GL1800 exhaust mod

GL1800 exhaust mod

[@barryenglish2665]

Thanks for the idea. I have a 02 trike with stock mufflers with open turn down tips. I just drilled two 3/4" holes at the 9 and 3 position. Sounds great.

[@kevind.mathews4480]

Is it loud at hiway speeds

[@odowdski]

Harry, we drilled 3 holes in the ends of the mufflers , one each at 9:00, 12;:00 and 3:00 and then connected them with a Dremel tool. We started off with a 1/8" drill and worked up to 1/2" because this is hard steel. The result is an upside-down "smilie" if that makes sense. Our suggestion is to start off with the smaller holes and keep increasing until you get the sound you want. We have had several comments that our pipes sound as good or better than the expensive aftermarket ones.

[@odowdski]

1/2"...3 holes at 9:00, 12:00 and 3:00. Then connect them by cutting with a Dremel tool, resulting in an upside down "smilie". The steel is super hard, doing this takes time and effort.

[@harryhiggins5164]

Thanks Jim. i actually have a spare set of mufflers i can try this with.

[@harryhiggins5164]

I got mine drilled and cut out. They are pretty loud compared to stock. I think the open billet tips make it sound louder compared to the stock tips.

[@sctmedtrucker]

Hello Jim, I noticed the trunk lower skirt. Where can I get that? Thanks.

[@harryhiggins5164]

Jim is it possible to see the holes in the muffler or are they the same as in the tips. I have the billet tips on mine. What size holes and how many did you drill.

[@chrishelms1967]

Sounds much more throaty ........sounds good

[@mikehernandez1511]

Beautufil bike, love the Garfield in the front lol. I have a 2018 DCT that I want to have a little more growl without spending the 1-3K just for a little base.

[@odowdski]

Thanks, Mike, yeah, that was a beautiful bike, and Garfield got a ton of comments, mostly from the ladies! That was painted by Sue Hopper, who has to be one of the most talented artists I've ever seen. If you're wanting more bass from your 2018, you may be able to drill your mufflers like I did. I haven't tried it on the 2018+ so don't know if the tips are easy to remove, etc. Other than that, it's going to get into big $$ to change out the mufflers or go to the Torq-Loopz system, which is an elegant but expensive solution, and cuts out the catalytic converters. I did this on a previous bike, and the sound was terrific. I've gotten to where I like the stock growl of my 2019, and hear comments from others on how good it sounds.

[@mikehernandez1511]

@@odowdski thank you for your response. I finally got up the nerve (because i'm on the verge of changing it anyway) to drill into the back end of the muffler. On mine originally was two exhause pipes coming out about an inch apart (one on the left and one on the right of each pipe) and I took a small drill bit and drilled two holes top and bottom between the factory outlets and centered them as best I could then used a half inch bit and made them larger. I did this for both pipes and crossed my fingers. It didn't make the bike "louder" but did give it a nice bass sound and i can actually hear a growl going down the road. I may in the future change them out but for now i'm happy with this.

[@joepaduani6096]

How big are the holes that u made

[@eddieburton677]

What did you do??? How did you make it sound like that.

[@harryhiggins5164]

I think it also makes the bike a little quicker and more responsive to the throttle.

[@ChezzOnBass]

So what was the exhaust mod?

[@dag1561]

Jim where did you find the trunk extention ( molding) from,

[@odowdski]

Well, I'm afraid that same brand may be manufacture discontinued. Pretty sure I used the ones from Show Chrome accessories, part # BBP-52-701A. You may be able to google that or perhaps find it on E-Bay. I know Kuryakin has a similar product. Are you referring to the lower trunk spoiler? This is an OEM Hondaline product and is still available from Wingstuff.com.

[@IDYLBERRY]

Nice ride!! I like your Ultimate seat. How does it compare to the stock seat? Thanks.

[@odowdski]

Well, this is my fourth Ultimate King seat, so I guess I like them pretty well! Compared to stock, the Ultimate King moves me back about 1.5" which eases my knee bend a bit. This is good because like many older guys, I have some osteoarthritis, making it painful to keep a tight knee compression for a long time. The Ultimate King, combined with some simple handlebar risers, makes for a lot for comfortable riding position, so I can (and have) ridden coast to coast virtually non-stop...39 hours actually...and 500-600 mile riding days are no big deal.

[@IDYLBERRY]

Gee, can't believe it's been a year since I asked you about the Ultimate seat. Thanks for your reply 11 months back. I went with the mid-rider that arrived on Nov 4th and it is a great seat that doubled my riding time. Made my wife happy also as she sits more upright. Thanks again Jim for your input.

[@coyote102076]

very good to know. ;-)

[@merlinbroaddus]

Sounds good!!! However, where did you get the "Dark Side" sticker?? I'd love one!!!

[@odowdski]

Merlin, go to www.gl1800riders.com and find the Darkside forum. There you should find info on how to order a decal. If you strike out, let me know, there is a small chance I may have an extra one somewhere in my garage.

[@merlinbroaddus]

@@odowdski Thank you!! I just registered for rhe website today!!!!!

[@dag1561]

that's right, the lower trunk spoiler

[@odowdski]

sctmedtrucker, that's going to be hard to find. It was already on my bike when I bought it 12 years ago. You might try Wingstuff.com, they might be able to help you track it down. Be prepared to paint it, though! You might also look for it as a Honda OEM accessory. Again, the guys at Wingstuff should be able to help you!

[@workharddieproud]

I gotta Yellow wing as well and was gonna ask about your seat till I seen the comments about it bellow. But I will ask, is that a Car Tire on your bike ?

[@odowdski]

Yes, it is a runflat car tire. I ran them for years on account of the great mileage and smooth ride. I no longer own this bike, and don't yet have a car tire on my 2019 Goldwing. While the CT is a runflat and provides a real smooth ride...and has a larger traction area for stopping...in my opinion, it doesn't handle the curves as well as a motorcycle tire. But there are plenty who think otherwise, it's a very hot topic.

[@workharddieproud]

@@odowdski Thank you very much for your input. I’m planning on putting a CT on my bike this year after it gets back from the dealer. And I loved that colored seat you had on your yellow wing. But man they are expensive !!!

[@odowdski]

@@workharddieproud you are right, they are expensive! But the first thing I do with any new Goldwing is replace the stock seat with a new one from Ultimate Seats. While I no longer spend the extra $ for the "custom" color trim, etc., I have found that, for the type of riding I do, the Ultimate seat is worth every penny. I will routinely ride 600 miles a day to get to where I'm going, and having the right seat makes a huge difference to me.

[@workharddieproud]

@@odowdski I might replace mine this year but I actually like the stock seat, but it’s the only one I’ve sat on. My Road Star had a Corbin seat that I hated, HARD AS A ROCK !

[@MrTdog45]

Very nice bike but this vid did not let me hear much.Im sure it souds good but the sound quality on this was really bad.