Put on the Pythons!
UPDATE to OP
Well is has been a week. The weather was so lousy that it took that long to get the RK with the newly installed Pythons out on the road. Very windy and only about 48 degrees, but today was the day -- finally!
Considerably louder than stock. I wasn't necessarily looking for "loud", just a little more character. From the rider's point of view, the sound was not excessive and it is hard to tell what they sound like to people standing on the streets but the heads do turn! but I did like what I was hearing. I was wearing a 3/4 helmet that fits snugly and covers the ears. It should be interesting to hear the effect with my warm weather 1/2 helmet.
My bike is just barely to the end of the break-in period and I'm sure things are still tight in the engine, but it seems there is some kind of performance benefit that I can feel in the "seat of the pants"! Response seems more immediate in all gears. I was even impressed with a 6th gear throttle roll-on. I know performance gains (HP/torque) are claimed but I wasn't expecting anything I could actually feel.
I really like the way they look with the slash-down cut and the character I was looking for was there for sure. So we shall see how it goes from here. I should have the opportunity to ride with the 1/2 helmet this week as the weather is supposed to warn back into the 70's. YAY!!
Considerably louder than stock. I wasn't necessarily looking for "loud", just a little more character. From the rider's point of view, the sound was not excessive and it is hard to tell what they sound like to people standing on the streets but the heads do turn! but I did like what I was hearing. I was wearing a 3/4 helmet that fits snugly and covers the ears. It should be interesting to hear the effect with my warm weather 1/2 helmet.
My bike is just barely to the end of the break-in period and I'm sure things are still tight in the engine, but it seems there is some kind of performance benefit that I can feel in the "seat of the pants"! Response seems more immediate in all gears. I was even impressed with a 6th gear throttle roll-on. I know performance gains (HP/torque) are claimed but I wasn't expecting anything I could actually feel.
I really like the way they look with the slash-down cut and the character I was looking for was there for sure. So we shall see how it goes from here. I should have the opportunity to ride with the 1/2 helmet this week as the weather is supposed to warn back into the 70's. YAY!!
Yup, I know I have certainly heard the name before but this is my first set. Was going to buy SE slip-ons from the dealer for more money but the guy behind the counter convinced my that I would be disappointed and would like the Pythons (stocked by the dealer as they are apparently popular) better and they cost considerably less!
Stage I
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1
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Python
Ok, I know it's no big deal and I wouldn't even call it wrenching, after all there are only 4 bolts, 2 nuts and a slip-off / slip-on x 2. Pretty easy stuff. But it was a lazy Sunday afternoon, rainy, and I needed something to do. So I went to my dealer and bought a set of Pythons to play with. I had plenty of time so I had some fun putting them on and took some pix along the way. Thought I would share them with you guys ...
I raised the bike off the floor a few inches with my Craftsman Cycle Lift then stabilized the bike with a scissors jack under each wheel with just enough pressure to eliminate rocking as I pulled the stock mufflers off:
Here's the stock setup with the bags removed:
Right side muffler gone:
And the left:
Next, I slipped the Pythons on the head pipes and fussed with them a bit to make sure they were positioned evenly and the rear tips were exactly even relative to the bumper (yeah, I know... :-):
And here it is all back together and ready to fire up!
Anyway, it was a good way to kill a rainy afternoon that I really would have preferred to spend in the saddle. I just heard they got a foot of snow somewhere 200 miles west of me.
So, I don;t know when I'll be hitting the streets, but I hope it will be soon!! If you got this far, thank you!! 
I raised the bike off the floor a few inches with my Craftsman Cycle Lift then stabilized the bike with a scissors jack under each wheel with just enough pressure to eliminate rocking as I pulled the stock mufflers off:
Here's the stock setup with the bags removed:
Right side muffler gone:
And the left:
Next, I slipped the Pythons on the head pipes and fussed with them a bit to make sure they were positioned evenly and the rear tips were exactly even relative to the bumper (yeah, I know... :-):
And here it is all back together and ready to fire up!
Anyway, it was a good way to kill a rainy afternoon that I really would have preferred to spend in the saddle. I just heard they got a foot of snow somewhere 200 miles west of me.
So, I don;t know when I'll be hitting the streets, but I hope it will be soon!! If you got this far, thank you!!
At this point I just did the slip-ons. The bike has just passed the break-in milestone of 500 miles and I am planning on doing the stage 1 along with the 1000 mile service. I thought it best to wait.
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