Hiya. Got a 1999 Harley Davidson Sportster 1200 almost totally stock except cosmetics. Want to put some new, louder pipes on. Looking at some drag pipes. My question is: do I need to get the bike tuned or anything after I install the new pipes or am I good to go after bolting them on? Some websites say yes and some say no, so I figured the HD people would know best.. I am looking at a set of used pipes on eBay for about $90. The chrome by the intake has heat marks, but I plan on putting black heat tape on them anyway. Are drag pipes significantly louder than stock, and will I lose any power, like back pressure, by switching from stock? I'd rather not take it to the dealer, want to do everything with my own 2 hands if possible. Also, any recommendations for new pipes in the $100-200 range that will give me more noise without sacrificing power or performance? I appreciate the help. Thanks

 

1. Drag pipes get their name from drag racing. Think drag racers and yes, they make quite a lot of noise! Your neighbours and family may not be very happy with you.
2. Drag racing involves high speed stuff only, using a narrow rev range of the engine, they steal torque, so you will lose performance, probably in the rev range you normally use.
3. Yes you will need to tune your bike, the carb in particular.
4. You would be better off buying aftermarket mufflers, but will still need to adjust your carb.

 

Thank you for your input. If I decide to do some simple slip-on mufflers, would that make more noise and not require me to tune the carbs? I found some new slip-ons online for about $150 that claim to make it louder without having to tune the carb, wondering if that would be the way to go or just bite the bullet and get all new straight pipes. The stock 99 Sporty pipes are just not loud at all, and I'm tired of people trying to side-swipe me on the road because they cannot hear me.. I was looking inside my pipes last night, and some people mentioned knocking down a tab in the center of the muffler, but it looks like it is already knocked down. So now I'm leaning more towards just a pair of slip-on mufflers. The original stock pipes are in great condition, so I would prefer not to replace what isn't broken, but I'm at a crossroads trying to decide on straight pipes or slip-ons. Any experience with those? I want louder pipes, but don't want to spend a ton of money on them, and don't want to sacrifice power or performance. Thank you for your advice, I truly value it.