A bit too quiet - advice please

[twizzle]

Won't it fuck with the warranty?

Only three months old.

Probably... But only if you tell em....

 

[Mutley]

Having 'staged' both my Harleys (carbed and EFi), I would make the following points:

1. You will see an improvement in power output (mostly peak) after making a stage 1 upgrade.
2. The bike will run a little richer and cooler and better. Modern Harley's are setup to run lean (and very hot).
3. If you only change the silencers, then you won't need to change anything else on the bike.
4. If you swap out the whole exhaust, then you will need to do a proper stage 1 (air filter, fuelling and pipes). This is more expensive.
5. You can pick up parts used on ebay over time, this will save you money.
6. If you want to change all components, it won't matter too much what bits you choose, there are very rarely any major compatibility issues.
7. Air Filter - it's all about increasing the flow, the housing is just 'bling'. (I went for a hi-flow K&N that fit under my stock housing, relatively 'cheap').
8. Fuelling - XIED or a V&H fuel pak is simple, but crude. Personally, I would buy a something like a Power Commander as most dyno places can set them up for you without too much hassle.
9. Pipes - Personally I like 2:1 systems, but it's totally your call. V&H Short Shots are very common, I'd say too common, but it's a personal taste thing.
10. Budget - it can be anything from a few hundred to around £1500.
11. Stage 2 - just to confuse the issue, you will see the most benefit from fitting news cams to a stage 1 bike. The cost is not too much more (few hundred) and the increase in performance will be massive. You won't regret it.

Hope this helps.

This is very sound advice

Find your local independent.... Don't use the dealer... You will save ££ on a stage one..

This is also very sound advice

Be careful what you wish for though. Most Harleys, especially mine, are way too loud. Talk to your local indy and listen to a few bikes then check out their exhausts before you commit.

V&H short shots look great, but damn they're loud. The long shots don't look anywhere near as cool, but they sound great. As with most things HD you can have great looking, good quality and cheap, pick any two from three

 

[tiktok]

This is very sound advice

This is also very sound advice

Be careful what you wish for though. Most Harleys, especially mine, are way too loud. Talk to your local indy and listen to a few bikes then check out their exhausts before you commit.

V&H short shots look great, but damn they're loud. The long shots don't look anywhere near as cool, but they sound great. As with most things HD you can have great looking, good quality and cheap, pick any two from three

This is also very good advice!

Supertrapp do offer a baffling system for their 2:1 system, it lets you have some control over the volume and pitch of the exhaust note. What I don't know is that if you set up the bike on the dyno, will changing the baffle plates affect the tuning.

Personally, I would go for a longer exhaust pipe(s), it changes the exhaust note and more importantly throws the sound behind you. V&H Short shots mean that the exhaust noise is almost below the rider, making for a noisier experience.

If you are looking for ideas for pipes, the best thing is to go to a local HD dealer on a Saturday morning, there are invariably a plethora of Harley's there. Alternatively, attend a rally one weekend this summer. Google 'HDRCGB rallies'. Also, people on HD forums will be able to offer opinions on why their latest set of pipes are the best. ;-)

When I was looking for an exhaust, I wanted something that sounded good, but also was comparatively 'rare' for the European market. I went with RB Racing pipes for my Sporty and RK. The sound is good, but there is a 12 week lead time on the parts.

 

[J.R.]

FWIW I put Remus cans on my 2010 FatBoy, and they seemed to give a similar dB level but with a richer more throaty note to them. The baffles were held in with a tight almost interference fit and a dab of weld, which was easily removed. I only took one baffle out for a listen. I put it back in as soon as my ears stopped bleeding

 

[Davel]

Cheers all!

Will go and have a listen to some first at the local meet...

 

[Davel]

Called at Chester for a quick look and some advice.

By the time that we put a new exhaust on, air intake and the fuelling thingy, we up near the £2k mark, so may just settle for some new silences for the time being...

 

[too loud man]

When I collected my '10 96cu Road King I had the stage one and screaming eagle pipes fitted at the first service, very little sound difference but certainly a bit smoother pull through the rev range. Quite disappointed really until a few yank forums kept on about removing the cat from the down pipes, rather than drill them out and basically butcher the stock system, I got hold of a set of front pipes that were made to replicate the shape and size of the stock pipes but with no cat. Teamed up with a power commander, hey pesto authentic HD rumble and bark but not stupid loud, basically it seems the Catalytic converter is what deadens the sound on the newer bikes, and if you keep the old system for when resale comes along, no probs with warranty etc.

 

[tiktok]

Won't it fuck with the warranty?

Only three months old.

Don't do anything to the bike until it is out of warranty if you indy. If you have HD do the work, your warranty won't be affected.

Use the winter to order some RB Racing pipes (12 week lead time), a hiflow air filter, a Thundermax Autotuner and set of cams (it will be around £2k), but you will have a different bike when you take it out in the spring.

 

[andysdad]

Where did you get them from ?

Got mine off fleaBay UK for £100 (and sold them for £140 when I left Oz ); note to OP - the Touring mufflers only fit Touring (FL) Harleys (yes I know it sounds obvious but....)

09 mufflers may have different fittings and inlet diameter - IIRC 09 was the new frame (or was that 11?)

A (ex-Harley owner, I'll slink back out via the side door)

 

[Mutley]

http://www.baggersmag.com/motorcycle-gear/9-harley-davidson-slip-exhausts-we-love?src=SOC&dom=fb

Not a bad place to start looking

 

[Davel]

Right, going to get it sorted in the next coupe of weeks but I had no idea that there were so many choices of pipes and not much chance to compare them all.

So far, the general feeling is long shots and that two into one systems are the loudest, so may avoid those.

I want more noise but no too much to scare the cows in the field next door!

Everything else is pretty much sorted - so Stage 1 it is...

 

[JohnnyOldBoy]

Dave, I am coming into this late. I had Stage 1 and V&H Short Shots on my Fatboy and although I was told I would get better performance, I didn't notice it. My bike was a 2000, one of the last with a carb and it was replaced with a Mikuni. I felt a bit cheated. The pipes sounded great though. I used Harley dealer and no problem with warranty.

 

[Davel]

Well as I was planning to use Chester HD, I wasn't expecting a warranty issue.

They, of course, recommend Stage 1 instead of slip on mufflers but is there a valid reason for this other than their margin?

 

[Davel]

Well, just got here back Stage 1 conversion done at Chester.

Fitted V & H Long shots.

Bit pokier and now sounds really good too...