I am trying to redo my exhaust because it is really rusted out. My one friend's dad has a sanding cabinet and after spending all day trying to grind the rust off, I'm really tempted to sandblast it. However, my friend warned me that with an exhaust as old/worn as mine ('91 gse and it's pretty rusted) I run the risk of sanding through it.
Now, is that something I should be concerned with? I know there's always the chance that you could sand through due to human error but assuming that his dad knows how sandblast properly, would the exhaust be inherently weak due to age/usage?
A picture of the exhaust would help.
Personally, I would try sandblasting it if the operator knows what they are doing. If you can easily sandblast a hole through it then it's probably time to replace it anyway.
My bike: (http://www.winkflash.com/photo/imagew2.aspx?c=8484214&i=396942504&z=0)
My exhaust: (http://www.winkflash.com/photo/imagew2.aspx?c=8484214&i=396942507&z=0)
Both pictures were with camera so resolution may not be great. Hope this helps.
I guess I was confused because I read some posts by ppl who say that they sandblast and redo their exhaust every year so wouldn't that wear down the metal? My bike is 20 years old and I sincerely doubt any of the POs ever sandblasted it before (was told it sat in multiple barns for years at a time).
Only way you'd sand through it is if the exhaust was so rusted, it had almost been eaten through. I wouldn't worry about it.