T-Sport: Keeping the Peace

An Exhausting Issue

More Power

There is no doubt about it; adding Screamin' Eagle II slip-ons to the stock header pipes on your Harley yields impressive results. I purchased my T-Sport in 2001 with this configuration of parts already installed, and I was very happy with the classic 2:2 design. But though I liked the way the pipes looked, I loved the way they performed. The dyno chart

Screamin' Eagle II Slip-Ons

plotted out impressive rear wheel horsepower, peaking at 101.8 at close to 6000 rpm. There was over 90 ft/lbs of torque available at just 2000 rpm, and it didn't start to drop off until 4100 rpm where it maxed out at 104.6 ft/lbs (see Dyno Chart). The bike was fast, but perhaps even more important, it was very tractable. But as with many good things, this performance came with a price and that was noise; lots and lots of noise. Hit the throttle wide open and anyone caught behind those baloney cut mufflers risked having their ear drums liquefied. What made these pipes particularly loud was that they had been modified for even better exhaust flow. The flattening of an internal tang was worth about three or four more horsepower, and probably the difference between being powerfully loud and just plain obnoxiously loud.

I tend to belong to the crowd that subscribes to the "loud pipes save lives" theory. In an emergency situation, I have found that I could react very fast in making my presence known with just a turn of the throttle and so have never used my bike's horn; not that I could find its button in time anyway. I also found that when passing through another driver's blind spot, the pipes ensured that he or she was well aware that I was there.

On the flip side of this argument, annoying or angering the general population with unnecessary noise pollution is not the smartest thing to do. We all know that this kind of attention can only lead to reactionary laws and a potential destruction of our chosen sport. Roads have been closed to motorcyclists, and in some locales bikers have been particularly harassed by the gendarmes. We all are aware of some of the arbitrary ticketing that has taken place.

(Read a memo from Harley Davidson in which the president and COO advises the dealers to convince customers to reconsider the purchase of open drag pipes.)

It is easy to forget how loud our bikes can be when the excessive sounds are sent rearward from our riding position. Unless you have an effective fairing or windshield to cut down on wind noise, you might not even be aware of it. In my case, I've been told that my bike was LOUD by fellow riders from time to time, and almost daily from my wife. So that I can eventually attend Americade without being arrested, or not have to lug my engine past every police car, I decided to do something about it.