24,000 mile report, still just right.:cheers:
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Me too~Been there, done that~if it's too loud, you are too old, OK I'm too old. I like the stock pipes. I also like that really nothing NEEDED to be changed when I got the F6 except the windshield, I accept the fact that i changed some thing because I could and wanted to. Nothing had to be changed, the bike runs perfect as is. 8K miles over the summer was just pure fun. Next Spring, Rolling Thunder~ visit the relatives in Scranton, PA~another trip to Northern Manitoba, The Pas. All separate trips from Boerne, TX. :stirthepot:
Recently purchased a used 2013 F6B after 20+ years riding HD's with after market pipes. The F6B came with Rush slip-ons with 2.5" baffles. My first ride, getting use to the machine, left me with ringing ears even with a full face helmet. Fortunately, the previous owner still had the OEM pipes, which I plan putting back on. Will be selling the Rush units shortly.
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Love you Bro
Dirtstiff
So, I have the stock pipes on.
I considered the Cobras and the V&H about the time I bought my F6B. It seemed reasonable after coming from a VTX with Cobra pipes. But the longer I delayed the buy and rode with the stock pipes, the more I enjoyed the quieter ride.
Having said that... I have noticed a slight drone when I use the top section of my BaggerShield 11/19. My semi-pro audio background gives me some understanding of acoustics, and I've pretty much decided for myself that the infamous drone of some custom pipes on some bikes for some riders is likely a combination of windshield height, rider position within the reflected audio field, and the pipes installed on the bike.
I think that's likely why some riders have the drone while others with similar setup don't seem to be troubled by it.
The drone I hear disappears when I don't use the upper section of my shield. And it's only moderately audible when I do, though not enough to be annoying.
I love stock pipes , but wandering , how glass pack conversion could change the sound , which I enjoyed in my Valkyrie ?
I bought used OEM Goldwing pipes for pennies . What steps in process of fabrication would you recommend to increase the sound , without sacrificing back-pressure on the way ? Did you convert yours ?
I did and have done the above on all 3 Gl1800s I have owned. There are pix on the board some place. I have added an extra tip on each muffler above the original. This is to say there's two tips on each muffler. You have to remove the single hole plate on the F6B extensions. After you grind the welds from the extensions you may use JB weld to fill holes then a dab of aluminum paint. The extensions don't get hot so no problem. I can not find the pix on the board. ( help Steve 080! ) see ya.:cheers:
Well - it's something to consider . Thank you anyway .
Here is your 1000 words. See ya.:cheers:Attachment 10422 How it looks at 24,000.:039:
Deer Slayer....is that the Pic.... or do I need to start looking....
Purchased my B in 7/13 with dealer installed backrest and V&H monsters, a great deal on their demo bike. By 6/14 the chrome had begun peeling off both tips in random locations. The parts manager bitched to Kury and V&H with their response being "It was beyond the 90 day warranty". Here's what they look like now. Since they're going to have to be stripped anyway, I'm thinking about gloss black powder coat. Comments/suggestions welcome.Attachment 10547
Got my V&H on a couple weeks ago. Sound is great. Haven't ridden yet. Too much rain and cold right now.
Cobras
STOCK for Me
Attachment 12458
These guys use absolutely no copper in their process. All the shading shows the extent the nickel plating had begun to de-bond. They'll have to be grit blasted prior to powder coat...
I feel gip'd; I just voted and the percentage didn't change! :icon_biggrin:
I'm running the OEM exhaust and really enjoy the mellow low-key sound. I can sneak up on ya if I wanted to, or down shift and make that flat six sing its' exotic song.
Your really going to be pissed when you watch this video of them same pipes disassembled and how they are designed, I know I would if I had bought them and why I would never buy that brand...unreal.
I have had many issues with their Big Shots on VTX1800 :301:
https://youtu.be/AEQBNczWQmo
LARRY, THANK YOU! .notworthy.
I've been looking for that video forever. I saw it last year... but was never able to find it again; I started thinking I just imagined it :icon_biggrin:
That does piss me off and I don't even have Vance & Hines.
Stock- All my other rides are loud. I'll have to admit the stock is a good blend of sound with not over powering the radio.:shhh:
And how do you know that the pipes don't make HP. Have you tried them on your bike in a dyno? Are you a 'Flow' engineer. Or maybe you looked at the video and decided that it couldn't work. That's what the guy did that made the video. He just decided that it couldn't work. Personally I've followed V&H since I was a kid. They built the fastest Suzuki's on the planet. No correction the fastest normally aspirated motorcycles on the planet. In the 40 plus years I have followed them I never recall allegations of wrongdoing or cheating. Nothing unsportsmanlike. Then someone said Harleys were slow. So V&H made Harleys the fastest thing out there. They are well into their third generation of champions with Andrew Hines. These guys know what it takes to make HP. And although I know my Monster Ovals didn't give me 20 HP , I believe I gained HP and Torque because some of the classiest guys in the industry tells me they will. Met Andrews Grandpa way back when. He found the time to sign an autograph for me. When you make a statement George make sure you can prove it. I respect you as a knowledgeable person. To make a statement based on feelings isn't fair.
I know if I weld my exhaust pipes closed that it won't make power; I don't need to try that to know it.
I'll print this page and eat my words if this V&H makes power.
George they aren't welded closed. The design is such that there is no drone like almost all the other pipes. It is a complicated design in order to eliminate the drone and make power. Although they are not loud the exhaust note is 'healthy'. Throttle response seems brisker and redline seems to come a little quicker. Do you think V&H built these pipes without dyno pulls or R&D. These guys aren't fly by night. I put them on , no drone , brisk throttle response , easy install , looks great. Didn't have to spend a load of time and money on torque loops. Yeah I paid a little more in the beginning but saved in the end.
I'll grant you that flow dynamics is complicated and I'm not an expert. There may be something here that I don't see but my take is these were made for sound instead of raw power. Unless someone can give me something more than a butt dyno reading I don't think I'll be able to shake my doubts. I trust your judgment, but I just can't see how such severe disruptions in the exhaust flow can do anything except rob power from the engine.
It's like the "debate" about turbos making "free" power because they are running off the exhaust. The reality is turbos make the engine work harder to expel the exhaust and therefore a parasitic power loss does in fact exist. This is what I'm seeing here; an exhaust that makes the engine work harder to expel gases. :shrug:
George I can tell you this. There is a ton of exhaust coming out of the tail at idle. And when you crack the throttle you can stand back 5 feet and feel it good. I don't think there is a whole lot of restriction here. In fact what they have done is lengthen the exhaust path within the confine of the stock length exhaust. Nothing in that video showed restriction. It merely showed diversion. Never was the gases impeded , merely redirected. When the weather improves I will check mileage. If the stock exhaust was a restriction , which I believe , then mileage should improve at least slightly. I keep records on my mileage as a diagnostic aid. I'll let you know buddy. In the meantime keep an open mind.
:yes:
Sounds good Pal; I hope you prove me wrong!
Btw, this is the OEM rear resonator used on SRT8 cars like my 300... straight though piping from motor to the tips. Swapping exhaust on this car yields zero power gains, shown by many different people on many dynos over many years. OEM is not necessarily bad, it depends on the application. I can't say I've seen the inside of an F6 muffler... yet :icon_biggrin:
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-i...2520outlet.jpg
In contrast, this is the OEM rear resonator on base model 300's. Exhaust gases enter from the right in that lower tube and flow into the blackened chamber on the left near the exhaust tip. Gases in that blackened chamber get pressurized and forced to flow into the U-shaped flattish tube and then out the rear.
It may not seem like much, but this pressurization and re-direction sucks about 10 hp out of the system.
The open-ended pipe near the top of the picture is solely for drone reduction.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-z...0/IMG_1045.jpg