best sounding pipes
Dyna Exhaust
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: Denton County, Tx
Personal Taste, Amigo!
There is no right answer - the ones you settle on (not, generally, the first ones you buy..), are what you like best.
I am running Rush slip-ons (2 inch baffles) attached to the stock header pipes, with the SE Stage-I air kit and a Power Commander (expertly mapped by the guys at Fuel Moto!). My FXDC sounds fantastic.
Keep in mind that it is not just your pipes, its how your bike is set up; the intake, the ECM (or...carb..), the pipes - they work together. Mine would sound different without the PC-III or the SE air intake.
Ultimately, how I prefer my bike to sound may or may not be how you want yours to sound. 2-1 pipes perform better, that is at least one thing you'll get a consensus on, here. Thunder Headers, V&H, D&D and Rinehart all make an outstanding 2-1 pipe that all sound great. For slip-ons, you have a few dozen options.
Swim around on youtube and watch/listen what some folks post on there. Just search for harley pipes, or something like that. Also, the dealers by me all have a bunch of used bikes that almost all have after-market pipes on them. They let me start all of them I wanted to to hear what the pipes sounded like.
And watch out for pipes that are just plain loud. Depending on where you live & ride, lots of townships are issuing tickets on loud pipes now.
good luck!
I am running Rush slip-ons (2 inch baffles) attached to the stock header pipes, with the SE Stage-I air kit and a Power Commander (expertly mapped by the guys at Fuel Moto!). My FXDC sounds fantastic.
Keep in mind that it is not just your pipes, its how your bike is set up; the intake, the ECM (or...carb..), the pipes - they work together. Mine would sound different without the PC-III or the SE air intake.
Ultimately, how I prefer my bike to sound may or may not be how you want yours to sound. 2-1 pipes perform better, that is at least one thing you'll get a consensus on, here. Thunder Headers, V&H, D&D and Rinehart all make an outstanding 2-1 pipe that all sound great. For slip-ons, you have a few dozen options.
Swim around on youtube and watch/listen what some folks post on there. Just search for harley pipes, or something like that. Also, the dealers by me all have a bunch of used bikes that almost all have after-market pipes on them. They let me start all of them I wanted to to hear what the pipes sounded like.
And watch out for pipes that are just plain loud. Depending on where you live & ride, lots of townships are issuing tickets on loud pipes now.
good luck!
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 89
Likes: 0
From: Denton County, Tx
you are in Berlin...!
I just saw that you are in Germany. Therefore, you might not have 200 Harley's stacked up at a local dealer to play on. But, you can get to youtube, so check that.
I understand the EU nations are getting pretty strict on the noise from motorcycle pipes, and the tickets are costly. Us Americans will encourage you to do what you want,(that's what we do..!), but be prepared if your pipes are too loud for the local police.
mit warmem Respekt!
RBN
I understand the EU nations are getting pretty strict on the noise from motorcycle pipes, and the tickets are costly. Us Americans will encourage you to do what you want,(that's what we do..!), but be prepared if your pipes are too loud for the local police.
mit warmem Respekt!
RBN
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 6,235
Likes: 65
From: Joliet, Illinois
I was talking to a tech who suggested I shorten my baffles to gain an additional 5 horsepower or so. Although I heard I would lose bottom end in doing so, I took the baffles completely out to see if I noticed any difference. Not a thing - did feel anything extra, and didn't feel like I lost anything (other than the hearing in my right ear). So, I put them back in.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 7,562
Likes: 11
From: Palm Harbor fl.
D&D fatcats, thunderheader, or supertrapp 2-1 all sound perfect and you can tune the supertrapp... you also will get the most HP and torque from either of these systems!
I feel stupid wasting my money on V&H big radius crap. get a 2-1 period.
I feel stupid wasting my money on V&H big radius crap. get a 2-1 period.
Don't get V&H Big Radius, as rounder said......at first those were what I wanted, then I realized that everybody and there brother has them. I've got Thunderheaders, and have yet to see another set out here, much less a set that's been blacked out and wrapped. It's gonna be awesome.
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Tourer
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 339
Likes: 4
From: Tallahassee Florida
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