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In the News A new(ish ) product for down pipes

Jaws

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Taken from BDN ( trade mag )

UPBEAT ON DOWNPIPES
UK

14/10/2020



The spirit of free enterprise has certainly beaten all odds for DrDownpipe founder Martin Cloke during the Covid-19 pandemic, having launched his new cleaning product for exhaust headers just as the UK lockdown approached.

The starting point for Cloke’s business came from long years of professional experience valeting used bikes he bought in for supply to the trade. Increasingly dissatisfied with many of the cleaning solutions available, he was also aware that some household items in regular use most definitely weren’t motorcycle friendly.

So Cloke set out to develop his own answer to the problem of baked-on header filth, one that wouldn’t damage chrome and adjacent paintwork, and was equally efficacious on polished stainless steel. The result, after extensive testing and establishing regulatory compliance, was a biodegradable acid-based formula that he branded DrDownpipe – The Exhaust Remedy.

This was initially launched early this year, just as coronavirus reared its ugly head, with a promotional price to gauge demand. “You could say we dipped our fingers gently into the market,” says Cloke. “It started to sell and suddenly bikers were talking about DrDownpipe. We saw a few videos doing the rounds on social media of people using it. Then, like a greyhound leaving the traps, it took off and we had sold out via our website.”

And when lockdown hit and much of the motorcycle trade was obliged to close its doors, DrDownpipe prospered. “Most bikers were stuck at home with nothing to do,” Cloke explains. “What better idea than to give their bikes a spruce-up! We sold more than a thousand 500ml bottles in two weeks and demand quickly outstripped supply. We couldn’t keep up.”

The product was subsequently featured and recommended in key specialist media including MCN, RiDE and Bike, as well as on the Bennetts Insurance Bike Social website, which helped to attract greater attention and grow sales.

Martin Cloke is naturally grateful to the handful of dealers who became his first stockists, mainly local to DrDownpipe’s home at Dartford, Kent. These were Ride DMC in Dartford, Fast Lane in Tonbridge and Sondel Yamaha in Blackfen. Further afield, Ashbourne Motorcycles in Ireland was the inaugural export destination. Many more have since followed.

Cloke is keen to extend reach to a much wider customer base through further trade outlets and is proud to stress that he is purveying a British-made product. DrDownpipe also has the scope to supply to the trade in bulk quantities for showroom stock valeting purposes.

DrDownpipe

drdownpipe@gmail.com
 

andyBeaker

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If money no object then ceramic coating is rather nice, helps improve performance and easy to keep clean as well.
 

sr71caspar

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There are plenty of YouTube videos of people cleaning their downpipes with harpic 10x or somesuch toilet cleaner.
Probably cheaper and you probably already have some.

 

DanBow

Like a leaf on the wind . . .
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There are plenty of YouTube videos of people cleaning their downpipes with harpic 10x or somesuch toilet cleaner.
Probably cheaper and you probably already have some.


I've seen some a different video saying how you shoukdnt use Harpic. I cant remember why! I'll try to find the video.

I've just ordered some DrDownpipe. I'll let you all know how I get on with it.
 

sr71caspar

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I've seen some a different video saying how you shoukdnt use Harpic. I cant remember why! I'll try to find the video.

I've just ordered some DrDownpipe. I'll let you all know how I get on with it.

Is it a video by DrDownpipe? :D


Let us know if it smells like toilet cleaner when you get it. (y)
 

Squag1

Can't remember....
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Autosol is brilliant and its non abrasive.
I used it on the blow lamp.
Never tried it on the pipes.
 

Martin L Batley

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I've seen some a different video saying how you shoukdnt use Harpic. I cant remember why! I'll try to find the video.

I've just ordered some DrDownpipe. I'll let you all know how I get on with it.
Wrong type of acid in it. Think Harpic has sulphuric acid and for stainless it's supposed to be nitric. At least that's what Matt from The Workshop on YouTube states.
 

DanBow

Like a leaf on the wind . . .
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Wrong type of acid in it. Think Harpic has sulphuric acid and for stainless it's supposed to be nitric. At least that's what Matt from The Workshop on YouTube states.

This is the one I was think off


and the one by Matt

 

Squag1

Can't remember....
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From Nevil Shute book.
They used to call him Harpic because he was clean around the bend
 

slim63

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Yep that's the one

And it works a treat, I have been cleaning stainless downpipes with bog cleaner for years, although there are a couple of things you need to know .......... it will stain ally & some paintwork so keep it on the pipes or even better remove them to do the job..... dont do it on concrete or slabs as the acid will eat away the lime in them very quickly & leave a mess ........ dont let it dry out once applied 10 mins before another coat is about right & multiple coats will be needed

Once done wash with loads of running water to neutralize the acid, I do it all bare handed as it tends to eat most gloves in seconds, all I do is have a bucket of water handy for when the occasional splash begins to burn, stick your hands in & its done

Max power is a quid a bottle ;)
 
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