When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I just installed Vance & Hines Big Shots Staggered pipes on a ´01 Low Rider.
Is it okay to install them completely without gaskets? I spent hours trying to fit the pipes with proper gaskets but the pipes simply wouldn't fit.
There are no visible or audible leaks but you can feel slight vibration (could be just heat also) on your fingertips near the flange/header area.
Is this a biggie?
If you got the old one out, there is almost no way you won't have an exhaust leak...I would pick up a set of the Screaming Eagle gaskets if you can't figure out the conical ones. If you can get them in Finland...
I found the V&H exhausts work better with the non-tapered gaskets rather than the tapered ones - which ones were you trying to use.
And yes, you need gaskets....
Try these http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXHAUST-GASK...9e0958&vxp=mtr
I found the V&H exhausts work better with the non-tapered gaskets rather than the tapered ones - which ones were you trying to use.
And yes, you need gaskets....
Try these http://www.ebay.com/itm/EXHAUST-GASK...9e0958&vxp=mtr
They were tapered, the pipes still wouldn't fit.
I have no idea why, I bought the correct pipes for the bike and everything. The gaskets I got from a local Harley dealer in Finland.
I'm just asking because a lot of people in Finland told me it's okay to leave the gaskets out and you can just put some kind of exhaust paste in there to seal any gaps.
Sounds like a half-assed way to do it, but then again I once had a Trans Am that came from the factory with no exhaust header gaskets.
I don't know why aftermarket headers do not come with ends that actually fit into the conical gaskets like the oem head pipes do, but they don't. They fit AGAINST the gasket and not into the head. V&H are not the only ones that are that way. I think it's BS but manufactures swear they get a good seal, but yeah, I'm sure you are going to want gaskets.
The last head pipe I installed it didn't feel like it went "in" to anything, just up against the head and the conical gasket. I won't have a good feeling about it 'till either spring when I can get some rpm on it or when my dyno tuner calls and says I have a leak.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window
Verdad Gallardo
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
My 1976 XL doesn't use exhaust gaskets. I use the orange Form-a Gasket silicon sealant. The orange one is for extremely high temperatures. It works like a charm.
They were tapered, the pipes still wouldn't fit.
I have no idea why, I bought the correct pipes for the bike and everything. The gaskets I got from a local Harley dealer in Finland.
I'm just asking because a lot of people in Finland told me it's okay to leave the gaskets out and you can just put some kind of exhaust paste in there to seal any gaps.
Sounds like a half-assed way to do it, but then again I once had a Trans Am that came from the factory with no exhaust header gaskets.
You may want to take the bike to the dealer and let them do it. Either you ordered the wrong pipes (most would still fit at the jugs) or this project is above your skill level. You don't want exhaust leaks at the heads. Not good for the motor...
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.