Ok, this appears to be the opposite of what most people are looking for but I am trying to find the best way to reduce the sound of the bike. I bought a used 2000 XL1200C for my sons to ride and it has Screaming Eagle slip-ons. My son does not want to ride it, his buddies have sport bikes that are not so loud so I want to quiet the bike down. He likes the sound of my 2013 with OEM slip-ons so that is what I am shooting for.

I cannot tell if the prior owner had removed the baffles but will I possibly need to change the jets in the carb or how can I tell?

Thanks

 

Check craig's list and ebay for used original mufflers, often pretty cheap. About as quiet as you'll get, but not Honda quiet, still be a little burble to it. My '04 1200C had drag pipes when I got it, unbearable to me. Got a like new pair of originals for $25, wasn't ready to drop a lot of bucks into aftermarket mufflers, and now that I have them, just going to keep them on, don't really care for a lot of noise all the time. Not all sporty mufflers are the same, mounting design and pressure balance design is way different in 04 up and won't fit your 2000. Need to be careful to get the right style. From sometime in 90's to 03 are interchangeable, and XL and Custom models interchange.

If it runs right without backfiring it's probably had a larger low speed jet installed. You can work the needle instead, but few people know how or would try, a size up on the low speed jet is most common. Check under the carb with a mirror (might need to remove the air cleaner) and see if the factory plug has been pulled to expose the mixture screw; if it has, probably has a jet change, too. If the jet's been changed, not a problem for putting stock mufflers back on, just a mixture adjustment will work ok, the factory setting was so lean it might even run better with a size bigger low speed jet; my 1200C does. If the mixture plug is still there, and/or original jet, and the bike running ok, just put the quieter mufflers back on and the carb should be ok.

Do a forum search for sportster carb adjustment, and you'll find several posts explaining everything you'll need to know to do any carb work you might need with a muffler change, including where the low speed jet and mixture screws are and how to deal with them.

I thought about getting Supertrapp mufflers, with their disk adjustable sound levels, but decided I was satisfied with the far cheaper stock ones I got. From what I've read, they can be adjusted to be the quietest aftermarket pipes, but they're not cheap. Most aren't.

 

here are the original mufflers for the bike...if the bike has the original head pipe you should be good


http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-00-OEM-...1bdc31&vxp=mtr


http://www.ebay.com/itm/2000-00-OEM-...1c094a&vxp=mtr

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I ordered a pair of OEM mufflers that were take offs. Providing they are not bad I should have an easy time quieting this bike.

 

A quiet bike reduces "auditory fatigue."

It's also more "stealthy."

It also reduces permenant hearing damage.

Yea, tinnitis sucks too...

Guess how I know?