When I think of a Harley, I usually imagine 1 3/4 slash cut drag pipes. Before understanding the dynamics of exhaust, that was what I wanted. Now its not such an easy decision.

I like low and mid-range torque. I like staggered slash cut 2-2 pipes. I like a side slash like traditional drags rather than slash down. I prefer shorter pipes. I want a typical Harley sound that I can hear when I'm riding (my stock bike whispers to me right now. I can't hear what its telling me.). I want it to be loud enough to let people know I'm out there but not too loud.

I'm not against doing full pipes except the more I read the more it seems you can get good performance boost and decent sound with slip-ons for considerably less money. So I'm leaning toward slip-ons.

I liked the idea of an S&S package - assumed everything was "matched" and would pair well. It had good reviews. Good point about the money though. I'm talking $500 and haven't installed anything yet. I'm more than comfortable doing the installs myself. However, paid for the warranty - don't want to lose that in exchange for a few bucks for the parts install. Might just do the pipes and AC an let them do the rejet if I can get away with it.

Suddenly the simple task of new pipes and AC starts to feel like drinking from a firehose. [sm=chairshot.gif]

 

If it makes it any easier i narrod my choices down to 10 different pipes and told my dad to go pick one out because i couldn't decide and he always makes good decisionds and he has been riding for 25 years and knows what is good and bad which really helped and if i wouldn't of done that i would still be looking this time next year but good luck and i hope you really like what you decide to get.

 

Narrowed down to 10 choices? I don't feel so bad. I'm only looking at about 5-6 tops and felt that was hard enough.

 

Bensonjv...I went through the same problems as yourself when deciding on pipes and AC. I knew I either wanted straight pipes or tapered and originally selected and ordered Khrome Werks tapered slip-on with the AR100 design. They were on back order for over two months and I could not find a pair anywhere so I went with my second choice V&H Straighshots w/ the optional fiberglass wrapped quiet baffles. The pipes sound really good to me and the bike definitely has more get up and go. (I also have the rejet and SE AC) When I couldnt get the Khrome Werks, my final selections were between Cycle Shack and V&H and I decided to go with the V&H for quality and something about V&H on Harleys that I love. Harley and V&H have a long standing good relationship and I believe V&H even makes the SE pipes for HD.

So far from what I've read, you have selected all very good setups. The S&S setup is a bit pricey but it's quality and you will see good performance improvements. I have don't have the links anymore or I'd post them but I had read a lot of performance tests that were conducted with S&S's kits. I believe Khrome Werks uses S&S kits on their bikes for testing, and before S&S started making pipes, they would use Khrome Werks exhausts for their testing as well. What I like about the S&S kit the most is the AC cover. It's very drag style looking to me and with the slash down pipes, you will get that HD look you said you liked along with the S&S performance. You can never go wrong with S&S parts.

The V&H pipes are also an excellent choice. For slip-ons they are a little pricey but they are very good quality and nicely designed. If you like short pipes, check out their Shortshots...Sweet. If you want them to be a little deeper rumble and a little quieter, then you'd like their Straightshots HS w/ the quiet baffle. I found V&H slip-ons online for $215 w/ shipping. Thats a good price. Im not sure if the Shortshots except the quiet baffle but I dont think they do.

If you really are looking for the best bang for the buck, Cycle Shack slip-ons is the other way to go. You might save yourself $75-$90 over V&H or so that you can use on a high flow AC. Either way you go, all of these choices are good ones. The way I looked at when I selected my kit was that I spent $11k for my bike with tax and options so a few more bucks wasn't going to kill me when I picked my Stage 1 setup. I wanted my setup to be a good one with quality parts and something that was tried and proven. You seem to want the same thing as I do.

BTW, speaking of Stage 1, if I did it all over again, Id go with a K&N filter with my V&H pipes. It wasnt availible when I bought my SE filter. I havent had problems with the SE but I prefer K&N oiled filters. I use them in everything I own with an AC. They flow awsome and are very durable. Hope my babbling helps you out a little...Good luck...

 

You can't really make a bad choice with slip-ons. It just depends on what you like the best. Some slip-ons sound better to other people. Some will love cycle shacks others will call them too loud. Some will love SEII's other will call then too quiet and raspy. The best thing to do is get what you want and not worry about $100 here or there as you'll probably have them for a very long time. It has to be a balance of quality, price, looks, sound, and performance that works best for you. And to be honest mose of the slip-ons are very similar in those areas.

Cycle shacks are thin compared to the stock mufflers and SEII's so they will work for what you are describing. Krome werks drag slip-on's are something to consider. They will look much more like drag pipes and will be much more what you are looking for than the cycle shacks.