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Back to Stock Mufflers

8K views 23 replies 22 participants last post by  bucketlisthd  
#1 ·
Guys, I'm new to this forum....some great information here. I've decided to go back to my stock mufflers. After returning from a 1000 mile Colorado mountain route (that was beautiful), I've just had it with the racket. My pipes and air cleaner mods really haven't added much to my little 88 Incher. From a performance perspective, I'm kinda done with trying to make more power by making more noise. Maybe I'm getting old and cranky....in fact I'm sure of it....but long distance rides with the constant oompah is just not pleasent for me anymore. I love the sound of our bikes...I really do and I'm not going to change rides but there's got to be a balance.... BTW I just rolled over 60k miles on this bike, it still runs pretty good.
I'm not into spending a bunch of money on the old thing but any suggestions would Help. maybe just a good set of earplugs??
 
#4 ·
I wore earplugs on the '11 I had. Previous owner had put a D&D exhaust on it and it got old after a few hours. Wasn't about to change it though due to the sound and performance. Invested in a bunch of those soft foam earplugs. Problem solved.:)
 
#6 ·
Yep, did the same thing here. Bought the bike with Rineharts and couldn't swap them out for stock pipes fast enough. I still went a head and put on an aftermarket header and SERT to get rid of the cat heat and get a little boost, but count me in as one of the few that don't like the loud pipes. I mean, a little rumble I wouldn't mind, but I just don't know how people can ride with that racket for even short distances, let alone long. That would drive me bat shite.
 
#7 ·
The foam cheapie ear plugs work well.

"The Short Bus" is fairly loud, The '05 SEEG is bone stock and quiet, at 55MPH+ or so the wind noise overtakes the exhaust on either one...

The music in the Cardo G-9s greatly improves our enjoyment over long days on the road.

A lot of folks say that they just want to listen to the V-Twin, but after 39 years of owning HDs, the music works for me...
 
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#8 ·
if your thinking about just swapping out the slip ons look for a set of 09 and later I put a set on my 01 and they have a decent rumble but not obnoxious and since they are designed for the 96 or 103 they are slightly less restrictive then the stock slip ons for our 88's
 
#12 ·
I have a pair of stock slip on off a 13 road glide ultra that you're welcome to if you want to swap. What pipes are you currently running? I also have a catted head pipe, if yours is un-catted, we can swap that too!
 
#13 ·
Just installed a set of V&H slash cut's on my '15 RG. The longest highway run, so far, has been just over an hour. No problems with the volume. I do wear a full-coverage helmet. That probably has lots to do with it.
 
#15 ·
Good for ya. I also had some loud muffs. V&H Slash Cuts. Even with the baffles in I could still fit a 6 foot broom stick up the right side. I kept looking for higher windshields and air management such as GADS (they are great by the way) to keep my ears from ringing after a ride on the super slab. Finally put some 2007 stockers on the bike. Shazzam! Whole new bike. Ringing ears are all better. My wife likes to take a ride now and again. The torque comes on earlier than with the loud muffs. This year I put some 2009 CVO muffs on. About the same, maybe a hair less sound than the 2007 OEM muffs, but they have the chrome tips that can be changed. I am looking for some slash up tips at the moment. As for the current sound with stock muffs, I enjoy hearing the motor much more now. When passing slow vehicles I love hearing a perfect running motor.
 
#17 ·
Just traded in my 03 road king 88 incher for a new FLTRXS, but wanted to comment on your exhaust noise problem. After trying 3 after market mufflers on the road king, I settled on V&H true dual headers & the original oval mufflers, not the monsters. The sound on that setup was a deeper idle tone and a nice growl on acceleration through the gears but at cruising steady speeds they really mellowed out to fairly quiet pipes. On one occasion I was riding with 5 friends, one had straight pipes and we always made him ride in the rear. I was 4th in line for that ride and when we stopped for refreshment my friend bringing up the rear told me he could hear the exhaust notes on every bike in front of him except mine and I was closest to him. Those riding in front of me had a mix of different pipes on there bikes, Reinharts, Screaming Eagles, & V&H Long Shots. Hope this helps if you are reluctantly going back to stock.
 
#18 ·
Tried this!

After I read your post I took a long ride (6 hours) with my Rush slip ons and a full face helmet. Tore my ears up and I already wear hearing aids! When I got home I dug out the original slip ons and installed them. Just took that same ride the other day and I can hear all kinds of sounds that I could never hear with the Rush on. I can EVEN hear the stock radio much better when the helmet is off! I found out I didn't really need to upgrade the radio-just quiet the bike down! :)
Glad I gave it a try. We are heading for CA soon and I really didn't want to damage my ears any worse than they are now.
 
#20 ·
I like it loud! Crank the stereo and roll on the throttle! Seriously, to me wind noise is worse than exhaust tone over a long ride. I did try ear plugs off and on during the last high mile trip and they were helpful. I'm sure I will pay for it some day, but if I can't hear the wife in the future...well I guess there could be worse things in life! Haha>:)
 
#21 ·
Just for the record; I've tried different a.m.mufflers and my issue was I wanted something else than the "choked" stock mufflers but not "drag-pipes". You would like to hear the stereo without blowing the speakers. With some trial and error I ended up with the Klock Werk SS. They have a deep mellow sound not the ear-shattering roar of race pipes and at cruising speed they make a pleasant hum. But if you crank the throttle "cages" who cut in front of you wake up! :D
Sure; I like the sound of loud pipes but when touring the interstate it can be intolerable (maybe it's because I'm an old git and my time in the service made me wary of loud noise! :) And yes it made a huge improvement on my CVO Road Glide (85hp @ 4000rpm and 96ibf) stage 1 AN big sucker and PC III. I will not go back to stock, that's for sure.
So my tip is search the web, ask around, listen to it, and find the muffler that fits your bill. :)
 
#22 ·
Vance and Hines monster rounds are a nice combination of sound and some performance but not really loud and annoying. My victory riding friends have commented they really don't mind riding behind me, because the noise is not bad at all.

Only complaint is the chrome on the tips doesn't seem to hold up well.
 
#23 · (Edited)
Well I guess I'm going to do this again.....

I have the supertrap slip ons on my 15 special with 10 disks on each one and love them...

They are pretty freakin quiet at idle but get throaty and nice when you twist it up..

They are nowhere near as loud as say the Reinharts but give a nice sound that does not make my ears ring.

I work nights and have had no complaints from my neighbors about the noise so either they are afraid to say anything or they are quiet enough that they dont bother anyone...(I'm going with the latter).

Hope this does not muddy the water too much.

Also as someone suggested earlier, it may be best to go to a bike night and listen to some other exhaust and ask a few questions from people that have ones that you like the sound of...

Good luck and enjoy the scoot.


Mike

I almost forgot, you can make the supertraps louder or quieter by adding or removing disks..

IMHO they are the most underated exhaust out there...YMMV

Mike