Forgot to mention if you go to the site, click on the F.A.Q. tab.

 

Couple things...

First, straight pipes have nothing to do with their shape. It has to do with whether there is anything inside them or not. Like straight whiskey has nothing to do with the shape of the glass but means no ice. Baffles are the ice in this analogy.

Second, I spend my time thinking about and researching info from the standpoint of a bagger. Baggers usually have a little more pipe, and pipes on non-baggers are together on the same side. May perceive non-baggers to be 5dB louder? These numbers are also all with the regular baffle that comes in them. I think stock is about 80dB. I think Rhinehart is loudest at 98dB. Think my Bub's are 96dB. V&H radius or big shots are in the same general area. Rhinehart makes a quiet baffle just like V&H. I'd guess the quiet ones to take you down about 5dB. It seems to me that quiet baffles and these Smart things will take you back down to stock. Which defeats your efforts except to have a better looking pipe.

Third, is that you are talking about how the noise effects you personally through years of wear and tear. WEAR EAR PLUGS!!! I know it isn't manly, but do it anyway. I pick up a pair of Earplanes (something like that) from Wal-mart 2-3 times a year. Somewhere between $5-$10 a set. They are hollow in the center (with a little ball) so they allow most of the noise in but none of the wind. The wind is whats really ****ing up your hearing. You can even get special custom flesh colored ones at bike week events. Trust me, you can still hear what you want to. They quiet the pipes a bit (dampening highs more than lows), virtually no difference on my radio, and still can hear enough going on around me to be safe and alert.

 

I took some pics of the baffles from the V&H and the SmartPartz before I installed them.

pic 1 is all three next to each other from left to right, regular baffle, quiet baffle on the wrap and Smartpartz one, and the 3 following are looking through the pipes.

pic 2 is the regular baffle

pic 3 is the quiet baffle

pic 4 is the Smartpartz one

Also, even with the quiet baffle the pipes were too LOUD for me (personal opinion) and made riding more than 10/20 miles tiring, even with ear plugs.

 

Well, my hearing loss isn't due to wind, especially since the last time I rode, I wore a full face helmet. I plan to use some sort of hearing protection on rides, but aside from that, I am not into loud noises. Personal taste maybe, but from what I hear, the different ways to use these baffles doesn't reduce overall noise too much, but mostly the high pitch tones and under idle and cruise speeds.


So I take it you are running the V&H pipes with the quiet baffles and the Smartpartz baffles? Did that get things to what you were looking for?

One thing I read on V&H's site is that you can use their baffles with the V&H quiet baffles, but that it is more restrictive and they recommend using the regular baffles. Sounds like a potential negative effect. What does this mean in practical terms? Do you lose HP/torque, or anything?

 

Those are great pictures, that's them.

Wabbit, got pretty good idea how you got hearing damage if that's you in that picture. Really in my opinion unless you go with no baffle drag pipes you don't lose significant Tq/HP power..lenght helps, then baffles but unless you really over stuff them or increase the diameter from the header size, BP should not really be a problem. If you just do Slip ons you probably can't feel power differences at the seat of the pant's level. I can't. You want to get a headache, read this

http://forum.concours.org/index.php?topic=45090

 

Might be more restrictive, but I don't notice any difference at all, I have the impression I actually regained some of the low end torque I lost after installing the True duals.

Bike with V&H True Duals and regular baffles: nice sound but too loud for me (must have been over 100 DB), lost low end torque and bike running a bit lean/hot and some decel popping

Bike with V&H TD and quiet baffles, slightly lower sound level but still too loud for me throughout the RPM range. Also still a bit hot/lean and some decel popping. Regained some of the low end torque according my seat of the pants dyno.

Bike with V&H TD with quiet baffles and the smartpartz one, nice deep rumble at stationary as with the quiet baffles, not too loud cruising until you crack the throttle ... then nice loud bark. Bike seems to run cooler/richer and almost no decel popping.

Didn't do the regular baffles with the smartpartz

I have the TTS Mastertune and actually still running the V-tune I had done with the stock headers and SE slip ons, which probably accounts for the leanness with V&H Baffles. Not gotten around re-tuning the bike as it seems to run fine now with the baffle combo I have. So guess exhaust now flowing similar as stock with SE slip ons. Much nicer sounding however. As for power/torque, got the True Duals more for the look/sound than the power.

I am now considering a Supertrapp 2 into 1 as a possible next mod.

Keep in mind it's all very personal/subjective opinion in the end especially the loudness ... i should have done some V-tunes with each set up and compared the results to see if there are any changes, but never gotten around to it.

 

Thanks Rakthi, good information!

 

That was a pretty good article. From that, I take it that:
1) More restrictive exhaust is better for lower end torque and better gas mileage, meaning you'll start quicker, but once moving, like on the highway, you won't gain as quickly.

2) Less restrictive will giver less torque (slower starting), but once moving will result in quicker speed gains at higher RPMs (like on the highway).

3) It is better to have equal length pipes, so I hope the V&H staggered pipes fit this role.

Thanks!

 

Congratulations, you have completed Exhaust 101 and it's importance to a reciprocating air pump..I mean motor..Personally I like torque. Getting pasted back in a seat going 0-100 is more fun that going 180..Now to order my Smartpartz baffles...

 

Rakthi, You have any troble installing the SP baffles ? I have the V & H short shot slip ons and on the stock (loud) baffle they squared up pretty good but it was still to loud.. So I put them on the quiet baffle, but I had a hell of a time getting them flush/square to the end. When I tighted the set hex screw they would **** to one side. Can't have that. Took me quit awhile to get them relatively square..Though I like things perfect.. I'd say with the QB's (Mine are double wrapped from how they come), it's about right between stock and the QB's now, probably closer to the QB's.. about as quiet as the
V & H's will get.. Still barks as you said. I'll know better when I can ride with my helmet on..weather sucks in northern Nevada right now..