i bought a 05 fxdi a month ago. i would like for it to be louder but have no more money right now. my brother in law bought a 04 fatboy new last year, the dealer where he bought it drilled the baffels out. the bike sounds great and he said i should drill out my baffels. my question is if i do this will it cause problems with my bike or will it void my warranty. thanks for any help

 

I asked the dealer about this also and they stated that if they drilled out the baffles, it didn't void the warranty. I had this done to my FXDI and it sounds alot better. I still plan to have V&H installed later, but until I decide which route to go the dealer assured me no problems will arise and it is standard practice for many buyers.

 

I drilled my wife's '97 Lowrider, and the result was not what I was looking for. It will definately make the bike louder, but I found the sound very harsh and raspy, instead of the deep, throaty sound that most like. We changed to Screamin Eagles.

Regards,

Bill

 

I would save up some money and get the SE II slipons. I had those and the Stage 1 kit done on my 05 Wide Glide before I picked it up. I had guys tell me I wouldn't like the sound and I should get straight pipes but let me tell ya, those slipons sound awesome! Nice deep sound, this thing rumbles. I road beside a friend on a WG with drilled out baffles and it didn't sound all that great. Some folks though may like the sound. I am happy with my SE II's untill I change pipes down the road. I got the bike May 7th, put 150 miles on it and parked it because I had to come back to Delaware to C-5 aircraft school. I got 9 more days until I can get home and fire it up and hear that rumble!!!

 

If you have a Dremel or simular tool ,you can remove the whole baffle .If you look just inside the end of the muffler you'll see a weld that goes all the way around . You need to completely grind down that weld ,then bend in part of the baffle so it slide out past the ground down weld.Or if you can get a small enough cut off wheel make 2 cuts about 1/4 inch apart and it will come out easier. Although it wont sound like a Vance & Hines or Samson exhaust ,it does sound pretty good. Kind of gives you a glass pack sound ,just as loud as Screaming Eagle slip-ons but the tone is not quite as deep. I had done it on a 2004 883 Sportster ,but wanted something louder so I just got drag pipes later on.

 

Hi everyone,

Just registered. I had my dealer drill/core out my baffels when it was new (01 FXDX/T). I had a slight vibration at highway speeds and at speeds below 30 mph. I just lived with it. Now, 4yrs later, I installed screamin eagle slip-ons. WOW... what a difference. No more vibes and a nice mellow tone. The bike also pulls harder when I twist the throttle hard. Great investment those slip-ons.

btw, I actually liked the sound better with the stock pipes and drilled out baffles.

 

thanks for the input. i drilled my pipes and im pretty happy with it. when i get the money i might buy new pipes but until then i think it sounds good

 

I would say not to drill them out because the motor does not run as well after you do it, you may convince your self that it sounds better, BUT after you get tired of the sound and install a muffler that is constructed to run properly and richen up the mixture a bit, you'll be surprised how badly it was running when you drilled them out, besides, your stockers may be needed in the very near future when EPA clamps down it's miserable claws on us, that means you'd have to go out and buy a new set of stockers. JMHO