Hey guys,

I'm new to the forum but just did a DIY project I thought I'd share with everyone.

I bought a set of non baffled 36" Samsom Cholos and just finished the install. The cholos replaced a VH 2-1 pro pipe (for sale now), and while I was concerned I would lose some low end power, I liked the looks / sound enough to go ahead with the purchase.

The install went fine and the look and sound was exactly what I wanted, but my fear about the lost power came true and was apparent immediately. I decided I wanted to try to add a little back pressure without choking the sound down too much, so I went with my own take on Nightrider's tunable baffle article.

Long story short, my $1.09 baffles worked better than I could have ever imagined. At least according to the seat dyno the bike is running every bit as strong as it was with the 2-1 and the icing on the cake is that this setup didn't make any appreciable difference in the sound. The cholo's are still loud as hell and just as annoying to the cages as they were before the "baffle" was installed.

Quick write up on the details:

*press fit a 5/16 hex bolt into a 1/4" eye bolt
*drilled a 1/4" hole 3" behind the flange union on the inboard side of the fishtail extention
*ran a 1/4" nut up all the way to the eye to space the baffle in the center of the bore
*installed the baffle in the pipe
*held the eye bolt at 90 degrees to the pipe and tighted a free spinning star washer nut on the outside of the pipe\


Before I started this project I figured I would have to play with the size and angle of the restriction, but IMO this was a homerun and I dont need to make any adjustments. I can't offer any scientific reason why this worked as well as it did --- I think I just lucked out. This is by no means a scientific claim as I did not have the bike dynoed before and after, but I've put 35k miles on the HD before the cholos and promise you it's running every bit as good as it was before. I was considering investing in a set of cams or a SERT to reclaim my power, but now I'm just going to ride the hell out of it and spend the money on something else.

Hope this is helpful to someone.

Ride safe.

-Daniel

 

Looks good, but then again, I'm already a cholo fan.

 

Welcome aboard! Interesting idea on the baffle. Your bike is looking pretty sweet with those fishtails. My 39's are suppose to be delivered this Tuesday, can't wait! lol

 

I'm looking at getting the 33" Non Baffled Cholos....I am not very mechanically inclined. Is there a cone or something I can add so I don't lose much power, yet still have amazing sound? I think I want to go 33" because I don't want it too far past the fender....

Also is there a difference between Cholos and Crossover? I have been looking at the samson website.

Thanks!

 

Are you using a tuner?

 

Good write up. This trick has been around a long time. Its known as the lollipop. This is what the Big City Thunder Baffles are based on.They have a detailed description on their website of how it works if any one is interested .

 

They have torque cones you can put in. But I would do this lollipop trick . Seems to work great from the articles I've read. I have seen mixed reviews on torque cones.

Cholos just refer to the length of the pipe 39=Cholo, 42=Super Cholo, 36=Mini Cholo. Crossover is just the pipe that crosses over to the other side of the bike.Behind the rear jug and over the primary.To give you True Duals.

 

Thanks all.

I had the stage one reflash done when I put the AF and original pipes on, but am not running an piggy back tuner. I always keep an eye on the plugs and they are looking good - no sign the engine is running too lean.

Re: the cones, from what I've read and heard, and from a friend's report, they won't affect the sound but they also don't do a lot for backpressure as they're installed at the head and don't block anything. I believe they're just designed to increase exhaust gas velocity (all things being equal still a good thing) but not backpressure. Also they're a pretty expensive piece for what you get.

A couple other things I'd like to add re: the cholo install:

*The cholo kit from Samson DOES NOT INCLUDE the flanges are retaining clips for the head pipes so you'll either need to pick a set up or take them off your existing exhaust and reuse.
*Likewise, the kit does not include exhaust gaskets so pick a new set of those up before the install. The gaskets are designed to crush and destroy themselves on install so I would not reuse those
*Run a tap into the threaded boss that the lower extension bracket bolts into. Mine had not been in use before the cholo install and when I pulled the plastic cover off I tried to run the bolt Samson supplied before I mouted the brackets. There was so much rust and other debris in the threads that I could not seat the bolt, so I ran a tap into the hole to clean out the threads. Mine took a 3/8 - 16 tap which I assume is standard.
*Locktite everything, and check bolt tightness after first ride.
*Test fit pipes and check access to the heat shield clamps before locking everything down, particularly on the rear cylinder head pipe and crossover. If the heat shield worm clamps are all mounted the same way you will have trouble tightening everything down once the head pipes have been installed.

One last note, I rode the bike hard and intentionally tried to take some aggressive entry angles into various parking lots and driveways to see if anything would scrape. I was very pleased that I didn't scrape the pipes at all, and at least as far as the 36" cholos are concerned, you won't lose any ride ability with the extra length.

Best,
-Daniel

 

Guess I should find someone to help me do this lol

 

This maybe a dumb question, did you install one in each pipe??