I have a basically stock 2004 carburated Roadking and I am trying to decide between the D&D Fatcat and the V&H Pro pipe (both chrome) What say You? Anybody have any pipe to bike
clearance problems mounting these up? Did the 2 into 1 make a difference in power, compared to slip ons or true duals. Your Feed back is appreciated.
Thanks!

 

i chose the vance & hines pro pipe for a few reasons, here they are. fit and finish are beyond compare with the pro pipe. the welds, quality of the chroming, and the overall quality is about as good as it gets. now the sound, yeow, that pro pipe has the music that touches the soul. something else you may have not considered is that the pro pipe's front header doesn't sweep out toward your ankle like the fatcat does. i honestly was about to get the fatcat for my streetglide, and upon studying the choices, the pro pipe was what i got. i am very satisfied with it. yes, i had rinehart slip ons on my past three harleys, and this pipe made a big difference with a good improvement throughout the rev range for torque. surely the hp went up as well. for me, the vance 7 hines was a win/win, and if i remember right, it was cheaper than the fatcat. i know you can remove the baffle if you want to without having to resort to a sledgehammer. yes, it made a real noticeable power increase. it's stereo friendly, but when you romp on the throttle, she howls. the word, "gnarly" comes to mind. remember, the first stage of volume control is the right hand, crank her up.

 

i have had 2 different V & H pipes, both chrome. the big shot longs w/power chamber for baggers, and the pro pipe HP for baggers. love them. i wanna shoot myself for selling them. especially since i bought a D & D fatcat. as was stated, the fit and finish and welds of the $650.00 V & H are flawless. i put a few pics of my D & D $865.00 pipe on here...... one is where the weld on the flange broke on a road trip from NC to Oregon, on the way back home, passing through colorado springs, it gave way. cant just replace it either. the flange on a D & D is not like most other pipes. it is not removable. no clip inside of it. and it is spot welded in 3 places! not welded around the whole pipe..... wtf? so, you cant even get a replacement flange. and the finish sucked. i go the black one, here it is after 11 months on my bike. rust, pits, looks like crap.

i will say that their service is good. i had the rust bucket on there, took a few pics, and sent it to D & D, they sent me a new one quick. but, it fell apart in colorado...... service can be awesome, but does it matter if the parts are crap......

only issue i had with the pro pipe, was ground clearance. it is a big megaphone, and i ride hard, so i ground the ring down, and threw sparks all the time. my rear end is also lowered too though. same thing on the big shots. ground clearance. but, i learned a trick. on the saddle bag support arm, where the pipe hangs from. cut that metal block with the rubber insert off, and weld it on top of the arm, instead of below it. gave me 1 1/2 inch more clearance, and was barely noticeable, unless you knew to look for it.....

ground clearance was not an issue on the D & D at all, and had to put the block back under the bar. performance was the goal and claim to fame for the D & D, but i will not buy one again. going back to V & H for my next build. they never let me down. and now they have their pipes in a ceramic coating! hell yeah!

my couple pennies worth for ya,

 

I like the rat rod look of the rusty exhaust, and looking at what you've done to it, youve got the power to back it up.

 

I have run a D&D Fat Cat for a while now. Their quality is normally great. V&H quality is also beyond reproach. The V&H is cheaper, both have stepped head pipes. The D&D is a known great performer, usually better than the older Pro Pipes. This new Pro Pipe Chrome is an interesting system. I think you can't go wrong with either system.

 

yeah, this is a shot of my old bike, my 2004 road king custom, i still have her, but i stripped her down so that i could build my other one, a 2000 road king, a little more... economically! lol! but, the 'rat rod' look was sorta cool too. i was just concerned about the 'pitting', that came along with the rust. not what i expected after paying 850 bucks for a pipe..... and this bike did wheelies! i was the first in my area to get the zippers thundermax ecm, (2005) and after everyone told me i was stupid, and i should have gotten a power commander, we would race, and i would pull wheelies through 4th gear. then, everyone else started getting the zippers stuff.... just the basics on this one, Tman heads, Tman 95" pistons and jugs, crane high roller cams w gear drive, SE roller rockers, zippers 50mm intake, etc. but, i also geared down the front pulley of the primary....down three teeth... THAT, was completely ridiculous! wow! what a good time this bike was, and it only made like 105 HP and 110 TQ. nothing to brag about, but, when geared down, this thing was an animal! i would hurt the feelings of crotch rocket riders all the time. well, only to the next stoplight.... nothing happening after about 115 MPH.... and i hit the rev limiter at 120...

but, i have since taken the 'rust bucket' and had it refinished. my powder coater is pretty good, adn it looks like an 850 dollar pipe again. and it is on my new (older) bike.

i completely agree. the power was more than any other pipe could produce a few years back. now, that margin isnt quite so large. as i said, i was impressed with many aspects of this pipe, fit and finish not being one of them.... but, i will not own one again. that 850 dollar pipe has cost me an additional 400 bucks in cleaning, sandblasting, resurfacing, and recoating..... i didnt have a chrome one though, maybe the chrome finish is a bit better...... my next build (rebuilding my 20054 road king custom) i will go back to V & H..... black ceramic finish. i havent tried that one yet.

ride safe guys, because soccer moms on cell phones will run you over....
corb