Motorcycle Exhaust Heat Shields

A motorcycle exhaust heat shield stops radiant heat from the header or muffler reaching your leg, your pillion’s leg, the fairing or the wiring behind it. Whether a motorbike exhaust heat shield will fit yours comes down to one measurement: the outside diameter of the pipe.

This guide covers what fits what, what to use when a clamp-on shield will not fit, and how to protect the panels around the pipe rather than the pipe itself. The shields are in the Kool Wrap heat shield range and the wrap is in the exhaust heat wrap range.

Measure the pipe first

Put a tape around the pipe at the point you want to shield and work out the outside diameter. That single number decides your options.

Many road bike headers are well under 2 inches, which puts them below the clamp-on range. Mufflers and larger cruiser pipes are often inside it or above it. Measure rather than assume.

Clamp-on pipe shields for 2 to 3 inch pipe

Embossed semi-rigid heat shields include DCI pipe shields made to wrap around a pipe and clamp shut. They come in 300mm and 600mm lengths and are rated at 600°C or 1,000°C depending on the model.

They are not sold as a motorcycle part. They are a general pipe shield, and where your pipe measures 2 to 3 inches one will clamp around it. They fit with hose band clamps, take no adhesive, and trim with tin snips. Because they clamp on rather than stick on, you can unclamp one to inspect the pipe underneath, which you cannot do with wrap without cutting the ties.

Use one over the section of pipe closest to your leg or the fairing rather than along the whole run. Shielding where the heat reaches something is the point.

Pipes under 2 inches: what to use instead

Most motorcycle headers are too small for a clamp-on shield. Two options work.

Exhaust wrap

Exhaust heat wrap winds around the pipe and keeps the heat inside it. It suits any pipe diameter and follows tight header bends. Standard fibreglass comes in black, white and natural, vermiculite coated in graphite black, and titanium basalt in natural and black. Our motorcycle exhaust wrap guide covers which material and how much to buy.

The trade-off is that wrap absorbs water. On a bike that gets rained on, ride long enough afterwards to dry it out, and paint mild steel headers with high-temperature exhaust paint before you wrap.

A semi-rigid panel mounted beside the pipe

Where you want an air gap rather than something on the pipe, an embossed semi-rigid panel bracketed near the header does the job. Panels run from a single 1.8mm layer up to six layers at 3.3mm, cut radiant heat by up to 90%, and fold to shape by hand.

Protecting the panel instead of the pipe

Often the real complaint is not the pipe. It is a fairing panel, a side cover or a pannier going soft next to it. In that case, shield the panel.

• Fibreglass-backed aluminium tape on the inside of a fairing. It reflects 95% of radiant heat and withstands up to 454°C radiant heat.
• An adhesive heat shield sheet on a larger panel. The 0.5mm gold sheet suits tight spaces behind bodywork.
• Heat sleeves on wiring, sensor leads and fuel lines routed near the header.

Never stick an adhesive shield or tape directly onto the exhaust pipe. Kool Wrap does not publish a temperature rating for the adhesive, so it belongs on the panel, not the pipe.

Heat shield or exhaust wrap on a bike?

Plenty of bikes end up with both: wrap on the headers where the bends are tight, and a clamp-on shield on the larger muffler section next to your leg.

What a shield will not do

A heat shield lowers the radiant heat you feel from the pipe. It does not make the pipe safe to touch. The outer surface of a shield or a wrap still gets hot enough to burn skin, so treat a shielded pipe exactly like a bare one, and do not rely on it to protect a pillion’s leg or a child’s calf.

It also will not fix a pipe routed badly. If the header sits against the frame or the fairing with no gap, moving it or fitting a spacer does more than any shield.

Motorcycle exhaust heat shield FAQs

What is a motorcycle exhaust heat shield?

It is a barrier between the exhaust and whatever is getting too hot, usually your leg, a fairing panel or wiring. On a bike it takes one of three forms: a metal shield clamped around the pipe, wrap wound onto the pipe, or a reflective sheet stuck to the panel you are protecting.

Will a heat shield fit my motorcycle exhaust?

Measure the outside diameter of the pipe first. Clamp-on DCI pipe shields suit 2 inch to 3 inch pipe and come in 300mm and 600mm lengths. Many road bike headers are well under that, so those need exhaust wrap or a bracketed panel instead.

Heat shield or exhaust wrap for a motorbike?

Wrap suits headers, because it follows tight bends and fits any pipe size. A clamp-on shield suits larger muffler sections, because it unclamps for inspection and does not absorb water the way wrap does. Bikes ridden in the wet favour the shield where it fits.

How do I stop my exhaust burning my leg?

Shield or wrap the section of pipe closest to your leg rather than the whole system, and check whether the pipe can be moved or spaced away from the frame first. Nothing makes the surface cool to the touch, so the aim is to cut the radiant heat you feel while riding, not to make the pipe safe to lean against.

Can you put a motorcycle muffler heat shield on?

Yes, if the muffler measures 2 to 3 inches. Many do, but measure before you order. A DCI pipe shield clamps around it with hose band clamps and trims with tin snips. Use it over the section nearest your leg or the pannier rather than the full length.

Need help choosing?

Send Kool Wrap the pipe diameter and a photo of the area you want protected, and we will tell you what fits. Call 1300 44 33 34, browse the heat shield range, or read the motorcycle exhaust wrap guide if wrap is the better answer for your bike.