Reinhardt's were on my 2018 Heritage when I bought it used. This my 10th HD and I've changed pipes/mufflers on all of them so I have a base to judge sound/loudness. The Reinhardts are on the loud side. Probably just right or even not loud enough for some, but too loud for me. I ran HD CVO mufflers on my last three touring models. Straight through flow and the lining had holes maybe 3/16 the length of the muffler. I was at the AIM expo in Vegas last week where I looked at several of the brands. The Reinhardt's, V&H Twin Slash and Cobra's have louvers that are an elongated C shape facing opposite exhaust. I believe that's why they are a little on the loud side since there is no direct exposure to the sound waves. The V&H 300's lining are holes very similar to the HD CVO mufflers and probably a little quitter since the sound waves have direct exposure to the sound reducing packing. Have not heard them in person so it's a subjective opinion.
Hello all i figured id see if anyone else has had a similar issue, so i have a little over 200 miles on the new HC and today i was riding at about 50 mph amd let off the throttlw and it died it restarted fine but thought that it was way out of norm. And i have read pretty much the whole 2018 hc thread and was wondering of the super erratic idle was common like 780-900 rpm. I came off of a 2008 ultra that was pretty built and it didnt even idle like that.
Whatever the idle speed it should be steady once warmed up. The fluctuation does not sound normal.
Stock mine idled at 840, but completely steady...no issues. This is similar to what Evos used to idle at. After stage 2 it idles at 940. No issues.
Some have experienced stalling coming to a stop with stock map, but hard to tell if it’s the bike or rider technique. The dealer can raise it a tad. The twin cam you’re used to idled closer to 950 - 1100.
If anyone has had occasions to compare any or all of these options, I'd be interested in hearing your opinion.
I have heard the following mufflers in person:
Eliminator 300: Medium loud. Tone OK but very sharp. No gaskets required. Quiet baffles available.
Twin Slash: Medium loud. Tone better than Eliminator 300 but still a bit sharp. No gaskets. Quiet baffles available.
Rinehart 3.5: Medium loud. Great "fat" tone. Uses gaskets. I wish there was an option for quiet baffles for it.
I think using gaskets is a plus, because removing the muffler with gaskets is trivial. You might need to remove the mufflers to work on the bike. Without gaskets removing the muffler can be a real chore. The gaskets can be used multiple times (They become a permanent part of the muffler though) but they do cost $13 each.
I have the Rineharts. IMO they are slightly too loud, but the tone is great. They are the most expensive and they don't come with instructions or gaskets or clamps. (They are trivial to install so instructions are kinda optional.)
FWIW, muffler clamps are 40.5 FTLB and muffler bolts are 131.5 INLB.
On my prior 18 Softail Slim I had Cobra RPT mufflers. They were very very quiet but the tone was good. Not as good as the Rineharts, but good for a really quiet muffler. (Still much louder then the SE mufflers!) I don't think they are available for the Heritage, though.
I think the Rineharts look the best, followed by the Eliminator 300 and then the Twin Slash. I don't like worm clamps and exhaust shields though, so that is why I don't like the Twin Slash looks.
I have test ridden several M8 Softails, with slipons, that did not have a "real" tuner. They all had poor fueling and lousy idle characteristics. Both my Softail Slim and Heritage 114, totally stock, had poor idle characteristics until I put a Power Vision tuner on it. The PV tuner made an incredible difference in every drivability parameter. I didn't like the idea of losing my warranty but I'd rather ride a well-tuned bike. I waited 1,000 miles to make sure the engine wasn't a dud before I put the tuner and mufflers on.
I really think a proper tuner is essential. I have 75K miles this year so far, 40K on M8 Softails, so I like to think I have a pretty good feel for fueling issues/quirks and drivability characteristics.
YMMV of course. Let me know if you need more detailed info.
Eliminator 300: Medium loud. Tone OK but very sharp. No gaskets required. Quiet baffles available.
I just purchased the Eliminators. Have not installed them yet. Noticed that they did not come with gaskets so I was going to stop by H-D and pick up a set. Also noticed that the installation instructions do not mention gaskets.
Are you saying that the gasket (between the pipe and the slip-on) is not required ?
Yzzyx - def check out the Cobra Neighbor Haters. Tone is great, volume is perfect for me. Quieter than Rineharts, but not too quiet. They DON’T use heat shields, and they DO use gaskets. Chrome and build is excellent...all for $340. Might hit the mark for you.
I will say I only have 11,000 miles on my 114 Heritage compared to your mileage, but for my experience the fueling and idle have all been fine...both in stock form for about 2,700 miles, and then with the SE stage 2 with street tuner since then. I’ve always done full tuner with dyno over the years on many bikes and I have to say I’ve been very happy so far with this set up. Not saying the PV isn’t kicking *** for you and many more options for later, but I wouldn’t put up with the SE tuner if it didn’t run well either. I agree a good tune is essential. I’ll probably be looking at the PV in a few years when I’m thinking about that next bump. These bikes run fantastic and I can’t see wanting anything else for a very long time to come unless Harley built a self destruct timer in them...which they probably did lol.
I installed the saddle bag guards today. Fortunately I read earlier in this thread about the gorilla lock-tite on the passenger pegs so I bought an $9 electric heat gun (on sale) from Harbor Freight. It only took maybe a minute of heating to loosen the lock-tite and the pegs came off easily.
I also rode an odometer/speedometer "calibration" ride today. I have 7K miles on OEM Dunlops so I figured maybe they are half worn out and maybe the reduced tire diameter would affect my odometer/speedometer. At the end of the ride the bike registered 201.5 miles and the GPS registered 201.0 miles. Half a mile off over 200 miles is good enough for me!
I have a set of Avon Cobras that I will be installing soon. I'll post the appropriate calibration for those ASAP.
While working a gun show in Ft. Worth this past weekend I had the opportunity to check out a couple dealerships. One had a 2019 Heritage Softail identical to mine with the tourpak on it. Wow I was really surprised at how rough the inside of the thing was. It looked awesome on the bike but touching the inside was like dragging my hand across a cheese grater. I was really hoping for more from HD in the quality department. Looks like if I go that way I'll be ordering a Viking bag.
If anyone has one of the Viking trunks, could I trouble you to take some pics of the inside so I can check it out. Pics on the website are nice but I'd like to see some real world examples. Feel free to post here if that's ok or better yet PM me and I'll shoot you my email address. Thanks in advance, and ride safe.
10-18-2018, 04:15 PM
