Do baffles wear out or go bad? I bought a used 06 XL1200 that has Vance & Hines Sideshots on it. The baffles are installed but the bike is still ridiculously loud. I can't imagine it could possibly be any louder even with them removed.

 

v&h sells quiet baffles for them..takes the higher pitch sounds out but keeps the deep rumble..i had short shots on my last bike and they were stupid loud..sound great but dont want to ride like that for long distances,but this time around went with SE pipes and i moddified them to give the sound i wanted..

 

Those baffles have no packing in them so wear and tear should not be an issue.

 

Thats the way they are just a little loud. I have BCT's in my shortshots and they are very loud

 

As I purchased my 2003 heritage classic Anniversary Edition she had 3" S&S open slip on's. Perfect sound but after 20 minutes on the highway I needed new ears despite the earplugs. For I was preparing the bike for a long trip (over 2500 miles in six days) I mounted the original mufflers. Good sound, no ***** I you understand what I mean.
Therefor I designed and engineered my own adjustable AISI 316 sound killers for mounting into my slip on's. Adjusting before the ride I can choose of 3 fixed positions: 'touring' with a deep rumbling sound but no hard 'bangs'. Perfect for the long trips.
The second position is 'half open". A little bit louder than 'touring' but with a thundering roar when accelerating. Perfect for the mixed use, town and highway.
And last but not least the position 'full open' with appr. 2/3 of the original opening of the unbaffled open slip on's. Thundering, roaring in every position of the throttle. Just like the untamed original sound.
I calculated the mufflers for the best effect (energy waves reflected by the sound killer meets the incoming energy wave of the exhaust valve and compensating each other in sound. Sound-sound gives anti-sound in two of the three positions.)
I am engineering a 2.5 inch version and I will bring them on the market for self-mounting. Easy for a handy HD rider..Adjusting with only 2 spanners 13 mm (maybe I will bring them in the market with 1/2 inch thread and nuts for the US market)
Pics are hereby and sound measuring have been taken place. 1 meter distance of the exhaust tips.
'Touring" 84 dB idle to 92 dB full throttle
'Half open' 86 dB to 96 dB
'Full open" 94 dB to 104 dB
No loss of power in any position..
Somebody interested?

 

hereby the pic

 

O yeah, by the way. Yesterday I started a tour with 'half open' position. During a coffee break my mufflers could col down a bit (20 minutes appr) and I adjusted in 4 minutes exactly both sound killers into the position 'full open'. To show up and make our show ride later that afternoon...So simple is that..2 minutes per sound killer and 2 spanners 13 millimeter for the adjustment...The best things are simple, aren't they?

 

Rocketman.....now I see that there are the baffles that comes with the pipes and then there are the "quiet" baffles that are optional. I don't know for sure which I have in the pipes but I'm guessing they are the stock ones.