Hi my name is Luke, I am a new member here. I have had my 06 Sportster 1200 Low since Friday and my Dad is saying that I should cut the baffles out of my exhaust tips to make it louder. Is this OK to do or will it be bad for my bike. I agree that it needs to be louder but I don't want to hurt my bike as it is my first.

Thanks in advance for your help, Ride safe

 

It wont hurt the bike but consider any warranty problems plus a good exhaust like Vance & Hines not only sounds good but looks good too.

 

I second that, a set of V&H would be a good choice. Either that or get a set of slip-on's that would be a little cheaper. Look into the stage I kit also.

Welcome from Wisconsin!

 

While i would say that it doesn't hurt it certainly won't help the bike. I've read that there is a reason for the baffles other than sound something about the back pressures (reversion?) and so on...

Some people just take out the baffle and make larger holes, which helps them be louder but maintains the working element of the baffle.

Just a thought

 

I had the same thought when I got my bike. After doing a lot of research, I determined that it wouldnt be the best solution. You're going to loose some low end torque if you do. The back pressure that the baffles provide is needed with the stock AC and jetting. If you don't mind some loss in low end power, go for it but Im against it. I have heard many different opinions on sound. Some say they sound awesome with the baffles cut, others hate the sound. I think they sound much deeper than stock. If I were you, I'd buy some aftermarket slip-ons. Cycle Shack makes tapered slip-ons for less than $150. They look just like the stock pipes but are designed properly. Vance and Hines also makes what I consider some of the best quality pipes on the market. Good luck.

 

Thanks alot. I went ahead and cut the baffle out of one of the tips and it sounds pretty good. i didn't notice any change in the low end torque or any RPM range for that matter. I plan to buy a custom exhaust in the near future but I needed a quick fix for the stock sound. Thanks for your advice and I hope to stay in touch.

If you all have any tips for the ol' Sportster let me know as this is my first bike.

 

When I purchased my '05 1200C a few days ago I had the shop guys drill out the baffles in the stock exhaust.

Sounds very nice, and I didn't notice any "before or after" loss of low end performance. Still have the stock "crossover pipe", and the pipes are still providing sufficient back pressure.

Here is a little video of the tone with the stock baffles drilled out. Bike was cold, and you know how cold blooded they are, but it will give you a good idea of the tone. They are actually quite a bit louded that in the video, and will "bark at you" at higher RPM's. I used an old Sony digital camera, and the sound quality isn't that great.

I might go with some custom pipes in the future (installed some Hooker Step Tuned Drag Pipes on my WideGlide not long ago which sound great and helped performance), but I was looking for a quick tone improvement on the 1200C.

http://dogsdoom.com/PI/2005withoutbaffels.MPG

 

I would simply replace them with slip ons. If you cut the baffles out, it doesnt sound all that good, and some times your warrenty can be voided. Check ebay. There are tuns of slip ons for a very reasonable price.

 

Thanks for all of the advice. I definitely plan a custom set up in the future but for now I think this will be just fine.

I have heard about the Harley TAX. What exactly does that mean? Sorry if this is a common Newbie question but if you could just sum it up that would be cool.

Later

 

I had the dealer cut mine out when they did stage I. I am too cheap to buy new pipes, and like the stock look better than any pipes I have seen. the sound is great with them out.