I've ridden a few different combinations of softails now, a friend's 03 Standard with a 95" kit, 10:1 pistons, 211 cams and some loud Pypes slipons, a couple stock newer Fatboys, and a newer fuel injected 96" FB Low with a stage 1 kit. All of them have a pretty distinct individual cylinder sound on decel- you hear each combustion event with both the front and rear cylinder. It sounds crisp and good.

My Road King has never had that sound, and it bothers me. Over the 3 years I've owned it, I've tried 2 different headpipes (stock w/cat and dresser duals), SE204 cams, and 3 sets of slipons... none sound like those softails. The motor itself obviously isn't much different so the only thing I can think of is the softails have very short pipes on them, in comparison to a touring bike. My bike with Rush mufflers/1.75 baffles and dresser duals on it currently sounds great at cruise and wide open, but is about 5 different kinds of *** when the throttle is closed and I'm coasting down. Raspy, flappy, weak...you name it. Same thing with the Vance & Hines fishtails I had on it, I tried both the normal and the quiet baffle. No decel pop or anything, it just sounds bad.

Is this normal, and a function of the longer pipe runs? Or is something up with my bike? I've tried tuning it in both open and closed loop at closed throttle, doesn't appear to make much of a difference.

Thanks!

 

If you have a Cat in there, it's defiantly going to effect the sound. Other than that maybe it's could be that the softail motor is counterbalanced....

 

Most don't like decel pop. I like the burbling and popping on decel.

It is not a function of the pipes being longer. I have a 103 Ultra, free flowing air filter, PCV, stock head pipes with cat removed and rush slip-ons. Was running the 2.25" baffles in them and got some burble and popping. Took the baffles out, put W258 Thunder Torques in. Not only do I have a mean sound on decel, but I gained quite a bit in the low and mid range power.