Exhaust Systems: Looks, Sound, Performance?
Cruiser
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 219
Likes: 0
From: Frederick,Md
Looks and sound seem like an opinion...how would one rate perfomance? Ease of tuning? HP/torque gains? Is performance quantifiable or in the eye of the rider as well? By the way I like my 2" rush slip ons...IMO of course.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 3,124
Likes: 255
From: From Long Island, now in So. Cal
I've been reading through a lot of threads about exhaust systems, mostly because I've had to go through the selection process a couple of times for my new bike. I have the perception that most of you are more concerned about aesthetic issues than performance. Maybe I'm wrong, though.
Just out of curiosity, how would you rate the importance of those three aspects on a scale of 1-2-3? Do you mind sacrificing performance to get the look you want or a given sound? Are you more concerned with squeezing out the best performance, no matter what else? Like I said, I'm just curious. There is no right or wrong answer, nor is there any prize for participating.
In my case, the vote was:
1: Performance
2: Appearance
3: Sound
If I forgot an attribute that's important, please feel free to stick it in your answer. Just let us know why it was important (e.g., price).
Just out of curiosity, how would you rate the importance of those three aspects on a scale of 1-2-3? Do you mind sacrificing performance to get the look you want or a given sound? Are you more concerned with squeezing out the best performance, no matter what else? Like I said, I'm just curious. There is no right or wrong answer, nor is there any prize for participating.
In my case, the vote was:
1: Performance
2: Appearance
3: Sound
If I forgot an attribute that's important, please feel free to stick it in your answer. Just let us know why it was important (e.g., price).
* Performance
* Appearance
* Sound
* Quality
* Finish
* Equal or close to equal length head pipes
* Full single piece heat shields
* Minimum amount of joints
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Last edited by WS6 Formula; Sep 20, 2009 at 04:56 PM.
Intermediate
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 38
Likes: 0
From: Southern New Jersey
~eddie
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 2,936
Likes: 20
From: Driftless Area
For me, its got to sound like a harley, not a sewing machine.
1-Sound
2-Perf
3-Looks
Just about any after market pipes are better than stock. Maybe ckeck out some poker runs and check out what others are running.
1-Sound
2-Perf
3-Looks
Just about any after market pipes are better than stock. Maybe ckeck out some poker runs and check out what others are running.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 5,016
Likes: 277
From: East Tn Foot of The Dragon
wbeem, doesnt state what u r riding, but 2007's or newer are sensitive to exhaust/muffler flow and restrictiveness(if there is such a word) i would find a dealer that has a dyno and some #'s on your model/upgrades. he can tell you what baffle size or brand of pipes work the best, then base your purchase from there. with mufflers and pipes you get what you pay for. look for the overall value
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2008
Posts: 11,483
Likes: 39
From: Passaic County, NJ
Good questions...
When I bought my bike jan 08, the stock exhaust made it sound like a prepubescent school girl. I had no idea what exhaust I wanted but didn't have a lot of money to spend at the time. I spent the week at MB bike week 2008 with some friends and one had an 02 WG with the old SEII slip-ons. Gave the bike a nice sound without being obnoxious. Inexpensive mod. Ok. I'm sold.
Then another guy shows up and he has a 2000/01 fatboy with a 2-1 that I had never seen. It was a Thunderheader. At first I was not sure how I felt about it. Then on a ride from MB down to Charleston for the day, I watched the fat boy race a supposed 88" full custom softail. Supposedly the motor was worked.
Well, the more or less stock fatboy with Thunderheader just pissed all over the other guy. It wasn't even a competition. Although I couldn't afford the TH at the time I had made that my choice in the end. I did purchase and currently have the SEII slip-ons installed and love them, but I just now was able to order my Thunderheaders...hopefully Big Brown will drop them off soon.
Some people have said that pipe looks like hell on a WG. It kind of does look out of place but I don't care. I want more P-O-W-E-R!!!
Hope that diatribe helps.
When I bought my bike jan 08, the stock exhaust made it sound like a prepubescent school girl. I had no idea what exhaust I wanted but didn't have a lot of money to spend at the time. I spent the week at MB bike week 2008 with some friends and one had an 02 WG with the old SEII slip-ons. Gave the bike a nice sound without being obnoxious. Inexpensive mod. Ok. I'm sold.
Then another guy shows up and he has a 2000/01 fatboy with a 2-1 that I had never seen. It was a Thunderheader. At first I was not sure how I felt about it. Then on a ride from MB down to Charleston for the day, I watched the fat boy race a supposed 88" full custom softail. Supposedly the motor was worked.
Well, the more or less stock fatboy with Thunderheader just pissed all over the other guy. It wasn't even a competition. Although I couldn't afford the TH at the time I had made that my choice in the end. I did purchase and currently have the SEII slip-ons installed and love them, but I just now was able to order my Thunderheaders...hopefully Big Brown will drop them off soon.
Some people have said that pipe looks like hell on a WG. It kind of does look out of place but I don't care. I want more P-O-W-E-R!!!
Hope that diatribe helps.
Thread Starter
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Tourer
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 351
Likes: 0
I just posted this pic on another thread about my new Fat Bob, but I thought I'd share here. This is the Rinehart Black 2-1. It is obnoxiously loud, which is not something I actually wanted. However, the sound is just damn sexy to me. Deep, rich, crisp. It's hard for me to rate the power, though. The bike just came yesterday and I only rode it once stock. Then I left it with the dealer to install the 103" Stage IV upgrade. I tell you one thing, the exhaust definitely pushes some air out of the back end. You can feel it a good 10 yards behind the bike.
Overall, I like the look and how it matches with the Black Denim paint. It's louder than I want at idle or low RPM's, but everything else seems fantastic.
Overall, I like the look and how it matches with the Black Denim paint. It's louder than I want at idle or low RPM's, but everything else seems fantastic.
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