Exhaust
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RE: Exhaust
My buddy's bike has HOOKERs-- they are throbbing loud and annoying for rider and other nearby bikes on trips. I don't know if his are minus all baffles (he got the bike as-is used) but I would say they are 3" openings with a small amount of fiberglass around the walls. This makes for a low-pitch throb sound. It doesn't sound "tuned" or pipey, just loud. It does make his 99 run very strong though...
This month I've been experimenting with can changes for my stock 04 FLHR (which runs V&H true Dual header pipes and stage 1 air/jets) -- I ran SE cans since new and think they are half as loud as the Hookers, and just a bit more "tuned" sounding. SE cans are not straight-through. Recently I made some straight pipes for my bike and it was VERY loud at idle/acceleration but more quiet to the driver while cruising. The COOLEST thing about straight pipes is the rap-sound made when engine braking. In FL (locally) many folks run open pipes and the police don't seem to harass you over them -- but the neighbors do mind (the ones with bikes too). It's dam loud. Some folks here use header wrap on straight pipes but I hadn't -- with a laser temp checker I found the straight pipe was 312F at the clamp, 140F under the bag, and 88F at the tip. One bigger downside is the 33mpg I found at the gas pump. This is down from the usual 37-42mpg. Poor mileage and the annoying sound made me try out this:
Yesterday I dug out the factory cans and installed them on the true duals. ODDLY, this setup seems very well tuned and faster in the midrange than open/straight pipes. I'm hoping the mileage comes back up too, but I've only got about 20 miles on this setup so it's too early to tell.
I think I'll go back to the SE cans in a week, but until then I'm enjoying the ODD and well tuned silence. Loud pipes do save lives and the Blue-Hairs are in a 2-lane rush-hour commute to here in FL right now. I might even throw on the straights for a while again just to remind them that bikes rule around here.
This month I've been experimenting with can changes for my stock 04 FLHR (which runs V&H true Dual header pipes and stage 1 air/jets) -- I ran SE cans since new and think they are half as loud as the Hookers, and just a bit more "tuned" sounding. SE cans are not straight-through. Recently I made some straight pipes for my bike and it was VERY loud at idle/acceleration but more quiet to the driver while cruising. The COOLEST thing about straight pipes is the rap-sound made when engine braking. In FL (locally) many folks run open pipes and the police don't seem to harass you over them -- but the neighbors do mind (the ones with bikes too). It's dam loud. Some folks here use header wrap on straight pipes but I hadn't -- with a laser temp checker I found the straight pipe was 312F at the clamp, 140F under the bag, and 88F at the tip. One bigger downside is the 33mpg I found at the gas pump. This is down from the usual 37-42mpg. Poor mileage and the annoying sound made me try out this:
Yesterday I dug out the factory cans and installed them on the true duals. ODDLY, this setup seems very well tuned and faster in the midrange than open/straight pipes. I'm hoping the mileage comes back up too, but I've only got about 20 miles on this setup so it's too early to tell.
I think I'll go back to the SE cans in a week, but until then I'm enjoying the ODD and well tuned silence. Loud pipes do save lives and the Blue-Hairs are in a 2-lane rush-hour commute to here in FL right now. I might even throw on the straights for a while again just to remind them that bikes rule around here.
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RE: Exhaust
To clarify -- his bike has Hooker slip-on's with factory 2-2 header pipe. The hooker cans are megaphone shaped and have mulitple allen screws that bolt the end cap an inch into the rear of the pipe.
I have the true duals and like them -- I think you do lose a bit of scavenging but the stereo sound is so cool that a few bikers have caught up with us just to say thanks for the HD song. Duals sound really nice - any type. Got my V&H TD's on ebay for about $220 and installed them myself. You do want to go to harley and buy a set of their heavy duty muffler clamps and the thin gaskets for the head. coat the exhaust nuts/threads and the inside 2" of the slip-ons with alum. antiseize and save yourself headaches down the road, should you want to change things around.
I have the true duals and like them -- I think you do lose a bit of scavenging but the stereo sound is so cool that a few bikers have caught up with us just to say thanks for the HD song. Duals sound really nice - any type. Got my V&H TD's on ebay for about $220 and installed them myself. You do want to go to harley and buy a set of their heavy duty muffler clamps and the thin gaskets for the head. coat the exhaust nuts/threads and the inside 2" of the slip-ons with alum. antiseize and save yourself headaches down the road, should you want to change things around.
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RE: Exhaust
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