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[dvbart]

so i've decided in want new pipes/sound/look.  I have no idea where to start.  I heard a friends V&H big shots on a deuce, sounded loud and good, but maybe too loud, who knows.

Anyway, what to do?  I read the forums here and there's a lot of talk about slip ons.  What is a slip on exactly?  Does it change the sound?  What if i just want to take the current pipes and make them louder?

Dan

[dvbart]

also, wouldn't mind a solo seat that is comfortable and gives me a little more reach

[jfh]

dvbart,

A slip-on is a muffler that replaces the stock muffler and mounts to the existing head pipe.  There are many choices out there and yes, they can improve both sound and performance. The other end of the scale is a complete exhaust system that includes new head pipes and mufflers, many of which are 2:1 design (2 head pipes exit into a single muffler). These tend to offer better performance as they are engineered to compliment each other.  The D&D Fat Cat is a very popular choice

Check here for a variety of information about your FXDSE.

[dvbart]

thanks...i just spent a few hours on that thread, good stuff.


How do slip ons work?  you just pop off the old ones and put on the new?  Are slip-ons different from heat shields? Is the heat shield really just the pretty part on the outside?

when i helped install the V&H, we put on the new pipe and on top of that the pretty heat shield.  I didn't see where a different heat shield on the old pipes would have changed the sound.  I guess I'm looking for a 2nd grade answer for a simpler way of seeing it.

[jfh]

You are correct that the heat shields are just the pretty part on the outside and they do nothing for performance. They are used to protect you from the extreme heat of the exhaust pipe and to cover the areas of the pipe that tend to discolor from all that extreme heat.

You are also correct that you just pop off that stock mufflers and install the new performance slip-ons. 

[Twolanerider]

thanks...i just spent a few hours on that thread, good stuff.


How do slip ons work?  you just pop off the old ones and put on the new?  Are slip-ons different from heat shields? Is the heat shield really just the pretty part on the outside?

when i helped install the V&H, we put on the new pipe and on top of that the pretty heat shield.  I didn't see where a different heat shield on the old pipes would have changed the sound.  I guess I'm looking for a 2nd grade answer for a simpler way of seeing it.

Heat shield is just the shield on the outside.  Nearly always chromed on modern production.  Held on most commonly with hose clamps that go around the pipe or muffler inside of it.  Serves the decorative purpose of allowing you to see chrome rather than the inner and discolored pipe or muffler.

A "slip-on" muffler is as the name suggests.  A muffler that slips on the end of the exaust pipe.  Performance and/or sound differences are to be had because different mufflers can vary greatly internally.

[dvbart]

i think i get it.  There is the part that connects to the engine itself, then the "muffler" and that's what gets changed with a slip on.  In essence, if i'm not looking to change the shape to a slash down or two-in-one, then a slip on is probably the cheaper/better way to go?  Meaning, if i just want a different straight pipe?

d

[Twolanerider]

i think i get it.  There is the part that connects to the engine itself, then the "muffler" and that's what gets changed with a slip on.  In essence, if i'm not looking to change the shape to a slash down or two-in-one, then a slip on is probably the cheaper/better way to go?  Meaning, if i just want a different straight pipe?

d

The "head pipe" or "exhaust pipe" is what connect to the engine.  This is in various configurations.  A "true dual" is a separate pipe for each cylinder.  Two in to two (2-2) was until recently the most common stock mode (for touring models) where the pipes are plumbed through each other but exit to two mufflers.  Two in to one (2-1) is two pipes plumbed together exiting out one muffler.

The muffler is at the rear of the pipe and is (in almost every motorcycle manufacturer's case) that last exhaust component at the end. So, yes, changing from an "oval" to a "slash" to a whatever-it-might-be is in fact changing the muffler.  The descriptive term is the shape of the ass end of the muffler.