About to Buy the Bike
 

Hey,

Just wanted to drop a line here and introduce myself so I can start getting into the community on this site. I'm in the process of buying a '13 FXDB, currently stationed overseas and I have a two month temporary duty stint coming up this Sunday so it looks like the earliest I'm going to have my fists in the wind again until early July.

Right now my plans are to swap the drag bars currently on the bike for some Harley 16" apes (dealer's incentive since I haggled with the guy and said I'm not buying a new bike with bars that I don't want, he ended up saying they would eat the cost and installation, I don't think that's too bad) and I'd like to find a set of those pipes that exit towards the ground with a slant cut. That shouldn't be too hard but I would appreciate any recommendations.

Anyways, my intro. I'm 26, I've been in the Army for a little while now and I'm currently stationed Europe. My hometown is Vancouver, Washington. My wife and I are looking at moving to Portland, Oregon after this contract is up. I'm thinking about going to school somewhere in that area to study mechanical engineering with the GI Bill. Everything is tentative, nothing concrete until about October of next year... that seems about par for the course with the Army. Hahaha, other vets probably know what I'm talking about.

Looking forward to learning about these bikes and talking with all the good people on here.

Respect,
Alex

Welcome to the forums, great choice on the bike, for the exhaust check out the vance and Hines side shots, they start high and slant towards the ground.

Nice choice starting out with tall apes. Everyone I know buys a smaller set, then goes up a size each year. And yes, you want the side shots if thats the look you're going for. Congrats, and dont forget to post some pics.

Welcome and thank you for your service! Great bike and you will enjoy the modding journey that follows. Nice job talking Harley into giving up some bonus bars! My local MoCo is pretty tight! There are a host of pipes out there that may fit your fancy. V&H side shots are a good option. Samson has a few pipes you may like as well. Just have heard better things from V&H over the Samsons...Take a look into Big City Thunder original monster baffles. You may want to install a set of them while your changing pipes. I regretted not getting them right away when I installed my short shots. Anywho good luck!

As an Army Vet, Thanks for picking up where I left off. I have the V&H big radius nice pipes but keep an eye on the heat shield welds, half of mine broke. So as of now they are not installed until I can get them rewelded and put back on.

Army vet here aswell and thank you :) I agree with the others V&H pipes but i like the sound ot the quite baffle better then stock one's. And don't worry there not quite at all but they do add a nice beefy deep tone to the pipes.

Thanks for the welcome! I looked at those pipes but it seems like they only fit up until 2011 MY bikes. I also have the 103CI mill, I don't know how much of a difference that makes (I imagine a good bit) and V&H's mobile website isn't the most comprehensive from what I can see. I like them a lot though.

I rode a few before and I like the feeling of tall apes. If the dealer is hooking it up and throwing in the bars I just looked for the tallest ones and said 'f it'. I know I will like them and now I don't have to fuss with bars on a brand new bike. Brings a smile to my face...

Those Sideshots aren't the exact look I want but they are really mean. I want something like the pipes that are sold on heartlandusa.com, I think they're made by West Coast Choppers. They curve down and have a spade cut, I think they look good with the forward controls and all that. I'm sure someone else makes some that will fit with this chassis I just haven't started looking yet.

Bike will be picked up in the first half of July so pics will follow around that time. This is going to be a LONG two months for me. I need instant gratification!

Not a problem, thanks for the thanks. I love being a soldier so it's really a pleasure.

I'm sure I'm going to love modding this bike. I tend to dream too big for my wallet so hopefully I don't run too fast. I appreciate all your responses about pipes. I'm going to start getting in the weeds on all that real soon, I'll have to post up some pics and links when I find what I'm looking for. Those baffles are a pretty good idea, I will look at them too.

I couldn't buy a new bike from a dealer with bars that I didn't want. I think complaining about their selection helped me push through to them and walk away with what I wanted.

As a younger Army vet, thanks for leaving the organization in good shape so us young bucks can jump in and carry on (no sarcasm, I've got nothing but respect for those who came before me).

I didn't catch the Big Radius on their site, I will have to look again. Are the heat shield welds a common problem with V&H pipes? How has their customer service been since that set shit the bed on you?

Again, thanks for your service. I wouldn't be here if you weren't there.

I don't think I will mind some noise. I will probably have to find a few runs and rallys around my area so I can get a taste for what these different pipes sound like. I'm extremely excited to get to riding when I get back from this TDY to the NCOA. When I return there should be quite a few good months left. Death snow and ice didn't start until January/February this year.

Again, everybody, thanks a ton for the welcome!

I enjoyed serving as well (10yr Marine). But family obligations convinced me to "hang up the rifle".

I have never talked with v&h about the shields, I have the big radius pipes pictured below, I will be welding them up and having them powder coated wrinkle black. just finished doin the wrinkle black on my triple trees and lower legs.

Those pipes are the ones that I want. They look awesome. This is going to be a really long six weeks...