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I had Vance and Hines Big Shots staggered on both my 05 and 09 and loving that look, I had planned to put them on the 25 as well, but a quick look on V&H website,
when looking for systems that fit my bike, tghe only thing that comes up is a fugly 2-into-1 thing.
Sorry to peeps that like 2-into-1, but they arent for me.
Anyway, whats up with no big shots, short shots, big radius, or anything else good for my new ride?
I had Vance and Hines Big Shots staggered on both my 05 and 09 and loving that look, I had planned to put them on the 25 as well, but a quick look on V&H website,
when looking for systems that fit my bike, tghe only thing that comes up is a fugly 2-into-1 thing.
Sorry to peeps that like 2-into-1, but they arent for me.
Anyway, whats up with no big shots, short shots, big radius, or anything else good for my new ride?
Forget when, but it was several years ago, Vance & Hines changed their entire exhaust line-up. They now only offer exhaust with their "PCX Technology". It's basically a high flow catalytic converter.
The "PCX Technology" exhausts don't sound bad, but IMHO, they are a far cry from their counterparts that are pre- PCX Technolgy... of which I have owned three, currently still own 2.
They offer the "Short Shots with PCX" and "Big Radius 2-2 with PCX" for 2023 Harley Fat Boy 114.
They offer the "Big Radius 2-2 with PCX" for 2024 Harley Fat Boy 114.
You might want to call Vance & Hines and ask what the difference is between the '23, '24, & '25 Fat Boy models. It's possible they are jusy behind in certifying the fitments between the '12, '24, & '25...
I am no M8 expert by a long shot, but I thought the M8 114, and M8 117 have the same exhaust port configurations and exhaust mounting points, but I could be wrong.
Good luck finding your exhaust..
Last edited by hattitude; May 18, 2025 at 07:02 PM.
Forget when, but it was several years ago, Vance & Hines changed their entire exhaust line-up. They now only offer exhaust with their "PCX Technology". It's basically a high flow catalytic converter.
The "PCX Technology" exhausts don't sound bad, but IMHO, they are a far cry from their counterparts that are pre- PCX Technolgy... of which I have owned three, currently still own 2.
They offer the "Short Shots with PCX" and "Big Radius 2-2 with PCX" for 2023 Harley Fat Boy 114.
They offer the "Big Radius 2-2 with PCX" for 2024 Harley Fat Boy 114.
You might want to call Vance & Hines and ask what the difference is between the '23, '24, & '25 Fat Boy models. It's possible they are jusy behind in certifying the fitments between the '12, '24, & '25...
I am no M8 expert by a long shot, but I thought the M8 114, and M8 117 have the same exhaust port configurations and exhaust mounting points, but I could be wrong.
Good luck finding your exhaust..
Thanks for the reply.
I'm currently trying to find out where things stand from a legal perspective since I havent looked anything up since I bought mu 09, so its been 16 years.
The 09 has big shots, obviously without any cats, and that fact hasnt caused me any grief even in recent years. Never been cited for noise and these are pretty loud. Never had an issue getting it inspected.
I live in PA.
So the question is, if I put pipes on this new bike that dont have cats, will it all be different now because this is a 2025 bike, and nobody cared about older bikes?
How much more quiet are the PCX line of pipes?
I dont need it to be deafening, can certainly live with losing some volume over what I've been riding, but any idea how much volume I'm gonna lose if I put these PCS short shots on?
I damn well want it a good bit louder than the stock pipes
bassini pro street turn outs you will love the sound and the looks
They look pretty sweet. From some quick reading it doesnt look like they have cats.
I'm not so concerned about legalities, since I guess its technically been illegal forever, but with what I can reasonably expect to get away with today on a 2025 model
if I want to keep it inspected? note: I had my 2009 Fat Boy inspected like 3 times in 16 years, but I do want a system that will pass inspection even if I dont actually get it inspected, rather like my previous
I get the vibe that things are more hassle now than in 09 when I bought my previous bike?
I'm currently trying to find out where things stand from a legal perspective since I havent looked anything up since I bought mu 09, so its been 16 years.
The 09 has big shots, obviously without any cats, and that fact hasnt caused me any grief even in recent years. Never been cited for noise and these are pretty loud. Never had an issue getting it inspected.
I live in PA.
So the question is, if I put pipes on this new bike that dont have cats, will it all be different now because this is a 2025 bike, and nobody cared about older bikes?
Originally Posted by chunks
They look pretty sweet. From some quick reading it doesnt look like they have cats.
I'm not so concerned about legalities, since I guess its technically been illegal forever, but with what I can reasonably expect to get away with today on a 2025 model
if I want to keep it inspected?
As far as cops go...
I was an LEO for 31 years. Most cops don't care, as long as you aren't acting like an ***. Make a spectacle of yourself, play with the throttle in an area where there are a lot of loud motorcycle complaints, and/or happen to find that "one cop" on a crusade (they are annoying to everybody), you'll get a cite.
On your inspection...
I don't know what kind of inspection PA does on motorcycles. You'll need to look up what they check. if it's a vehicle safety inspection I doubt anyone will notice/care. But check to make sure exhaust noise isn't part of the inspection. If there's a SMOG equipment inspection involved in the process, you'll most certainly be caught. It's much easier to catch a non compliant exhaust on 2013+ motorcycles.
"what I can reasonably expect to get away with today on a 2025 model".....
The 2025 year caveat is about the warranty. It's a new world concerning warranty claims since the EPA consent decree with the MoCo in July 2017. Any change to the engine, that is outside of EPA parameters, is supposed to be reported to the MoCo by dealers. Although many are not as militant as when the decree first came out, it is a serious consideration when modding a bike under warranty. The tune and tuner used is most critical, but non compliant EPA parts are also part of the equation. If found on your bike, and reported to the MoCo from any dealer, your bike could be flagged and your powertrain warranty voided. Many stay with EPA compliant parts from a dealer until warranty is over.
I have never left OEM exhaust on any of the 5 bikes I have purchased new. They never made it a week from delivery with the OEM exhaust, but I haven't bought a new bike in over 10 years...
Good luck with your decisions and your mods...
PS- I have the Bassani Firesweep turn-out exhaust on my '09 Cross Bones. Nice exhaust, sounds good. It's NOT as loud as the Vance & Hines Long Shots on my '03 Heritage or Straight shots on my '01 Springer.
Last edited by hattitude; May 19, 2025 at 08:35 AM.
its not a noise baffle its a fire arrester so you can get in any federal camping state park. they are as quiet as you want them to be and when you crack the throttle they are as loud as you want them to be. very good pipes in my mind. they will pass any inspection you go through, if the motor is correctly tuned. and no i dont work for them. and yes no cat in them the motor needs to breath
I'll combine that with a Screamin Eagle pro extreme intake, and top it off all with a Dynojet power vision 3 tuner.
Yes, I know the tuner could cause warranty issues, but I'm going to take that risk
If I need warranty service I'll put it back to stock first, if that doesn't fly, oh well
The picture below is obviously not my specific bike, but its similar enough to give a good idea what it'll look like with the cobra exhaust. Of course mine has the 2025 tank badge, a 117 in motor, different air cleaner, the whiskey paint, etc etc
I like it a lot
I can definitely do the installs myself, and wont be getting it inspected at the dealer in the future. I think I got my 09 inspected twice in 16 years so no biggie. It needs to have proper look, sound, and performance
I'm 60 years old, not getting any younger, this'll likely be my last new bike, and I want what I want.
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and the looks
2025 Fat Boy exhaust options
