I purchased a header with the cat removed on the auction site. That way I have my old header with the cat if I ever needed it. The price was very reasonable in my opinion and I am happy with the results. I also keep my warranty, my State does not have emissions inspections.
The CAT in the M8 is so very minimally invasive and the #s that tuners are getting with them IN does not really warrant a removal in my opinion - This CAT was designed to make the EPA Happy and really.......is not bad at all - But, your bike, your $$....... and just my .02
I agree with Eddie, unless you do a lot of 2-up riding. The location of the CAT in the head pipe of the M8 is torture for your passenger if you live in a warm climate already. That was the first thing my wife noticed when we went from the 2015 to the 2018. We took one weekend trip and she told me that was the first thing that needed to change.
I asked my wife about the heat thing. She said it wasn't any worse then the last bike, which was a 103 Street Glide with V&H Power Duals on it. To me it doesn't seem much different either. I do have a CoolFlow fan on the bike, but it's only running at low speeds and stopped.
Mostly single riding but don't want to torture my passenger either. Not looking for any HP bump or even decrease just thinking of replacing header for sound. Have a set of Reinharts on there now and again just looking to increase sound level a little.
I was surprised to find the limited options for exhaust when I bought the 2018 (when I bought the Road King in 2017 there were still several options). At first I just put on a set of S&S MK45 slip-ons. Sounded great, but I couldn’t deal with the heat from the cat, so I bought a set of RC Components Tormentor headers. And, since I have some slight OCD tendencies I can’t bring myself to mix header/muffler manufacturers, I swapped the MK45s for the RC Torx mufflers.
It was a bit of an experience getting the Tormentors on... the first set absolutely was manufactured wrong and wouldn’t go on so the bike was down a few extra days while the RC team sent me a new set. They took care of me, but I had to convince them with pictures and videos first. But, I’m very happy with them. They sound good and the perform compliments the Stage IV build well.
I could see how Warranty would be a factor for most, but since I was putting the Stage IV kit on (myself) my warranty was gone anyway so it was a non-issue for me.
I went with Rcx tormentor and rcx 4.5 sounds good, looks great. Heat measured with a heat gun at the passenger foot board was 145 with the cat 90 now in the summer. Much nicer at a stop light. My wife's foot was cooking before the new headers.
Can I assume that there was a tuner and high flow intake involved?
I ask because if I can just swap the pipe and keep the stock mufflers on it (for the back pressure) without burning the valves out of it, I'd be a happy guy.
And so would my Ol' Lady. After a day of riding with her foot over the cat she can barely walk with her foot all swoled up like that.
For sound reasons. I'm not convinced I need it gone. With the 909s the 114 sounds great. A lot better than I thought. As far as heat. I was in stop and go the other day. 86° and a half mile of pedaling. (On the trike. No pedaling) and the heat off the bike was no worse than my 16 twin cam stage 1 FP3 tune and a de-catted header. So to me. The M8 already runs cooler the an opened up Twin cam.
But if I was in the Florida heat. I'd do anything I could to cool it down. Regardless of sound or looks.
You are so right about the heat! My bike has been out once in the last 4 weeks, and probably the next 4 also. 112 with the heat index today. Hell it was to hot to get in the pool and thats in the back yard.
Heat down here is relentless
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