Due to inner ear problems, and a noticeable loss in hearing since January. I have pulled the black Thunderheader, and I am putting on my stock exhaust until I find something that will give me a decent flow with little sound.

I know there is a price to pay for performance, but I would rather ride my bike then just look at it because the TH started to make me deaf. The TH was/is a good pipe, but when I wear my FF helmet I get a serious resonance in my inner ear that doesn't go away, and limits my mileage.
If I do not wear the FF, and go with a bandana/ear plugs all is well.

I feel safer when commuting to work by wearing all the gear. SO with gas prices so high, and the issue with me ears....back to stockers for now. 48/50 MPG beats the hell out of my truck @ 15 MPG.

I am still putting in the CVO 255 cams. I should have a serious low end pull running the CVO 255/open air cleaner/stock pipes. Stock pipes pull hard down low.

 

some stock cvo/ screaming eagle mufflers give a pretty good sound but are still legal and pretty quiet. i took my right muffler off to change the rear wheel last week. i had been riding it that way with an open headpipe. i put the cvo muffler back on today after being followed by some cops.. man i love it so much better quieted down,

 

Why not use the ear plugs AND your full face and or get a quieter pipe, I have the Samson Powerflow, it looks great, flows a bunch and yet it's not the least bit offensive........to me anyway. I've never heard the TH in person but I will tell you this much. If open drag pipes are a 10 and stock are a 1 then I would rate a V&H pro-pipe about an 8 and the Samson about 3.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxGwshPusok

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnMh...eature=related

 

I am sorry to hear your story -- hope your hearing returns to normal...

 

Very good options.. They just cost money, and right now that is to a minimum.

I am saving for the cam extras. i.e. bearing kit from Fuel Moto, S&S Quickies with new tubes.

I have tried earplugs with the FF, but here is the absolute funkyness of the noise. You know that thin piece of sking behind your ear? Just right at the base of the ear being the earlobe. With the FF on, even with ear plugs, a certain resonance penetrates that spot, and goes straight into my brain.
The doc said that this was causing permanent damage to my hearing, and I believe it. I am going deaf. Rather than not ride. I choose to go quite.

I have made this switch before, and it really didn't bother me. Yeah you get looks from the crowds, but you know what. I am here to enjoy motorcycles. I can also speak from experience on this subject. Over five times this year cars have come over on me when I was in a high rev accel with my Thunderheaders on. They are loud, and the cars just kept on coming. If they are out to kill you. No amount of screaming is going to change their mind.

Also I travel around 3 times a month 220 miles one way for a weekend. On the Sunday ride home I am so beat from the inner ear fatigue that I cannot even communicate to family for around two hours. I remember riding stock on the same trip, and when I arrived to my destination. I was ready to go. Zero jet lag. I am married, and I have two kids. I live in a wonderful neighborhood. I work where their is a parking garage.
I think that the effort to cure the hearing loss, respect thy neighbor, and not cause trouble at work will be a good faith effort.

I hope it sticks this time. I really want to hear the street legal screaming eagles. Those might be an option in the future. I bet the get louder with the CVO 255 install. I bet the stock exhaust sounds better with CVO 255 installs. Any opinions on a stock motor 96", 255 cams, open A/C with stock exhaust will feel like? :-)

 

Good move. Your neighbors will thank you. I'm way OK w/ the stock exhaust on my '09, and average 45mpg.

 

I question whether you will lose much from the stock pipes ... I know the ThunderHeader has a great reputation as one of the best pipes you can use for the street ...

But, that said ... the reason 2-into-1 pipes are better for street use is the scavenging effects of the cylinders on each other ... the stock head pipes (at least the ones on my '05 Dyna) had a crossover tube on the inboard side that ran beneath the transmission side cover ...

... so, with the stock headpipes you should be getting the scavenging effects ...

Perhaps you will lose a little grunt, but ... I think the stock system is not all that bad (assuming some decent slip on mufflers) ...

Hope the hearing loss is reversible ...

R/
'Chop

 

I can relate to a large extent. I have tinnitus - constant ringing in both ears due mostly to the wind rushing into them when riding. I now wear earplugs everytime I ride just to keep it from getting worse - nothing's going to fix it.

And your observation about safety is dead on (no pun or omen intended). There's never been a credible study that concluded loud pipes have any affect on safety or being noticed. Nice sound bite but truth is loud pipes don't save lives.

What concerns me about your story is the "resonance" you mention. Maybe I'm misunderstanding but that sounds more like a vibration than a noise thing. Have you tried a 1/2 or 3/4 helmet, or maybe a different model/style FF?

I hope you find a combination that works well for you. Can't imagine what it would be like to make the choice between hearing and riding. BTW, the SE pipes I have on my SB are roughly as loud as the stock pipes on my g/f's 07 Fatboy. They "bark" differently when you get on it, but if you ride normally they're really pretty quiet.

 

Dude i just changed my bub7 out for a supertrapp supermeg 2:1 and the quiet was actually disconcerting at first. But they are def a quieter system however with lots of low and mid range torque. Even the top end just opens right up. I'm actually quite happy witht the sound now, which will get louder as the wrap burns off. It's a nice respectable low rumble at idle, but when you crack it it actually gets quieter! Did i mention the performance? man it's there, she pulls hard all the way up! directharleyparts.com sent them to me.

 

While I recommend earplug use at all times, the off the shelf versions aren't exactly the best. Your doctor should be able to point you in the right direction for a custom set that is molded to your ear, this will give you better protection.

Also, the myth of "loud pipes save lives" is just that, a myth. Inattentive drivers with the radio on or a cell phone to their ear will not hear you and that's a fact. I have had loud bikes go by me many many times and didn't hear them till they were right at my door.

I wish you good luck and hope the hearing loss is reversible.