My 1984 FXRS had a stock exhaust when I bought it, but a shop I took it to said that they were leaking and recommended that I have them throw on a cheap set of Cycle Shacks; so I said to go ahead. When I picked up the bike I discovered it was a lot louder than it had been, setting off every car alarm I rode past. When I asked the mechanic about it, he said that yeah, he had installed baffles, but that he had installed slash cuts for performance. So I lived with it, but I kept the original pipes. Now the Harley Dealership guy tells me the unmodified stock pipes will give me more low-end torque with a lot less noise. I also have a Mikuni carb and S&S cam installed. The bike runs good and strong presently, but in a quiet neighborhood I feel like one of those obnoxious want-to-be bikers.

 

Your dealer guy is right on all counts. The reason that balance pipe was put there in the first place is that it both improves low/mid range torque and also divides the exhaust from each cylinder between both mufflers, reducing noise. BSA discovered this first, way back in the '60s IIRC, then every other brand in the World who makes twins, including H-D, jumped on the bandwagon! Every twin made today still has a balance pipe or equivilent. A set of stock pipes with carefully chosen aftermarket mufflers will help you win on every score! An alternative is a 2-into-1, such as a Supertrapp Supermeg, which will give improved performance, while being sociable and adjustable for noise.

 

My cycle shacks use the factory cross over. I would really like to be able to get them to seal well though...