Exhaust and hearing : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

UnSafe · 11-05-2009, 10:46 PM

When I bought my '02 Fat Boy recently, it had an unknown mfg short dual set, similar to V&H Short Shots, and no baffles. Sounded great to me at first, but soon lost it's thrill when my tinnitus started acting up. Even a short ride would leave me feeling like I'd just touched off an entire can of 7.62mm ammo in a M60 MG without ear plugs (BTDT, not so good for the ears

).

I tried ear plugs, even went to a full face helmet- better but still ringing for hours after a ride. I decided to get a quieter exhaust and surfed about for opinions. Seeing that my winter project is to change cams, bore to 3.875" and have the heads ported, I focused on performance 2 into 1 systems. Further looking led me to a set of V&H "Blue Proof" 2 into 1 pipes (#16537) bought NIB for $325 off ebay.

They arrived today and the installation was simple and fairly quick. As soon as I started it up, I could tell the difference. Still with a nice tone but less sharp. moving the tailpipe rearward put it further from my ears as well.

No more tinnitus! Life is good.

hdrider47 · 11-06-2009, 06:57 PM

I recently switched from Rush 2 1/4 inch baffles to 2 inch and it made a big difference. I liked the sound of the larger baffles, but just reducing the size by 1/4 inch stopped the ear ringing and pain.

machinist · 11-06-2009, 09:07 PM

tinitis is a daily thing for me. My pipes dont seem to phase it one way or the other. The wind noise however.......

stansuski · 11-06-2009, 10:03 PM

Its no joke, take it from me,when I was younger loved all things noisy.Worked repairing chain saws ,snowmobiles,and boats ,after that,I rode my bike,tinnitus is a way of life and good hearing aids cost 4-5K that can buy a lot of parts so wake up and take care of your ears ( i wish I did).
Stan

ohiomotoxer · 11-18-2009, 09:13 AM

EH can't hear ya, I'm Dyno deaf........

Mohead1 · 11-18-2009, 10:02 AM

Wind noise is brutal after several straight hours of riding. If Im going to ride for more than just a quick bar hop, I put in ear plugs. Takes some getting used to, everything sounds different obviously, but it helps with the ringing after a long ride.

qtrracer · 11-18-2009, 11:31 AM

After many years of being around BB chev race motors, 2 stroke racing , and the like starting in '65 at a very tender age I can say that chainsaws and wind noise bother my ears more now than anything else. Can't go back and figure out what of all the things I did to my ears did the most damage guns, v-8s , surfing(don't laugh surfers ear is a real problem) or what. My eyes are going too now, when the problems venture south I will really be depressed!

hbmc · 11-18-2009, 11:37 AM

2-1 pipes are nice for performance---they are also pretty good on the noise. I live in HB ca our cops are very anal and so far have not bothered me for the few years I have had them on.

DRG · 11-18-2009, 11:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by qtrracer

After many years of being around BB chev race motors, 2 stroke racing , and the like starting in '65 at a very tender age I can say that chainsaws and wind noise bother my ears more now than anything else. Can't go back and figure out what of all the things I did to my ears did the most damage guns, v-8s , surfing(don't laugh surfers ear is a real problem) or what. My eyes are going too now, when the problems venture south I will really be depressed!

Welcome to the golden years!