Switched out the 2" drag pipes with washer lollipops for a set of open 1 3/4" drag pipes yesterday and went for a ride. The flat spot between 3,000 and 4,000 rpm is back. It's not quite as bad as it was with open 2" pipes but it is definitely there.
Before I go drilling holes in the new pipes to put washers in 'em, is there any advantage to using the torque cones instead of the washers? From what I've read here and there it seems to be about 50/50 on whether or not they actually work. Anybody with real experience care to throw your two cents in here?

 

I have no experience with torque cones. But i will ask, do they even make them for IronHead pipes? It seems to me that i have heard that they do not. From what i have heard i think they may be in the snake oil catagory.

I have used the bolt&washer baffles myself; i "have heard" that they were first used by the Honda racing team back in the day; i know that they work from my own and others' experiences.

 

dont know if they work or not but there is a guy on ebay that sells them for the ironhead

 

There's no doubt about it, the washers do work. It only takes about 10 minutes to switch the pipes out so I put the 2" with the washers back on today. It runs much better than with the open 1 3/4" pipes. I tried a cheap set of 4" long baffles in the 2" pipes but couldn't stand the woosh woosh sound they made so I didn't even ride the bike with them in. I really like the bigger pipes better. They look better and they're actually a little quieter than the 1 3/4" (maybe due to the washers) and have a deeper tone. But, in the end I'll go with whichever set works the best.
The hesitation problem I'm having doesn't seem to change at all with different size pipes and washers but they do make all the difference in the world in how it runs up through the rpm range.....once you get past the hiccup.

 

To offer only my opinion, I can’t think of any form of motorsports, from motorcycles to cars to boats that use torque cones in any form. In fact, the only use of torque cones that I have ever heard of seems to be among the backyard mechanics. Just because someone makes and sells something doesn’t mean that it works. The phrase “A sucker born every minute” comes to mind. Go talk to people that race or build engines for racing or for land speed record attempts and say those two little words “Torque cones” and once they finally stop laughing, you will have your answer. Think about it for a minute. Almost everyone knows that an engine is just an air pump. The faster that you can jam air into the engine and the faster that you can release the exhausted gas the more horsepower you can create. After adding a more free flowing air intake system and a more free flowing exhaust system to your engine, why would you place something in the middle that would just slow everything up? If Torque cones were a “Magic bullet”, then everyone and their brother would have them and use them and tell all their friends about them and they don’t. All of the Harley dealers would want to sell them to you as soon as you bought a bike if they worked like they are advertized. Most people know that they have to pay the “Harley Tax” if they want improved performance out of their stock bikes, but you don’t hear the dealers telling them “Oh you can’t leave without a set of Torque cones for your bike!” Again, just my opinion, but please use the money that you want to spend on Torque cones and use it toward some tried and proven performance improvements for your engine. Take care and ride safe out there!