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I am starting a project on my Buell and was thinking about using copper for the exhaust pipes. I think I'll like the patina, however I haven't seen copper exhaust pipes so ... On paper the copper should be able to handle the heat, but I'd love some real life reflections. Has anyone attempted to use copper in this application? If so, how did it look after 6 months? I'm re doing the bike in a matte black carbon fiber.

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You haven't seen copper exhaust because it is not a good idea. I wondered myself years ago; why isn't copper used at higher temperatures? It has reasonable high temperature oxidation resistance. The problem is that copper oxides have a significantly different thermal expansion rate from the metal so the oxide layer spalls off as the metal goes through heat and cool cycles, rather than staying on the surface and protecting the metal Compared to stainless where the ( mostly) chromium oxide stays tightly attached.

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