So I got my 97 Sportster 883 last fall and have been having a blast with it ever since. Been toying with the idea of some low budget mods, getting used to the idea of wrenching on it myself, etc.

A few people on this forum gave me a great intro to exhaust systems, what they do, etc.

And, as I begin to look for products that I might want to replace or enhance the exhaust, it occurs to me to that this bike does not seem to have the bulging mufflers on it that most of bikes of its model and year seem to have.

For example, see here: https://www.google.com/search?q=1997...w=1280&bih=859

You'll see a bunch of 883's with exhausts that expand at the end of the pipe.

Mine does not. You can view my bike from my profile, I think.

Also, I sometimes see pipes where there is a connector going between the two pipes below the air filter. Mine doest have that either.

Since this is a very used bike, I don't really know its history. Am I just the only person who still has a stock exhaust on his 97 833, or am I missing mufflers or what?

btw, I don't find the bike to be particularly loud at all. Up to now, I assumed I just had a stock exhaust, but now I'm wondering if I'm missing parts or what.

Thanks for any insights you have.

 

You don't have stock exhaust, you have drag pipes - with no mufflers. They look very similar to what I had on my '96 when I got it.

I replaced them with a stock setup that someone local was getting rid of.

 

Drag pipes my fried, nothing wrong with them at all

 

Thanks.

So, what are the implications of this? I've heard that drag pipes actually REDUCE performance. I don't care a whit about sound, but being that I'm a 300lb. dude riding a somewhat small bike, I do want to maximize my torque.

I've got a hi-flow air filter setup that I will install once I'm in a position to re-jet carb, how do the drag pipes fit into that plan? Should I be considering replacing them, modifying them? Any suggestions are welcome.

 

install some eyehole bolts 6" from the end of your drag pipes, jet the carb, and install your hi flow filter, your bike will kick ***, thats what I did.

 

Great!

One more question: If I don't have a muffler, why does my bike seem not that loud. Maybe I'm just already deaf?

 

It's possible a previous owner already did what emperor wurm suggested. Also, I think it's possible to buy
some generic baffles and install them in drag pipes. A previous owner might have done that. Either way there would be about head somewhere near the ends of your pipes.

Also, my drag pipes didn't sound that loud while I was riding, especially with my FF helmet on.