Zircotec ThermoHold™ Ceramic Coating Review |
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This review should really be entitled how to get your expensive after market motorcycle end can repaired and herein lies the story that leads to this review. Earlier this year we decided to buy a cosmetically perfect, low mileage motorbike that we had seen on the internet at a local dealers; better still the bike was fitted with a black finished after market sports can, which really enhanced the overall look of the bike. Now we bikers, buy after market cans for many reasons, performance improvement being one of them, but a principle reason to buy one is to enhance the looks of the bike. Imagine our disappointment when viewing the bike at the dealers to discover between the advertisement photo’s being taken and going to view the bike, the expensive end can had been damaged (see photo below). An area of some 2cm square of the original manufacturers black heat coating had been removed and an attempt at crudely painting it in made. Cosmetically the can was a right off and it didn’t do much for the looks of the bike in this condition.  Damaged exhaust end can However such was the overall condition of the bike we still went ahead with the purchase from the dealer. He offered to see if he could get the can repaired at the local paint spray shop they used, so the original manufacturers can was fitted back on to the bike, pending receiving the repaired end can back from the sprayers. After waiting several weeks we received a disappointing phone call from the dealer to say the spray shop had returned the exhaust can unrepaired, claiming that due to the high temperatures the exhaust can is subject too, they had nothing they could spray the can with whereby they could guarantee the finish would last. So now we had a dilemma, to replace the can with a new one would cost £550, not really an option, but where could we get the can satisfactorily repaired? But fate is strange, that week here at www.inter-bike.co.uk we received a press release about a company called Zircotec Ltd who specialise in coloured ceramic coatings that can be applied to exhausts. Who, although they have considerable experience and success, working in the world of cars, are relatively unknown in the biking world.  Damaged can in the hands of Zircotec A few phone calls later we agreed to take the can to Zircotec’s new premises at Abingdon in Oxfordshire to see what they could do to repair the finish. So I hear you say what exactly do Zircotec do? Zircotec grew out of the nuclear industry and after a management buyout a couple of years ago the company now known as Zircotec Ltd was formed. However Zircotec have experience going back some 15 years in the application of plasma sprayed ceramic thermal barrier coatings in the automotive market and the technology itself has been developed over the past 25 years. These plasma sprayed coatings are offered in a range of 14 colour finishes and designed to provide the ultimate thermal barrier whilst providing an attractive finish. The finish is designed to be both durable and easy to maintain. In fact the process involves the combination of Zircotec’s ThermoHold™ ceramic coating process in combination with a multi layer colour finish. The Zircotec zirconia based ceramic coating is designed significantly to reduce the transfer of heat from the surface of the item coated (in this case our exhaust) by holding the temperature within the exhaust gas. So not only would we get our exhaust cosmetically repaired but we would benefit from having a durable finish that would transfer far less heat; in fact the guys at Zircotec claimed that within a vey short period after stopping the bike having ridden it up to operating the temperature the exhaust would be cool enough to touch (not something we are advising you try!) The ceramic coating used has undergone considerable testing, simulating more than 100,000 miles of road use with lifetime temperatures of 900?C and Zircotec provides a 36 month warranty on the coating. We agreed with the helpful team at Zircotec that we just wanted the original black area of the can ceramic coated and chose their finish called Performance Black that was closest in finish to the original colour. One of the advantages of the Zircotec spray system is that individual areas can be masked up so the ceramic coating is only applied where it’s wanted. Zircotec told us the job would be turned round in 10 days or less and they would contact us when it was ready. A week or so later Zircotec phoned us saying the exhaust was ready, so we agreed to go and pick it up, but Zircotec are happy to arrange courier delivery of finished exhausts for customers if required.  Can with Zircotec's Performance Solid Black coating We have to say on seeing the finished exhaust at Zircotec’s premises we were delighted with the result. No longer did we have a damaged end can, but one that had a totally repaired, off matt-black finish. One of the things that you first notice is that the finish to touch is not smooth but has the texture similar to very fine grade emery paper although looking at the exhaust from a distance this is not apparent. This is because the coating is made up of grains of ceramic, these aid in the heat dissipation process by increasing the surface area of the item which speeds up the cooling down process.  Receiving back the repaired end can A couple of days later we refitted the now repaired end can to bike, enabling us to remove the massive original exhaust can and replace it with the now more aesthetically pleasing and more importantly repaired end can.  Repaired exhaust can refitted to bike We were also eager to see if the claims about the exhaust cooling down quickly held and we are happy to say that the exhaust cools rapidly once the engine is stopped, in fact in matter of less than a few minutes on our test bike. It does also appear to put out far less heat whilst the engine is running, though this will vary from bike to bike. Now we hear you ask, how much does this cost? Prices start from about £150 upwards depending on the size of the exhaust can to be coated. However you are not limited to just end cans, down pipes can be coated and collector boxes, the process can also be applied on top of carbon fibre. We can see a huge range of applications for this technology in the biking world. How many of us have damaged an exhaust can and needed a cost effective and durable cosmetic repair? Many bikers we are sure! Are you customising your existing bike and want an exhaust colour to match the colour scheme of your creation? Are you a custom bike builder and want a coloured finished exhaust that has the added benefits of low heat output? Are you a race team motorcycle mechanic that regularly has to work on race bikes with hot exhausts, because time is at a premium? A Zircotec coated exhaust cools really quickly! Are you restoring a classic or vintage bike that needs the exhaust system colour coating? We are sure we’ve not covered all the potential uses of this ceramic coloured coating. If you interested in using Zircotec’s plasmas sprayed ceramic coatings they can be contacted in the following ways: Phone: +44 (01235) 54 60 50 Email: enquiries@zircotec.com Use website contact form at www.zircotec.com or visit their trade counter at their premises at:- Zircotec 22 Nuffield Way Abingdon Oxfordshire OX14 1RL United Kingdom It just remains for us to say our thanks to the team at Zircotec for repairing the exhaust. Review by Jon Booth – www.inter-bike.co.uk
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