[Mr.Fixit]

The ceramic stuff, in my opinion, is really for nice maintenance free aesthetics. I doubt that a dyno could tell what coating is on the sidepipes, nor could the seat of your pants. Coated pipes will be at the same surface temp as painted pipes, although their ability to conduct heat is slightly reduced. If you are the kind of guy who doesn't mind polishing his own wheels once in a while to keep them shiny, touch up painting on painted sidepipes will not be too bothersome. Plus you can use the money you will save on something more important, like a helmet for track events.