has anyone used the vance and hines x pipe on the new milwaukee 8? I am curious how the performance is.

 

the V&H power duals ( which has the 'x') is essentially a no cat header similar to the 09 HD stock 49 State header
the cross under pipe has a similar squish to the HD to keep gas velocity high once the rt side is flowing closer to capacity


in terms of performance there could be a minor minor advantage over decatting a stock header- but I don;t think enough to justify the cost


on the twin cam the cover on the X pipe can contact HARD and relieve traction from the rear tire on a rt hand turn where the suspension compresses ( like a dip in the road) and even more likely on a lowered bike.

Mike

 

I have the V&H Power Duals on my 2012 Road Glide. Like mkguitar said, they are prone to scraping on aggressive right turns. They have been good pipes, but when they finally die, I will probably replace they with the FuelMoto Jackpot.

Instead of stamped sheet metal for the X-Pipe (V&H), the Jackpots use actual pipe for it. They also cant the X-Pipe so that it tucks under the bike and is less prone to dragging.

Just my $0.02 on the subject.

 

The Screamin Eagle High Flow exhaust system is a 2 1/4" system with a full diameter pipe going under to the left side.

 

I agree totally and went the same route. No dragging with the FM header. Another weak link in the V&H system are the mounting hardware. I had their brackets crack multiple times both the one on the side by the transmission and the one for the cross over on the rear.

 

that would be dandy for a worked on motor and very specific cam choice- a large pipe like that might have poor exhaust gas velocity on a stock motor


the squished crossover on the stock and V&H will be an advantage for most motors.
using a 1.75" pipe would have the gasses flowing fast and aid scavenging

Mike

 

I haven't had a problem with the mount hardware, but I have had to repair the stamped sheet metal X-Pipe a few times.

Hole in the X-Pipe:




Broken pipe:









Don't get me wrong. I've gotten 67K miles of service out of them and they are still going strong. I've just had to do a few repairs to keep them going.

I'm CHEAP! If I can weld it up for just the cost of materials, I'll do that instead of buying new pipes. New pipes are expensive!

I do know that at some point, there will not be enough material left to repair and I will have to replace them, but until then, I'm good with a welder or torch!

 

I've been wondering how much performance any 3rd party header has over a gutted M8 stock header. The dealerships around here will gut M8 stock headers for a couple dollars and cover the bike in their warranty. That's important for me, my wife would not ride my stock 09 Ultra because her foot got too hot. I hear the passenger heat off the M8's are worse.

Buy the way, I have the Rinehart header on my 14 Ultra Limited and I really like it. The Rinehart slip ons are a little loud, but the header is nice.

Beary

 

only the California and export 2009 models had cats- the 49 State 09's are catless, free flowing

and will support any motor well past 100 hp at no additional cost.

Mike

 

Yes, I forgot. It was the 2012 we rented a Ultra on a trip that turned her against the stock headers. I had traded my 09 Ultra for a 2011 RKC by that time. Age is catching up. First thing she asked about my 2014 Ultra was if it had the cat. When I said no, next question she asked was when could we go for a ride. I'm OK with the performance of the new engines, so honestly the heat is the only reason I even consider a catless header.

Beary