Harley Sportster EP1 - Exhaust Modification at RevZilla.com
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00:00Howdy, this is Lemmy with RevZilla.
00:21Welcome to our Sportster Modification Series.
00:24Now some of you guys may remember we had a chance to review a 2016 Harley-Davidson Sportster
00:29Iron.
00:30I had that thing out in Sin City and I had a good time on it.
00:33We liked it so much, in fact, we decided to pick one up when we got back out here in Philly
00:37to make sort of a shop run-around motorcycle.
00:40So what we're going to do is have a whole modification series based on the Harley Sportster.
00:44Now those of you who are familiar with the Sportster know that this is an iconic motorcycle,
00:48but it does have some drawbacks and shortcomings, which can be fixed with some aftermarket parts.
00:52Now you guys should know a couple things about this series.
00:55First we're not going to rip this thing down to the frame and totally redo the bike.
00:59Instead we're going to augment what's already here with some bolt-on items and switch some
01:02parts out to make the bike generally a little bit more usable.
01:05One of the other things I want you to know too is that if you see us use a part on here,
01:08it doesn't necessarily mean that it's the winner.
01:10This isn't a shootout.
01:11Instead, this is just sort of an opportunity for us to explore some of the different parts
01:15that exist for the Sportster, bang, bang, bang, right in a row, and kind of get a feel
01:19for how they perform relative to each other.
01:21Recognize though, when we choose a part that might wind up on here, we're considering both
01:25our riding style for this bike, and we're also going to consider too the general overall
01:28aesthetic appeal.
01:30There's not a clear-cut winner here.
01:32Now our modification series is going to kick off with a time-honored modification many
01:36Sportster owners make over the years, and that's going to be with exhaust.
01:40You want to make your Harley sound like a Harley.
01:43So the first thing we're going to do is get a set of pipes onto this.
01:46So step over here with me.
01:47I want to show you some of the stuff that's available for your Sportster.
01:50Now when we're looking at Sportster exhaust, things break down really into two categories.
01:54You've got your full system exhaust, and this is going to replace every piece of the factory
01:58exhaust.
01:59Those of you who are looking to make your bike faster, produce more power, you want
02:02to look at a full system exhaust, because these can help you get other power adders
02:07to perform a little bit better.
02:08So if you're considering, say, a big bore kit, or maybe a wild set of cams, these are
02:12going to help you get the most out of the other power adders.
02:15Now for those of you who are looking for a little more economical solution, you might
02:18want to look into something like a set of slip-on mufflers.
02:21You're going to get the same great looks and awesome sound that a full system will give
02:24you, but you're not going to get so much help in the horsepower department.
02:27So these can be great for those of you who are looking for a reduced price, but you still
02:30want to get a little bit of bark out of your motorcycle.
02:33Now I'm ready to get my tools out.
02:34While I'm doing that, make sure you subscribe to us so you can see the entire modification
02:38series rollout that we're doing here at RevZilla.com.
02:41Let's get crackin'.
02:42Alrighty, so I'm going to wrestle this muffler off of here, get this puppy over here.
02:50Now keep in mind, installing a slip-on exhaust onto your Harley Sportster is a one beard
02:54on our BSD, our Beard Scale of Difficulty.
02:57It's not really all that difficult to swap out a set of mufflers.
02:59You really need very basic hand tools and not much time to get the job done.
03:03Now keep in mind, this isn't going to be a full breakout installation video, but if you
03:06need the full soup to nuts pull on how to swap out mufflers on your Harley, we have
03:11a couple of different slip-on videos, which I encourage you to check out.
03:14However, while we're here, let me give you a quick shop tip that's sporty specific.
03:19On our 16 Sportster, this is going to be a fairly simple swap.
03:22We're just going to pull off the old muffler and put on the new one.
03:24However, if you're working on an older Sportster, you may notice that there's an area on your
03:28muffler that accepts a crossover gasket, because the bracket that holds up your muffler may
03:33also be a crossover tube with exhaust traveling in and out of it.
03:36You're going to want to replace the gaskets every time you remove mufflers on there, so
03:39you don't introduce an exhaust leak to your motorcycle.
03:42I'm going to finish knocking out this installation with these aftermarket mufflers, and then
03:45we're going to get this sporty fired up.
03:54All right, we got these Cobra slip-ons on the bike.
04:22As you saw, install was a breeze on these things.
04:25Now, I'm really digging the sound on these, and one of the things I like about the Cobra
04:28slip-ons here is the fact they do have those double-wall chrome tips.
04:33They look great, and no one's going to mistake these for a different type of muffler.
04:36The fact they're rotatable sort of is icing on the cake.
04:39Now, when it comes to the finish, I do like the way the black finish looks, but I will
04:43ding Cobra a little bit here.
04:44It's not an exact match for the black finish on the heat shields.
04:48It looks fine at 5 or 10 feet, but when you get up close, you can tell it's not exactly
04:51the same finish.
04:52Something to notice.
04:53Now, from experience, I'm going to say black exhausts tend to not hold up nearly as well
04:58as other finishes like chrome or stainless, so I don't know if these are going to be appropriate
05:01for the type of riding we're going to be doing.
05:03I'm sure we're going to curb jump this puppy once or twice, and we're probably also going
05:06to take it off-road a little bit.
05:08I like these, but I want to try a set of Reinhardts.
05:10I'm going to get those on right now.
05:37Alrighty.
05:38I swapped those Cobra mufflers out for a set of Reinhardt slip-ons.
05:42Now, first impressions.
05:44These things are considerably louder than the Cobras, and they're also quite a bit bassier.
05:49One of the things I also noticed, too, though, is I'm getting a little bit of a tinny sound
05:52out of these as well, so that's something to consider.
05:54Ultimately, I've said it before, but I think we've just proven a point here.
05:58If you're buying a set of slip-ons, check out the ones that sound and look best to you,
06:02and you're probably going to be happy.
06:04For instance, I really like the chrome finish on these, although aesthetically, some other
06:07people may have some different thoughts.
06:09Now, at this stage, I'm going to head back into the shop.
06:12We're going to talk full-system exhaust.
06:14We're looking to make a little bit more power on this motorcycle because it is an 883.
06:18The other thing I'm hoping to pick up, too, is just a little bit of ground clearance.
06:26You've just seen and heard what a set of aftermarket mufflers can do for your average rock-stock
06:31sportster, but let's not forget, RevZilla is picking up the tab on this, so rather than
06:35just call it a day on a slip-on system, I want to try some of the full-system options
06:38we have here as well.
06:40Now, installing a full-system exhaust, not terribly difficult.
06:43I'm going to call this either a difficult one-beard or an easy two-beard on our BSD,
06:47our Beard Scale of Difficulty.
06:49If you have a modicum of common sense and a decent toolbox, you should be able to get
06:52a full-system onto your bike in your own garage fairly simply.
06:55If you're uncertain whether or not you can tackle the task, though, check out our full-system
06:59exhaust installation video, where we actually performed a full-system install on a sportster.
07:03It should give you a rough idea of what you're going to need skill-wise and tool-wise to
07:07get the job handled.
07:08Now, while this is not an installation video, there are some philosophical tips and tricks
07:12I'd like to discuss before we keep moving.
07:15Step around here with me to the workbench.
07:17The first item you can see up here is a set of exhaust gaskets, and if you take a look
07:20at these, these are reasonably destroyed, and that's because I pulled them out of our
07:23bike.
07:24These are used gaskets.
07:25I'm going to make the recommendation that you replace your exhaust gaskets every time
07:29you have an exhaust on or off your motorcycle.
07:32They're really inexpensive, and when you consider the time it takes to put an exhaust
07:35up onto the bike, coming back later and finding out you have an exhaust leak means that trying
07:39to save these is really just a false economy.
07:42We actually sell a couple different types here at RevZilla, and I want to point out
07:45some of the favorites I have.
07:47First are these Vance & Heinz exhaust gaskets.
07:49I love the way these fit.
07:50They seal up great.
07:51As far as I'm concerned, these are among the best in the aftermarket.
07:54One of the other kits we sell, too, is by James Gaskets.
07:57Not only do these kits include the exhaust gaskets themselves, but you'll see that this
08:01is a little more comprehensive kit.
08:03We've also got replacement spring clips for the flanges on the exhaust, and there's also
08:07a set of heavy-duty nuts in here.
08:09They come in both a nicer chrome setup and also these heavy-duty ones.
08:13This is going to be a particularly good buy for those of you who are on older Sportsters,
08:17specifically because some of your hardware can wear out, and James has all the stuff
08:20you need in the box to refresh your existing system.
08:23Continuing on down here, let's talk about oxygen sensors and fuel injection, because
08:27that's something a lot of you are going to have to contend with.
08:30Depending on how old your Sportster is, you may be working with oxygen sensors on your
08:34bike if it's a fuel-injected motorcycle.
08:37One of the things that most exhaust manufacturers will do is put an exhaust port right there
08:40into the pipe, regardless of whether you need it or not.
08:43If you have an older carbureted bike, you may see a need for a plug like this in order
08:47to plug up that pipe.
08:50Those of you who are on really late model machines kind of go the other way.
08:53Rather than having a wide-band O2 sensor, which is fairly large like the one you can
08:56see here, you may have a narrow-band oxygen sensor.
08:59Those are much smaller.
09:00In that case, you may find a need for a reducer.
09:03What this is going to do is step down that hole size to allow you to use your factory
09:06sensors.
09:07I'm happy to report that every full system I opened up had both the plugs and the adapters
09:12in the boxes.
09:13A lot of the exhaust manufacturers are getting on board with the idea that there's a wide
09:17range of people out there using a wide range of years for their Sportsters, and they may
09:20need different pieces in order to complete the installation.
09:24The final piece of things you're going to see up here is a Vance & Hines Fuel Pack FP3.
09:28When you're putting a full system exhaust on your bike, you're going to need to modify
09:31the fuel system.
09:32You have to correct your air-fuel ratio.
09:34I elected to use the FP3.
09:36It's very simple.
09:37We plugged it in really quickly.
09:38You can use a smartphone to change your fuel settings right on the bike, but there's a
09:41myriad of options available.
09:43It is something you want to consider, though, because it's an additional cost you're going
09:46to have to consider when you're buying your exhaust, and it also requires just a little
09:49bit of time to get your tune right.
09:51Better fuel controllers can cut that time down, but you should leave a little bit of
09:55time on the job, not just to install the exhaust itself, but also to sort of test and tune.
09:59Put a fuel controller on there, take it out for a spin, and see how the bike is actually
10:03performing, and make adjustments from there.
10:06Now I'm ready to take this baby off the lift.
10:08Let's get outside and see what a full system exhaust is going to do for our Sportster.
10:21The two brothers' Comp-S system, you can see on the bike now, had a really interesting
10:31sound profile.
10:32I was struck as soon as we turned this on by how quiet it was.
10:36It has a nice rumble to it, but it's not offensive at all.
10:39At the opposite end of the spectrum, though, it's very loud on the overrun, so if you're
10:43one of those people who likes some verbal or a little bit of exhaust popping, a Comp-S
10:47system might be the way to fly for you.
10:49In terms of looks, you can see the stainless on here is already starting to go gold.
10:53You're getting that real race look with this thing because of the heat that the exhaust
10:57is throwing off, part and parcel with the stainless exhaust.
11:00The one thing I'm maybe a little concerned about is that carbon fiber end cap out back.
11:04I'm not sure how that's going to hold up.
11:06Over time, carbon fiber can tend to yellow a little bit, so that's something only time
11:09will really be able to tell.
11:11In terms of performance, I was a little bit surprised.
11:13We got a nice bump over stock here, but I think there might be some more power to be
11:17found in another exhaust system.
11:20Let's go see what's behind full system exhaust door number two.
11:30All right, this bike is now wearing a set of Vance and Heinz grenades.
11:45You can see these are a pretty wild-looking exhaust on here.
11:48Now, let's talk about the pros.
11:50Finish on this thing, dead ringer for Harley Black.
11:52I really like it.
11:53Because it's a full exhaust, it replaces everything.
11:55There's nothing to match.
11:56Check out back to those tips.
11:58We ordered the version that has the satin nickel tips on there.
12:01I love it.
12:02I think they're killing it on this.
12:03It's different than chrome.
12:04I'm wondering if this is going to be 2016's version of chrome.
12:09The other big thing here, too, is the mid-range these pipes are offering.
12:12Again, we did put a tune on here, so some of that is due to the tuning, and some of
12:15it is also due to the exhaust, but this bike's got a lot more mid-range pop.
12:19This is a really short, light, aggressive exhaust.
12:21It's tucked up pretty far.
12:23However, there were some negatives that came along with this.
12:26If you look up at that top muffler there, you'll notice that the fit isn't the best
12:29in the world.
12:30This is the second set of grenades we've put on a Sportster, and fit has been a little
12:33wonky on all of them.
12:34So that is something to consider.
12:35One of the other things, too, that wasn't so great is that this exhaust looks like a
12:39fleshlight.
12:40I had to Google what that was.
12:42Somebody here told me what it was, and indeed, it looks like a fleshlight.
12:45Don't Google that if you're at work.
12:46But the good ground clearance here is killer, and I'm also really enjoying the fact these
12:50things are short, aggressive, and we dropped quite a bit of weight off the bike.
12:54Now let's go throw that final exhaust on.
12:56What do you say?
13:11All right, I've just installed a set of Arlen Ness by Magnaflow low-down pipes on here,
13:21as you can see.
13:22I was really impressed with the fitment on these.
13:24They went on pretty easily, but these are a really nicely crafted exhaust.
13:28You can see some details there in the bracketing and the end cap treatment.
13:31They definitely took their time when they were thinking about how this exhaust was made.
13:34Now when it comes to looks, you can see these things do blend in very nicely, and they're
13:39also aggressively short.
13:41This is one of the shortest exhausts I've ever seen.
13:43That also is going to affect the volume quite a bit.
13:46These are definitely a loud pipe.
13:48We're edging into drag pipe territory here.
13:51Now one of the things I wasn't so pleased with was the fact that I think not only did
13:54I not gain ground clearance, I think I might have even lost a touch over a set of stock
13:59pipes on here.
14:00The last thing that remains to be talked about too is performance on these.
14:03Now this is going almost like a textbook exercise in performance.
14:07Shorter pipe, these things really wake up at high RPMs.
14:09Might be good for those of you on the 883 variant of the Sportster because you're going
14:14to be running these bikes out through the gears.
14:16All right, let's head back to the shop and talk a little bit.
14:23After having sampled the smattering of five different exhausts, I think for me the standout
14:27was the two brothers Comp S two into one.
14:30Compared to the stock exhaust system, we dropped a lot of weight with this, and it also tucks
14:34up nice and tight to the bike.
14:35Remember I had said ground clearance is something we're looking for throughout the course of
14:39this modification series.
14:41I also too like this brushed stainless finish.
14:43It's going to be easy to keep this looking clean, and it's going to be durable for the
14:46day-to-day shop life that this bike is going to live through.
14:49Now if you need a little bit more information about exhaust in general, click that info
14:53button.
14:54Check out some of our detailed product breakdowns where we run through some of these exhausts.
14:57Another video I think could be particularly helpful for some of you is the exhaust sound
15:00comparison video.
15:02That video will allow you to both see and hear a couple of different exhausts that we
15:05haven't covered here.
15:07It will give you a better idea of the range of stuff that exists for your motorcycle.
15:11Be sure to subscribe to us too, so you can catch our second episode where we're going
15:14to delve into air cleaners.
15:16I'm Lemmy, and I'm out of here.