Cutting the Baffles Out of Stock Harley-Davidson Pipes • Low Rider ST

[@xWHOSTHISx]

I was so confused on how to do this modification. I’m very thankful for your video.

[@SergeySnovsky]

Great result in the end! And thanks for mentioning DK Custom. I'll give them a try!

[@bobberguy1]

You did a clean job. Sounds much better and saved quite a bit of money.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Cheers!

[@jb12345678966]

Thanks for sharing this video. I followed the video without the baffles and sounds good 👍 😊

[@iammayank9]

Thanx a ton gave me inspiration to get my stock pipes sound way better on my 2020 Low Rider S

[@thakery5720]

Back in 1990 I had a Sporty and the way the baffles were in the sliencers was a joke - just a plug midway the length of it.... so I took the silencers off and put a broom handle in one end and banged it hard on the ground, the welded in bung just came out real easy. My current bikes (2006 Sporty and 2010 Dyna) had a similar thing but the Catalyst made that a bit of a problem so I bought an extended drill bit ( that's just a drill bit fitted with a shaft to extend it) of the right diameter off ebay and drilled the baffle plate out, stuck it in the other end to put a big hole though the catalitic converter thing and hey presto, pipes that breath and you can see through them ! They are less restrictive and still fairly quiet and best of all it's cheap - a Harley dealer in London showed me what to do.

[@Hippy75]

Great video man... very creative way to modify the stock pipes.

[@infini1970]

Good to know this can be done. Out here I will risk loosing warranty and honestly I think the V&H mini Grenades will be worth the price. Just got the bike and don't wanna cut up anything.

[@kevinkinney5445]

Good on you mate. As long as they dont fall out. They sound 100% better.

[@BigBert]

Nice work Bruce, sounds much better than stock 😎👍🏼

[@h.d.mech.mortenson2098]

Great job. I have the same bike and my old bike was also a Street Bob lol. I hated its stock exhaust as well. It’s silly that we have to spend more money to get a better sound especially after breaking the bank buying new bikes. You can also wrap the fibreglass mat with Saran Wrap as that’s what my mini grenade baffles had on them.

[@Mike-jf4kf]

yea rode my 2023 low rider 1 time and they came off, sound like a moped.. lol good job bro

[@HughBeRiding]

Nice job there Bruce, the shorty baffle was a great idea 😎🤘

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Thanks brother, it's the Kiwi number 8 spirit that drives me... and the fact that I am currently poor 😄

[@impoppa9647]

Wow fantastic! Love the final sound

[@upnorthrider]

Nice bit of diy there mate, it looks pretty good 👍

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I'll take that as a win coming from a professional such as yourself. Just don't look too close. 😄 My engineer buddy showed me how to drill, tap, and fit bolts to hold the baffles this evening. Loving the new sound 👍

[@glenarthur7992]

Love the new bass-ier tone. Sounds great!

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Thanks man. It should hold me over until Santa brings me new pipes 😁

[@reinistraidas]

I think NZ doesn’t have the same emissions regs as Europe. On the euro ST version there is an O2 sensor running into the mufflers themselves. This means that there are catalytic converters in the slip ons. Since the euro version is running so lean it can barely hold rpms at idle, I will likely need a tuner device if I go with more free flowing slipons. to a) remove the rear o2 sensor and b) enrich the mixture to avoid backpressure issues and c) fix the damn twitchy idle. But hey, I assume your ST isn’t Euro spec but the US model, so you can get away with freeing up the pipes yourself. Nice work and yeah, they do sound shallow with the stock pipes

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I think you're right regarding the emissions standards. I believe my ST is what is called an Australasian model (don't quote me on that though). Best of luck with your mods

[@christopherosully9456]

Just picked up my st three days ago. Just like I can deal with the pipes. But like you. Nope those things are crazy quiet

[@BaggersandBrews]

Brilliant Video Bruce! I think it sounds pretty good as far as one can tell on KZbin. Hope all is well with Relle and yourself.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Yes, it is always hard to tell exactly how it sounds on YT. We're doing well cheers! Looking forward to a bit better riding weather come springtime 😎👍

[@jamescollins5073]

Nice video, I'm in the process of doing the samething with my 21 street bob. But much to my chagrin, trying to cut the baffles out through the back of the mufflers is a big PITA. So I guess imma gonna have to do it the way you did, but be that as it may, I've got the TTI258's for the install, and they do sound pretty much to my liking according to a video I watched.

[@YesSir34]

A hole saw drill bit does the job too.

[@Moz42]

Well done, Bruce. Much better sound. Ride well. Cheers

[@irf888]

Hi. Excellent video thanks. I've not seen the inside of the stock baffle so not sure if this is feasible, wondering if you think I can use a very long drill bit and drill through the baffle to get a straight through hole? Regards.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Yes, you absolutely can 🤟

[@duosable]

The holding point of the baffle was cut out. Was the Baffle glued back into the exhaust as shown at 10:56?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I used a single self tapping bolt up from the bottom of the pipe to hold the baffle in place

[@mrharleypup]

Another quality video, and a great improvement to the sound of your bike.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Thank you kindly 🤟

[@davedunkelberger7050]

You can use a dremell tool and just grind the weld off the baffle and pull it out

[@duosable]

Did you have to order a larger size DK Thunder Torque Inserts? O

[@MisterKiwiRider]

In the end I used the same ones I had due to the tapered shape of the mini baffle I made. They work very well

[@TheHarleyman1340]

Great job Bruce ,brave of you to do this on a new bike ,but great result,sounds great now 👍 Harleyman1340

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Thank you brother! It was either brave or stupid :D To be fair, I knew that if I stuffed it up it would constitute an emergency and Relle might take pity on me and let me buy new slip ons, haha!

[@TheHarleyman1340]

@@MisterKiwiRider Brave ,did your research and went for it , respect,i am tidying up this 900 hornet ,will keep me busy as Harley all sorted ,well for now lol , ride safe brother ✌️

[@FXDXT-13]

Good job m8 sounds mean. You already had a high flow aircleaner with stock pipes. Now you have high flow pipes as well I'd get a tune. Take her for a rip then read the plugs and go from there ; )

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Cheers bro, that sounds like good advice 👍

[@nplantz]

I just purchased some DK torque inserts that would fit my pipe without baffles, but I’m starting to think I want to use the Shorty baffles. So my question is can I keep the larger torque inserts at the end of my open pipe and then self tap the baffle a few inches away from the torque insert? Or is it best to get the right size torque insert and just put them straight into the baffle?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Based on what I discovered when doing this you should be OK to do either 🤟

[@TrudleR]

Nice Job! But the reason I would never do that: When you need to check up the bike (here in Switzerland it's all 2 years I believe), this will never pass the approval. Also when the police stops you, you can walk home. I prefer my Red Thunder exhaust that costs 1500 $, where I can take the baffle with me and I would not have to walk home in term of a police control, as I can just reinstall the baffle and pay the fine. Also: It's street legal with the baffle in. I also had a Jekyll & Hyde, but tbh I hated it. I bought a chip that would keep the flaps open, but that often failed during riding and was super annoying (flaps randomly close and no way to reopen them until you restart the bike). Also it's wayy too complex and you always have politics in your mind when you drive with a flaps pipe. And your neighbors that KNOW that you run a flaps-pipe will hate you if you intentionally open them when starting the bike. Better to have a default loud and nice harley and pay a fine here and there. So far I never got into a police vehicle control, luckily.

[@andrewpadgett2367]

Sounds way better with the mini baffles. So I have a 114 street bob with the same exact exhaust. When I look down the pipe there’s a metal plate almost exactly 9 inches in on both slipons. Can’t that plate just be drilled out with a 1 inch bit? Or did you see something that would defeat the purpose of that? Like maybe another one further down or something. I say this because I seen some videos with sportys having that done and it sounded great but it’s a different exhaust and motor. Thanks hope to get a reply soon so I can get a bit of so 😬

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I think you could definitely drill these out too yes. I chose this method mainly because of the tools I had to hand plus I wanted to see what they sounded like completely open first 👍

[@andrewpadgett2367]

@@MisterKiwiRider thanks for the quick reply I feel more confident picking up a bit tomorrow and drilling out my street bob with 900 miles on it lol. Stay safe on the road brother 🤘🏼

[@bradennelson7735]

How are you retaining the baffles in there? I just did this but put the largest dk inserts in the end of the pipe. Maybe I’ll make those shorties, put them in then let the dk inserts retain them

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Just a small nut and bolt in each one. The fibreglass has expanded once the poly string burned away and they fit snuggly now

[@DazzleRebel]

It's an unfortunate fact of living in modern times that manufacturers are legislated into making quiet-sounding stock motorcycle exhausts 🙄

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Yes, true. Fortunately they're still selling clowns like me grinders and cutting discs 😉

[@rebel_ltz]

Yes, and just a couple years and you won’t be allowed to use anything else but electric.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@rebel_ltz hopefully we get a few more years than that but you're probably not wrong. Make the most of combustion engines while we can 👍

[@ekimandersom4478]

@@rebel_ltz That will never happen

[@guiltyifudnthavemnybuyinnocent]

​@@rebel_ltz that's why I will never buy electric, because they trying to force them fast cool too quite things on us

[@user-pw6hz8ey8b]

Thank you for the great video. Curious how you reinstalled the modified shorty baffles? Tac welded?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I had an engineer friend show me how to drill and tap holes for a threaded bolt through each pipe and baffle 🔩👍

[@user-pw6hz8ey8b]

@@MisterKiwiRider Thanks for sharing. Cheers from Michigan, USA mate!

[@user-pw6hz8ey8b]

@@MisterKiwiRider I finally got around to doing this. 1" cut was perfect to remove the baffle. I've actually decided to run the straight pipe with no baffle as the sound is okay for me coming from a loud built nightster. If anyone asks, these are custom Vince & Harry slip-ons 😆

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@user-pw6hz8ey8b haha, yep, straight out of the factory 😁👌

[@alanbiggar1874]

Hi Bruce great information thank you. Are you still using your ST with this mod ? How did they sound while riding the bike at different speeds I mean how did they sound to the rider ? I,m considering doing the same to my ST

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Yes, still using it with this mod. Very pleased with it. Not overly loud for the rider at all 👍

[@davidmurray9193]

Will this work still with EU Harley's, bought a 2022 street bob and it has four O2 sensors on the exhaust two front and two at the rear and in the same situation want short shots at some point (stage one) but money is very short right now

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I wish I could help but I just don't really know sorry

[@davidmurray9193]

@@MisterKiwiRider no worries I'm confused why Harley put the senors on UK models, they know were going to get shut of the OEM exhaust lol

[@michaelgilmore977]

Is your bike fuel injected or carb? I have a efi fatboy but have heard conflicting info on doing this.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Yes, fuel injected

[@haroldwiser2641]

Good job!!

[@cpane420]

what size torque cones did you purchase , just installed slip - ons and noticeable low end torque loss , do i need the 3 inch torque cones ? Thank you in advance !

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Hi there, so I was actually given those cones and didn't think I was going to be able to use them with open pipes as they were far too small. Once I decided to fabricate some mini baffles, the cones I had worked well for the space that was available. I would say, once you work out whether you're putting them in the open pipes or in a baffle like I did, measure the diameter and then go to the DK website and get the size they recommend. Best of luck.

[@christiandouglas7771]

What if you just kept that portion of the exhaust off? It’d just be much louder

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@christiandouglas7771 possibly unbearably louder. It would likely have a higher pitched crack type noise

[@SmittyIndependentFreedom]

Nice tone Brotha 🤘🏻🤙🏻

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Cheers Smitty!

[@jamesscarpari7674]

Dk customs do claim you can run open pipes and an air filter and still have a correct AFR (air fuel ratio) on M8s. This is a very controversial claim but they do back it up on their videos. I personally don't have enough knowledge to judge of it's true or not, I spose a dyno check would tell you

[@Bornarebel86]

Did you do anything to the area where you made the cut to prevent rust?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I didn't bother. The carbon from the exhaust will cover the cut edge. If it was at a join or structural I would have 👍

[@Jhood0729_jerrymesser]

I did what you done by cutting baffles out exactly how you did and maaannn they're loud lol

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Yes they were. I made the wee shorty baffles for that very reason 🤟

[@Jhood0729_jerrymesser]

@MisterKiwiRider I just rode er and its not that loud on the road... actually almost perfect. I appreciate the video, you saved me some money.

[@Braapstar219]

Noticed any power loss? Did you have to tune it? Never mind watched the whole vid.

[@douglasmcbride7295]

wow i didn't know about that app the sound meter i put one on my phone too as well gonna test the rinehard muffler tomorrow morning heh heh heh...cher bro

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Haha, nice 😎👌

[@douglasmcbride7295]

@@MisterKiwiRider got 80DB not bad

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@douglasmcbride7295 I imagine it will have a nice tone too 👍

[@614XJ]

Can you show this on the Sportster s also? Same principle is it?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I imagine the Sportster S would be a whole other animal entirely. Not something I could show you unless I had some stock pipes to play with. Here's a forum thread that gives some info on Sportster S pipes: www.hdforums.com/forum/sportster-s/1396069-sportster-s-2021-baffle-removal.html

[@614XJ]

@@MisterKiwiRider I gotcha. Thanks so much man!

[@warrengilbertson231]

How do you keep the baffle in after you've cut it

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I made new little shorty baffles from the old ones and just put a self-taping bolt up through the bottom of each pipe and baffle

[@stoker18]

Do you need to have the bike tuned after you remove the baffles?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

You generally only need to tune the bike if you change the air intake as well as the pipes. If it's just the pipes then no

[@stoker18]

Thanks for the reply. I'm rewatching the video and you explained it pretty clear. I guess I missed it the first time. Thanks for the great info and video. Getting ready to do this to my ST tonight.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@stoker18 best of luck 🤟

[@Viper6-MotoVlogger]

Bey bey baffles 😁

[@acim2228]

but doesn't going to a 2 in 1 pipe kill the warranty

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Mods here in NZ don't automatically kill the warranty. Depends on what the warranty claim is and what caused it

[@acim2228]

total spaced sorry brah big island you right

[@cootey]

Where are the Catalyitic converters then? definitely not in the headers...

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I'm not even sure Australasian bikes have them? They certainly weren't contained in the baffles as you would have seen. Really not sure.

[@cootey]

@MisterKiwiRider nah, Cats aren't needed in Oz for motorcycles. Yet! HD make pipes especially for Australia. Good for us!

[@careerwelder84]

Why didn’t you use a 4 inch hole saw and not cut the whole pipe? 😮

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@careerwelder84 I was happy with my results. I have seen others using a hole saw and they were happy with their results. Tomato/tomato.

[@careerwelder84]

@@MisterKiwiRider I’m doing it on my 2018 street bob and only have 1 shot at making it right. I hope I have similar results 👍🏼🤔✊🏼

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@careerwelder84 best of luck 🤟😎

[@Group_Anonymous]

What seat is that?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@Group_Anonymous it's the stock stock seat off of a Sport Glide

[@brandonmacon3317]

Thank God!... Fur people Like you brother 🤘. Remember kids.... When it comes to baffles Just Say No. There are performance baffles and such but for the ones just meant to "hush" your bike no.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Preach that good word brother! 🤟😎

[@silverpheonix3603]

I agree.. and after a few rides.. too quiet

[@drpepperodst7557]

Can you run it without the cats?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

This end result is effectively like installing open slip ons. From a practical point of view there is no issue for the bike running this set up and it adds the much-needed (in my opinion) throaty rumble

[@upnorthrider]

Brother where’s you guard for your grinder…

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Haha, trust you to notice 😁 unfortunately I bought the wrong size discs. I'll get the right ones next time and do you proud, I promise 😎👌

[@Deltax1519]

Does this fuck up your 2 year warranty with HD?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Only if I was trying to claim on the pipes themselves

[@nestorhernandez1075]

Does it waste more gas how’s the gas mileage?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

There's been no loss of gas mileage at all (or kms in my case)

[@JR_1982_JR]

Sounds awesome for a free pair of pipes. Fantastic job. Harley should hire you to re engineer their stupid exhaust system

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Haha, thank you for your vote of confidence 🤟😎

[@JR_1982_JR]

@@MisterKiwiRider I'm getting a new Low rider S this week. I asked Motomart @ Wellington to cut the pipes after watching your video 😀. They will cut it for free for me. I asked whether that would void the warranty and they said no, All good, You are brilliant, well done , Thank you for sharing

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@JR_1982_JR congrats on the new bike and hopefully the baffle chop goes all good 👍 All the best!

[@JR_1982_JR]

@@MisterKiwiRider thanks mate. Harley Wellington guys are awesome. This is how it ended up sounding like after the cut the pipes open. They have done it for free and done it damn well. Check it out : kzbin.info/www/bejne/poLSfaN9lsSpnM0

[@garydalton1542]

Eh just don't have that classic twin cam sound

[@TheBlueBikeDoyle]

Oh you not going to leave the visegrip on them

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Haha, I thought about it but maybe better not to

[@geoffbryangejactransport6805]

Is that big john from odt if so skippy sausage hi

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Haha, yes, you're onto it. 👍

[@terrancehowell9073]

Just attempt this lol bike sounds like a dam monster truck. I did it for giggles just to see. 😂 definitely getting pulled over in California. If you live out here don’t do it. Just save up your money to buy an Exhaust

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Yes, you might want to repurpose your baffles and do what I did. Once I put the Shorty baffles in it was a more refined rumble 😎👌

[@zoa900x]

Dude rev the bike… revvvvv the dam bike 😩

[@AllenWayne185]

Couldn’t you just cut them on the bike?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

I personally wouldn't but hey, if you've got the skills and confidence, go for it 👍

[@nerdofthesentry4265]

Police box...doctor who or just old school prop?

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@nerdofthesentry4265 Doctor Who for sure 😎👌

[@nerdofthesentry4265]

​@MisterKiwiRider I want you to know this was the first video I saw when I searched up cutting a baffle out...and I had it done in an hour after watching you do it lol. Also who's your favorite doctor

[@nerdofthesentry4265]

​@MisterKiwiRider who's your favorite doctor. Also I want you to know i saw this video. First video after my search and I had it done in an hour. Had no clue it was so easy

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@nerdofthesentry4265 old doctor - Sylvester McCoy, new doctor - Matt Smith. Thanks for your feedback. Glad it worked out well for you

[@fatsquirrel2554]

Pipes are in a stupid location can’t mount bags with that rear cylinder pipe that high. But how else is Harley going to sell aftermarket parts🙄

[@chopperg9443]

Sounds like a Harley Davidson.

[@sixfootdworf9545]

Stock pipes sound like a lawn mower... its a shame.

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Haha, true. Although, to be fair, I reckon my lawn mower still had a better tone than the stock pipes

[@sixfootdworf9545]

@Mister Kiwi Rider I think I might go on ahead and drill out my cat and pull off the stock mufflers for a set of performance slip ons. That's the cheapest way for me to get a stage one done with a Screaming Eagal tuner. I can likely get all that done for a price cheaper than getting a whole new set.

[@sixfootdworf9545]

@Mister Kiwi Rider Hey, quick update on my 23 softail. I know it's been a while, but I feel it worth saying. I ended up spending my tax return and some savings on a stage one setup. Screaming eagal pro street tuner (the new one that hooks up to the phone) SE ventilator air cleaner and some Vance and Hines Short Shots. Sounds wonderful. I plan on taking it in for a SE stage two torque kit and oil pump kit. I also have a fan assisted oil cooler on de way. Like I promised, I did all the work myself. Lemme tell you, pulling off the stock headers on the 23 softail is a pain in the butt. Lost my torkx bits so I had to get new ones so I could remove the ride side foot peg and rear break pedal just so I could remove the front header pipe. Also, I think it's annoying that the headers are a 2-1-2 setup with the cats in the remove-able mufflers.

[@DeltaNineProductions]

For God's sake TURN DOWN the CRAPPY MUSIC!

[@MisterKiwiRider]

@@DeltaNineProductions what's done is done boss but I'll take it under advisement. You might want to work on your tolerance

[@marathon8649]

I really wanted to watch the video but with all the scene cuts and fuzzy channel messages every 15 seconds or so iit was hard to watch. I tried to watch another upload of yours but it was the same thing. You'll get more subscribers without that fuzzy screen cutting, I'm proof.

[@BarbaritoAdolfo777]

horrible sound

[@phillipmckeownakalucifer.6689]

Just get tab slip ons.

[@CaffeineThrottle]

I can't believe you didn't crack the throttle at each modified demo!😡🙄

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Agreed. Hindsight is 20/20

[@phillipmckeownakalucifer.6689]

You need the right size

[@MisterKiwiRider]

Size is fine 👍

[@phillipmckeownakalucifer.6689]

Buy dk customs torque convertrs

[@MisterKiwiRider]

That's what I put in these 👍