr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chris, do you remember what brand and style bars you bought for your bike ? That's exactly what Im looking for. I'm targeting a Euro style with more pull back. I bought superbike bars several months ago for another bike. I like the height of those bars. But, not enough pull back. On the bike I speak of, I can't lean them closer either. As my choke lever will hit my tank. Depending on what brand you buy, those specs can be different. Even with the same style.

Oregon Motorcycle Parts has a voltage regulator & rectifier that are direct replacements to the GT-series parts.
Voltage regulator VR3-SGT for $52: http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/vregulators.html
Rectifier R255-SGT for $48: http://www.oregonmotorcycleparts.com/rectifiers3p.html

With an AGM battery, you don't need to charge them up as often. They hold the charge for much longer than conventional batteries. But I would recommend against using an older charger that wasn't labeled for use with an AGM battery.

I also use the Battery Tender Jr.

I also recommend the smart chargers and not a trickle charger at 2A, for that is quite a bit more than the maximum the small bike batteries need and (I'm no expert here) I think using it all the time will soon destroy the battery.
My lucky steeds live on Optimate IV chargers (not cheap, so one between two, ladies
I'm told that a MF battery can last 10y like this. Was fed up with finding I'd neglected the state of fill with the OE batteries and destroyed them all on my own!
Cheers,
Mike