03-05-2016, 05:35 AM
While they take more upkeep, and they look a bit less retro, to me the stainless steel headers represent quality. I consider my Hawk GT to be a gem of a bike and it features SS headers as well. I was grateful for that fact when I bought the bike after it had already been around for 19 years. I was able to return the headers to like new condition with nothing more than time using some polish and elbow grease. Of course they would end up with a golden hue after a few rides (which is exactly how Honda presented the bike in their marketing images), but there was no pitting or rot/rust to deal with.