Rode my friends '92 Heritage Classic yesterday. Shocked at how quiet the non-baffled illegal drag straight pipes sounded while in the saddle. This is the same bike that causes momentary deafness when passing me while riding. The same bike that sets off car alarms and keeps the local ENT's busy from the obnoxious decibel level. I'm slightly confused since the V&H slip-ons on my '09 Street Bob are uncomfortably loud/rumbly while in the saddle to the point of considering going back to stock.
Would non-baffled straight drag pipes be quieter on my Bob than the V&H?
Is this a function of the dimensions of a softail vs. dyna or the configuration of the actual pipes ie. cut type of opening, distance from riders ear...
What gives?

 

Did it had bags on it? In my experience, bags can block a lot of sound from getting to the rider.

 

It could be that you were going so fast that you broke the sound barrier therefore heard nothing but silence as you entered warp mode.

I have no baffling in my BR's but do scare the crap out of bystanders....pedestrians and small children (they all take off running)

 

No bags in place.
Both bikes have the same staggered configuration so roughly same distance from pipe opening(s) to ear.
Bologna cut on mine, side cut on his.

 

Are the motors the same, stg1, cams different..?? same size Pipes? BSS's ?

would think the side cuts would allow more upward DB's

Cams differently will make them louder, Mine made a fairly big diff with same pipes..

 

the sound can very due to tuning. i had rush slip ons and they were loud. car alarms and such would go off. only change was a dyno tune and after that it sounded almost stock until i got on the throttle.

 

it depends on the motor, i had a chance to hear the bike they build for a arizona guy on american chopper. the motor was a stock harley evo and the pipes were about 24" long. i figured it would be loud as hell, well it was quiet as hell. figured because the motor was all stock. a cam will make a big difference and also the timing.