I did just this on my 2013 Anniversary Road King. The bike is otherwise stock. I ordered a set of slip on fishtails and put my faith in the stock tune and the fact the catalytic converter was the needed back pressure to maintain the factory driving characteristics. I was amazed frankly. Other than the bike being louder, it runs just as it did with the stock mufflers. Of course a tuner would give me a little extra power, but for now, I have no issues at all.

 

As others indicate...pipe swap won't affect bike tune much so no problems w/ECM & tune. When swapping pipes, make sure to get a good seal on the pipe/header joint, to avoid leaks. I've used HT silicone (i.e. liquid copper) for many years and, to date, haven't had any leaks, or issues. Just run a bead along the "inner" flange of your pipe before slipping onto header and you're good. Also makes removal easier too b/c this probably won't be your last set of pipes. Enjoy!

 

I love my Rineharts

 

I just took my 2013 RGC in for it's 10K service and also had the CAT removed. I noticed it to be a little bit louder after removal of CAT, especially at an idle. I have V&H 4" slip ons, which are not terribly loud but do have a deeper sound that stock pipes. I did not see any additional power after decatting but hopefully it will run cooler here in this Florida heat. I may at some time in the future go to a different breather and install a tuner, probably the Power Commander V with autotune. I really have no idea if that is the way to go or simply have the bike tuned by Harley. Any suggestions or thoughts would be appreciated.

 

just did the exact same thing yesterday, no issues what so ever other than sounding awesome!

 

Vance & Hines or Thunder Headers & a Power Vision Tuner

 

Another muffler thread!

 

Your gonna be pissed if you don't at least de-cat the header. All those $$$'s you've just spent on slip-ons and won't sound much different than stock. But at least it's a start in the right direction.