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Loud Pipes and listening to the Radio

3K views 21 replies 18 participants last post by  adlerx 
#1 ·
I am trying to decide which pipes to purchase for my Street Glide coming next month. I have always liked the rumble of Vance & Hines pipes that I have had on all my bikes but they are loud. One of the reasons I am trading my Softail Deluxe up for a touring bike is the radio. I am a musician and the thought of having tunes when riding is just too appealing for me. I will be doing a 95" stage 2 or maybe something a little more aggressive and I want to get pipes that are performace oriented, have a nice growl, but will still allow me to listen to tunes. I have been thinking about the Rhineharts and have heard good things about the performance of those pipes. Are there are any other pipes I should be considering?

Thanks
 
#3 ·
I'm looking at either BUB Sleepers or Sampson Stealth mufflers for my Road King Classic. I've read that they are both louder than stock but not real loud. I have not however heard any in person. Also the discussion here on the forum is sounding very positive for Rush mufflers. The smallest baffle they come with (1.75 dia.) might be what you are looking for.

semper fi
 
#5 ·
BluesMan69 said:
I was thinking about a Thunderheader but aren't those pipes too loud to be able to hear the radio?
Not in my opinion. Your radio should have a volume sensor according to your RPMs. TH have a low rumble noise as oppose to a high pitch tin can noise. Plus the 2:1 gives great performance so I hear.
 
#7 · (Edited)
jmorton10 said:
Thunderheaders perform very well(I had a set a few years ago), but they are probably the last thing I would ever recommend to anyone trying to hear a radio......

~John

I gotta agree ,,, face it. You paid alot of money extra to get a kick butt sound system on a scooter ,,, leave the pipes stock and just jam down the road..... You will save yourself a grand no doubt. It will run flawlessly since you aint gonna screw with it. Spend the grand on a tourpack... get somthiing for your money besides noise..... rat
 
#8 ·
Nobody has mentioned the Rineharts. Will these pipes be too loud to hear the radio? Also, there is an option to upgrade to an advanced audio sound system. Will the extra volume from this upgrade enable me to hear the radio? I just can't see myself keeping the stock pipes on the bike....too freakin tame for my ears. Plus I want better performance because at a minimum, I am going with the stage 2 upgrade. Just want to get this right because I am taking a big hit when I trade in my 05 Deluxe.

Thanks
 
#10 ·
jmorton10 said:
Thunderheaders perform very well(I had a set a few years ago), but they are probably the last thing I would ever recommend to anyone trying to hear a radio......

~John
@gree: I absolutely avoid following other bikes running the thunderheader when group riding. Only other pipe I look for and avoid as much is drag pipes. Got stuck behind a bagger with the thunderheaders on a couple hour run and just found it obnoxious.
 
#12 ·
So what are my options for performance without being too loud? Like I mentioned earlier, all my bikes had Vance & Hines so my ear is accustommed to the loud rumble, which to be honest, I LOVE that sound!!!! But my riding style has changed form bar hopping to longer runs (at the moment only 100 to 200 miles a clip) and I find the V & H a little bit tiring after a while. Plus, I joined my local HOG chapter and they do 3-day rides out of state and average over 500s or more in a day. That is one of the reasons I am upgrading to a touring bike. I guess I am getting old and find the longer rides more enjoyable that hot rodding around town watching people put their fingers in their ears when I ride by. But I know for sure I am upping the engine to a 95" and want a preformance pipe that will give me a decent growl without being too obnoxious. I didn't think Rineharts were considered "loud pipes," but I guess I am wrong. All I know is that when I putting on a Hendrix or Steveie Ray Vaughn CD, I want to hear the music, not the pipes. Or maybe just a liltte bit of pipe. :D
 
#15 ·
Supertrapp...

I put the Supertrapp 2:1 on my '06 Ultra, along with 95" kit, heads, cams, etc...
I can happily listen to the radio at 90 mph.
The Supertrapp is a quiet pipe, but performs great. I'd describe the sound as deeper, but not raspy. It's not a 2:2 exhaust, which I know is popular on baggers, but you can't see the pipes when you're riding anyhow. :)
 
#16 ·
ratt said:
I gotta agree ,,, face it. You paid alot of money extra to get a kick butt sound system on a scooter ,,, leave the pipes stock and just jam down the road..... You will save yourself a grand no doubt. It will run flawlessly since you aint gonna screw with it. Spend the grand on a tourpack... get somthiing for your money besides noise..... rat
I run stock mufflers. I set the AVC up a notch and I can hear music and voice pretty well up to 70 mph with the speakers on the outside setting. Anything higher than that or if I had loud pipes, forget it. If you have loud pipes and want to hear anything, you will need a set of headphones. I use J&M and switch to the inside headsets at high speed.

I have to agree with Rat on this one.
 
#17 ·
Vance and Hines ProPipe HS...nice deep rumble...exits past the saddlebags to leave most of the sound behind you...most of the sound is on the right side (of course) so the tunes are more clearly heard especially from the left speaker. Good performance and full coverage heat shields for good looks are a bonus. I can hear CD well at 80 mph...unfortunately most radio station broadcasts aren't worth a sh*t at speeds above 50, in my experience.
 
#18 ·
Respectfully....

Road Glider said:
@gree: I absolutely avoid following other bikes running the thunderheader when group riding. Only other pipe I look for and avoid as much is drag pipes. Got stuck behind a bagger with the thunderheaders on a couple hour run and just found it obnoxious.
.....we are not talking about "following" a bike with a Thunderheader - we are talking about RIDING one. The sound from the seat is mellow. Like the prior poster about the V&H ProPipe - the sound is sent waaaaaaaaaay out the back.

I can have polite conversation on my scooter on the freeway. I have a built 95" with a 2:1 race-tuned Thunderheader. Done it many times. Anyone "following" does not know what I hear, apparently. Again, mellow from the seat at cruise. I have a Road King. The noise will be even more controllable if you run a tour pak, especially if you put some Dynamat in the fairing and bags - from any muffler/header combination. It's what I will do when I get an Ultra.

Good luck with your choice.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Since you want the best of both worlds. The only way to get what you want is to run an amp to power the best speakers you can get.

Get whatever pipes float your boat and give you the sound you want. Then set up your tunes with an amp to overcome the extra noise. That's really the only way to do it. Not addressing the sound system will just give a louder bike with a radio that you can hear some of the time.

I run 4.5 J&M's up front with 6.5" Pioneers on the tourpac and stock pipes. It kicks ass and is crystal clear on back roads, and works damn well out on the super slab.

To each his own and no clue how old you are, but at 39, I'm still pretty young and between lifting and boxing I'm in good enough shape to be able to go for a long time on my 'Glide day-after-day. Still, I couldn't imagine having to go on my regular 250 mile runs with the radio blasting at it's peak just to overcome the sound of the pipes. After a while, it would just get annoying. Hopefully your milage will differ...
 
#21 · (Edited)
t-header

It totally depends on what you want out of your bike. If you have a performance oriented build on your bagger, and want to get the most out of it, get the thunderheader...or another 2-1 system. If your motor is basic and you're more interested in hearing the tunes, get some slip ons or Rineharts. My 80" 92 had 92 hp and with the head work, pistons, & cams, the thunderheaders really helped the the engine breathe. The stereo was changed to a Sony head unit so I could play CD's. In doing so, i lost the volume controls, and the automatic volume that goes w/ the HD radio. My sony radio was slightly under powered and using crappy 4.25" speakers. At 75-80 mph, i couldn't hear it that well. That was the radio/speaker/amplification problem, not the pipes. With your Street Glide, and the upgraded Harmon Kardon stereo, and the better speakers (6 1/2's) you should here it just fine.... I just like the tone & power the thunderheader makes. It sounds deep & throaty...not wimpy. Just my .02¢
 
#22 ·
V&H ProPipe, great pipe for power and sound. I can hear my stereo fine and I have a road glide so only two speakers. I did upgrade to rockford fosgate speakers and xm radio, I can blast my old lady out of the saddle with the stereo at 80mph and I have the old (01) stereo system
 
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