Best Pipes for 2005 Road King Classic? : V-Twin Forum: Harley Davidson Forums

cosmer · 12-05-2004, 01:55 AM

Two questions,

What are the best medium loud pipes for a 2005 road king classic with EFI?

What needs to be done to tune the EFI for the new pipes?

Please advise,

Gary

jmorton10 · 12-05-2004, 05:55 AM

What kind of pipes are you looking for??(2 into 1, true duals, slip-ons etc) If you want a fairly throaty 2 into 1 exhaust that will perform well & is not quite as loud as a Thunderheader, a D&D Fatcat is a good choice. I had a FC on my old 95" Heritage & the fit/finish was superb & it ran very very well.

I would add a Powercommander to adjust for performance changes.

~John

hrking · 12-29-2004, 10:09 AM

I have an 04 RKC. Spent hours reading forums, talking with other bikers etc. Only negative I ever saw or heard about the Rhineharts was price ($800). Had them installed along with stage1 when I ordered my bike.
Nothing else compares!
They are not the loudest pipes on the market, but might be the "lowest". Nothing else sounds like them. They have the black tips with Gerald's signature and look awesome!
True dual is only way to go anyhow.
Your best bet is to visit a dealer and see and hear some for yourself. That's what made my decision for me and I have no regrets on the cost. Good luck!

Sir Nuke · 12-29-2004, 11:20 AM

Here is my .02 go to a local event or run...and look for what you like....have an owner start their bike for you...most will be glad to "show off" their scooter. based on what YOU think is the right sound for YOU....make your choice....fore what may be considered "medium loud" to you...may not be medium loud to others.

as for the second part of your question....EVERYTIME you change part of the drive train the "chip" will need to be reprogramed/flashed. Harley's are not RE-flashable....at least not now.....and thus that means you need to buy a new one everytime this gets done. SO unless you know of all the performance mods you want to do and do them all at the same time you may want to invest in a power commander as mentioned before which can be adjusted much more than the stock harley set up...and its can be done as many times as you like. the other option would be Harley's Race Tuner.

logical · 12-29-2004, 11:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sir Nuke

Here is my .02 go to a local event or run...and look for what you like....have an owner start their bike for you...most will be glad to "show off" their scooter. based on what YOU think is the right sound for YOU....make your choice....fore what may be considered "medium loud" to you...may not be medium loud to others.

as for the second part of your question....EVERYTIME you change part of the drive train the "chip" will need to be reprogramed/flashed. Harley's are not RE-flashable....at least not now.....and thus that means you need to buy a new one everytime this gets done. SO unless you know of all the performance mods you want to do and do them all at the same time you may want to invest in a power commander as mentioned before which can be adjusted much more than the stock harley set up...and its can be done as many times as you like. the other option would be Harley's Race Tuner.

Harley's EFI flash programs are pretty standard and set up for SE parts. Changing form one pipe to another similar pipe doesn't mean a reflash neccessarily. If you plan to do more than one change...look at one of the aftermarket gizmos. A search will give you the differences and pros and cons. I am not sure what he means by them not being "re-flashable'....the only thing the harley EFI is...is reflashable. That's what the race tuner does..among other things...it reflashes. thats what a dealer stage reprogram does...it reflashes. all the other ones, power commander, DFO, race fueler do not reflash...they manipulate the signals and trick fk the ECM into different operation.

jmorton10 · 12-29-2004, 01:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hrking

Only negative I ever saw or heard about the Rhineharts was price ($800). Had them installed along with stage1 when I ordered my bike.
Nothing else compares!

I can list a few more negatives for the Rineharts. Nobody around here has a very high opinion of them, their QC sucks. I have seen everything from lousy chrome to cracking welds, broken heat shields, tips turning a weird color etc etc etc. That is not even mentioning the fact that they use a proprietary muffler so nothing else will fit. If you decide you don't like the sound(& a lot of people don't), unlike say the V&H true duals you cannot just replace the mufflers, you have to replace the entire exhaust system.

All these problems plus the fact that they don't really perform all that well(you can get better performance for 1/2 the price, true duals are not really the best setup for performance anyway) makes the price totally absurd IMHO.

~John

YankeeBob · 12-29-2004, 05:46 PM

When I bought my 04' RK Classic, I bought the Stage 1 kit and the SE performance mufflers. I am very happy with both. The SE mufflers have a very throaty rumble and while quite a bit louder than stock, they are not obnoxiously loud.

YB

Sir Nuke · 12-29-2004, 11:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by YankeeBob

When I bought my 04' RK Classic, I bought the Stage 1 kit and the SE performance mufflers. I am very happy with both. The SE mufflers have a very throaty rumble and while quite a bit louder than stock, they are not obnoxiously loud.

YB

I did the exact same thing with my SERK and love it as well

BigG · 12-29-2004, 11:29 PM

I did the exact same as yankeebob on my '03 rkc -great sound, loud enough to be heard when you want them to be on the highway, not so loud that you get a headache listening to them all day.

deucedog · 12-29-2004, 11:57 PM

BUB's Rineharts are garbage in the quality area, so I second the motion. Just replaced them (got full credit for the Rineharts and labor from the dealer) with Vance & Hines dual headers and ovals.

Everyone has a different opinion on sound. The V&H's sound darn good, and the chrome is darn good. My BUB's were a rust bucket right out of the box...

Buy quality first, sound second! You will be happier!

Gunslinger · 12-30-2004, 12:02 AM

Another vote for the V&H Ovals......I love the sound and they look a bit different than the rest. It really is a personal decision and the advice given above about listening to several first is sound advice for sure (no pun intended). Most quality pipes aren't cheap so do it right the first time.

Tony

TBo · 12-30-2004, 01:08 AM

My .02 worth, I went w/ the SE slip on performance mufflers, 65115, not too loud, but you know they are there. I run the stage I kit w/ a 95" kit w/ it.

hazer · 12-30-2004, 10:19 AM

I love my rhinehart true dualsnot a single problem and the chrome is great.
I alss know several other people that have them and have not had a problem with them.

bigblue · 12-30-2004, 10:55 AM

I would suggest a decent set of slip-ons with the stock headers. Rhinehart may have the look and sound (for some) but is way overpriced in my book - great marketing. Once you get past the "mild mods" there are better options for true performance exhaust.

PS. I do like the looks of 'em on someone else's ride!

YankeeBob · 12-30-2004, 04:30 PM

I hate dualsnot...it means you have to blow twice as much....

Quote:

Originally Posted by hazer

I love my rhinehart true dualsnot a single problem and the chrome is great.
I alss know several other people that have them and have not had a problem with them.