I’m not sure how to ask this question, it’s pretty open ended. How do you ever decide on a set of pipes for your bike if you are thinking of changing. All the companies say their pipes are “the best”, add the most power, etc, etc. I wonder if after-market pipes really do anything for performance, i.e., power, torque and or fuel economy, or is it just a matter of changing the look.

I have a 2005 Heritage Softtail Classic. I have two sets of pipes for her. A set of stock pipes and mufflers with the center plug drilled out; and a set of Screaming Eagle II pipes. I’ve been reading about some of these companies like Big City Thunder that make little doodads that slip inside your pipes and are suppose to improve things. But I also like the look of some of these 2- into-1 and other pipes made by companies like V&H.

I could never really tell any difference in power between the stock and SE II pipes and they both got around 45 mpg economy-wise. The stock pipes were too quiet until I drilled the mufflers at the dealers suggestion, now they sound pretty good. I liked the look of the SE II’s but I had to take them off because they were too load (high pitched) and rappy.

So would anyone care to help me out here. Thanks.

 

2 into 1 exhaust will give you more torque and hp especially with a good dyno tune.
I also spend time on youtube listening to pipes. I sorta like the Rinehart Cross backs and would not mind seeing how thosse would sounds but they are not going to match the 2-1 pipe for the performance.
I was thinking about the rinehart 2-1 or maybe a V&H 2-1 pipe but I ain't got teh cash to do another set of pipes (lol) . I see others have been down the exhuast road with a few sets of pipes though.

 

Maybe just hang at the biker bars and such and look and listen for the look and sound you're seeking.

 

There are ALOT of really good pipes out there. You have to shop around, ask about the pipes from people that own them, and find a set you like. The thing to do when you get them, is you may want to get a stage 1 kit if you don't have one, have the bike set up by someone who knows what they are doing. this is where the real power change comes in. I slapped a set of Bassani prostreets, arlen ness stage one and big sucker A/C. had the bike tuned and the thing is fast. now, for the gas milage, i lost a little. when you go to get the pipes, call the factory direct, you can sometimes get a monster discount

 

+1 on a good idea.

When I had my Sportster a friend of mine had a Heritage and put V&H StraightShots on his. I liked the sound so put a set on my Sportster.

Later when I bought my '02 Heritage it had V&H BSS's on it. V&H exhaust was one of the mods I was looking for in a used bike when I was looking for a bike.

IMO, listening to exhaust sounds on youtube to decide what to buy is kinda like deciding on a new TV by looking at the picture you see on YOUR TV in a ad by a TV company. duh!!

KISS

 

One thing I probably should have mentioned. While there are a fare amount of bikes around here, the single dealer we have's only tune capabiltiy, far as I know, is somebodies ear! It's 200 miles to anyplace with large shops, so I'm kind of on my own out here.

 

Had VH BSS and swapped for a 2n1. Their is an obvious performance improvement from a 2n2 to a 2n1. After camming the bike the bss were too loud. The 2n1 is far from quiet, and has a nicer deep, throatier sound. You have to decide whats most important between looks, sound (loud or quiet...) and performance. Take your time, you dont want to do it twice.

 

One thing to consider...
A lot of folks are going to give you their opinions while truly attempting to be helpful. One thing you have to keep in mind is a set of pipes that look good on one model of HD may not look so appealing on a Heritage. Look at some Heritages and Deluxes to get an idea of what you like. Think about what "look" you are going for with your bike. An aggressive look will lead you towards pipes like V&H Big Radius or those Rhinehart Crossbacks and other shorter pipes. A classic look will lead you to duals, fishtails or longer right-side pipes. In the end, you'll want to like the sound and look for your tastes. Also, depending on how your bike is tuned or if you're a "techie", you may not notice a huge difference between the performance in various pipes. Good luck in your search.

 

Go to the dealer and check out the used bikes.....thats what I did

 

Personally i go for the looks that is paramount to me .... they are as important as a set of wheels to bring the final part of the jigsaw together ...... some people put a lot of store by this and that to make sure it can pull an elephant out of quicksand ( torque ) .... different strokes !!!!! ....... as long as they complement the overall look i'm after which is a must and they dont ping , bang , pop , fart or sneeze i'll leave the elephant to the others ....