Thanks Badbagger and Teedoff for the videos. I put some more miles on the pipes today and I'll be damned if they didn't sound very good as well as the bike felt much more crisp and responsive. I know it takes a bit for the ecm to adjust so that is possible. Another observation is how different they sound with either my 3/4 Shoei or my Skid Lid half helmet. Where the stock pipes sounded very good with a full face or 3/4 and not so much with a half helmet, the exact opposite is true with these mufflers. They sound much better with the half helmet...boomy with other.
I'm also keeping an eye on gas mileage...initial indication is it may have. decreased
Bottomline the pipes have gotten a reprieve for now. We'll see how it goes.

 

Good to hear. I think with even a few more miles, they will sound even better. I think any of them really need some time to break in. Or maybe as you say the ecm to adjust to them.

Are you running the baffles in your slip ons?

 

Changing the AC will give the biggest boost with these M8s. Before you sell put the heavy breather and a tune and you will be very happy.

 

I agree, even with the SE 462 cam, mine feels every bit as torquey as a stocker, the Street Cannons make just enough noise to remember it is a Harley, the SE Pro Street canned tune works perfect from idle-6200. No flat spots, no drama. Made the 900 lb. anchor much more fun to ride.

 

Thanks guys. I'm still deciding whether I'm getting used to the feel of the bike with these mufflers or if the bike is adjusting. The sound seems a bit tamer and richer but I "think" I feel a bit more softness in torque delivery, all still pre stage 1. I will say the feel with these mufflers is very smooth.

 

Again, I think if you do feel some "softness", completing the stage 1 will def wake it back up. But regardless of whether you keep those slip ons or not, doing the stage 1 is a plus.

 

Why the 10lb DB? Doing curls at red lights?? LOL. Great sound. Thanks for the vid.

 

lol No its there to correct a left pulling bike since dealership couldnt figure out why it pulled so hard.

Long story, but the jist of it is....when I would let go of the bars...I know I know...I shouldn't be doing that, but sometimes I might need to zip up my jacket all the way or adjust a glove or my facemask. Takes both hands. When I let go of the bars, within 30 yards or so the bike would veer so hard to the left, I'd be in the other lane. That quickly. Deaership supposedly fixed the frame that was "misaligned" from the factory, but then basically laughed at me when I said it wasn't fixed.

So the 10lb dumbbell helped. When I installed my mini apes, I had to cut a ziptie under the clamp to get more cable slack. I think that was the issue all along. Its much better now, so nothing in my bags now but gloves and jackets. lol

 

I saw that you were not initially happy with the pipes, but decided to hold off for a bit to see if you experienced the same as me before commenting.

So... yeah, same thing with my 4" Rineharts. Day one I was worried I'd made a mistake. A little loss in throttle response (perceived torque) and pretty boomy.
Then over the next week it started to get quieter and the throttle response faster.
A month later the bike is running about the same or better than stock and the sound seems to have tamed down...I'm totally happy with them now.

Like you said, maybe the bike adjusted or maybe I just got used to it. Ether way, all good now.

 

Hey LP....we seem to have experienced the same thing. The bike does seem to be running better with each day, (not that it ever ran poorly with the Rinehart mufflers), and the sound has improved as well, or at least I think it has
Here's what I believe since I Never rode a stock bike this long at almost 5k miles:

-The M8 runs so good stock it's hard to mess with it.
-I actually came to like or at least not mind the stock pipes sound and was thoroughly impressed with the performance, thus setting a high bar.
-The correlation to throttle twist and sound has some bearing on perceived torque. Think electric motor.
-While I do believe the closed loop ECM does adjust and has on my bike, the amount of time away from the stock pipes and getting used to it has as much to do with the changes I'm feeling.

I'm still not sure what my next step is going to be. I've got all the stage 1 components in my garage and I'm tempted, but can't rule out putting the stock muffs back on and sitting tight for a while.