Funny you should ask: I just experimented with Rhinehart True Dual headers with SE Performance mufflers attached to the Stage I aircleaner and HD download. I had ridden a rental equipped with the stock headers, Stage I and SE mufflers and liked the sound and the performance. Well, on MY bike it was way too loud for my taste. Sounded like I was running straight pipes on acceleration, constant staccato sound at cruise, and it popped and farted in deceleration or when shifting and blipping the throttle.

Talked it over with the service manager and parts manager. They said the noise likely had more to do with the true dual headers. On their counsel, it came down to replacing the stock headers and keeping the mufflers, and if that was still too loud, put the stock mufflers back on. They assured me the Stage I would still be worthwhile. Today, we did just that, and I wound up going back to stock headers and mufflers. The sound is slightly louder from the upgrade but not intrusive. The performance is the same with the stock exhaust system as it was with the performance mufflers. The performance suffered some with the true dual headers, believe it or not. I guess the scavenging effect of the "Y" headers helps more than is apparent.

My dealer, Zion Harley Davidson of Washington, Utah, was more than fair with the return of the performance parts, citing customer satisfaction as their primary goal. They will continue to enjoy my business. I couldn't be happier.

 

Generally, one will lose TQ when switching to true duals from the stock HD headers and gain both HP and TQ with good 2 into 1s.

 

Count me as one of the eleven. I'm probably going to run stock until they wear out and then decide. I'd like to have a deeper note, but I don't want anything louder than what I have now. I don't know what people are talking about when they say they can't hear stock pipes. I have no trouble hearing these pipes, especially on those long uphill pulls. My ears ring after several hours on the road. How you guys ride all day with the loud pipes such as Rineharts and manage not to have hearing loss is a wonder to me.

 

Count me as one of the 11... a bagger all day long is different than a short 200 ride for a couple of hours. I love the rumble, and my heart loves it when my ears hear a roar of a great exhaust on a Harley...but all day long, day after day....I still have to remember what my FLHTC is... touring....

 

I have stock pipes on mine, but they have had a big fat drill run down the middle of them.

 

I STILL HAVE THEM.,it's because the other's things you have to change!and with the epa cracking down (supposeingly)can't afford the fine, i would like it a little louder maybe with slip ons or drill the baffle out a little bit,i only have 639 miles in it,

 

I am still running stock exhaust too, and may end up leaving it stock. This would be my first bike with them, but it also my first fuel injected bike and I don’t know if I want all the hassle and expense just to do a stage 1. It runs pretty good now, and gets 43 mpg so I’m happy. It is a little quiet, but even the SEIIs on my last bike gave me a “buzz” in my ears after 2 hours on the road.

 

I went with the SE slip ons and a stage one at my 1K service. This is my first Harley and I read a lot on many different places and the concensus was that most folks beleived you just had to do at least a stage 1 to get a Harley running right. I had looked at/listened to a bunch of pipes at the dealer and decided on the SE's as they weren't too loud. I did not want loud pipes, don't like them. When I got the bike back "to be honest" I didn't notice a significant power increase and the dyno numbers weren't very impresive either. I don't recall what they were now but I did have the SE Air filter, remap and slips on's done by a very good dealer.

Anyway, it's been almost a year now with the new pipes, I put around 7,000 miles on it. In hindsight, I wish I had stayed with stock. The bike is performing better now than ever, I'm at around 8800 miles, just had a 10K service done (little early but I was able to get an appointment which is almost impossible this time of year). Not sure if the engine is just really broken in, perhaps the stage 1. I just wish they weren't so loud.

Joe

 

what the average cost of a stage1?.like to do it but with these gas prices and stock i went 184 miles on 4.4 gals of gas $13.00 damn arabs

 

My stage one cost me around 1,000.00, maybe even 1100.00. That is for the SE slash cut slip ons, SE airfilter, remap and labor.
I've heard that you can do it your self for less, but I think you'd still have to have the dealer do the remap around 150.00 or buy a power comander type device.

I'm getting between 40 - 43 mpg, just filled up this morning. 197.5 miles and she took 4.75 gallons. That's 41.57 mpg.

Joe