I posted this on another group some time ago, and figured I'd contribute here since there isn't much in the Reviews forum here. I have a 04 XL883C, and had problems deciding which exhaust to get.

First I put on a set of Screamin Eagles, and was not very impressed. The SE pipes (to me) sounded somewhat "raspy", and they weren't giving me the "very deep" sound I was looking for. I will say that my next door neighbor has a set of SEs on his RK, and they sound better (but again, to me, still not the greatest).

Then, I ordered a set of Cycle Shack slip-ons, and put them on. WHAT A DIFFERENCE from the SE and of course the stock mufflers. The CS mufflers have a much deeper sound to them, and they are LOUD! So, let me try to explain a few different things about the Cycle Shacks, to help those others who are wondering about these pipes.

Tone Quality
My set are very deep in tone. At idle, they have a nice "cutting out" sound that sounds truly like a Harley. At a stop, when a gas in given while clutch, they are very deep. Other riders that were behind me said that at throttle, they have a deep tone as well. And, while cruising at a constant speed, they do seem to quiet down a little, but are still noticeable.

Loudness
These are LOUD. However, they are only loud when you "get on it". At idle, they are somewhat loud, but at constant throttle, they do seem to take the edge off the loudness. I was comfortable passing a police officer's vehicle as long as I kept it constant speed, or increased speed slowly. I wouldn't advise gunning it past somebody that you didn't want them to come after you for loudness. Again, I was comfortable riding it normally in every environment, but it does get you a lot of looks.

Performance
I rode my stock bike for nearly 4,000 miles. After putting the Cycle Shacks on, I've noticed an increase in performance. Take-off is stronger, and allows me to use the sound of the RPMs better. The stock mufflers kind of hid the "true" audio shifting points from me, and now I can tell when I'm getting the best performance for the RPMs. After buring through two tanks of gas over the weekend, I only noticed a 1 MPG decrease (down to 53 MPG vs. original's 54). It had to be from all the reving I was doing...I love the deep sound!

Look of Mufflers
Not much I can say here. They are chromed really well, and brighten up nicely with S100 or Meguair's. I ordered "slash cut", and ended up getting "baloney cut" sent to me. I almost sent them back because of the wrong design, but they are starting to grow on me. They definitely change the look over the stock mufflers with the tapered design on the muffler exhausts.

Comments from other Riders
I probably talked to 30 or so different Harley riders this weekend, from visiting three different dealerships in Indy, and from going to a downtown hangout. I didn't hear any negative comments from the others, even when I asked them to be honest and not worry about hurting my feelings. The comments made were all that they sounded really deep, and that they couldn't hear any "raspiness" to them.

Comments from the Public
Well, I had a couple of people tell me from their cars that they liked the sound of my pipes (seriously!). I had one person hear me come up next to them at a stop light and leaned over and locked their door. Guess the stereotypes never end! I also pulled into a Hooters, and a few people standing outside made comments about how good the pipes sounded.

My Own Biased Comments
A friend of mine runs straight pipes with fishtails. His bike sounds very raspy in nature (although twice as loud as mine when he throttles it). Of the group of four people I ride with often, I have to say mine sounds more deeper and "better quality" than their SE and V&H exhaust systems. My neighbor with a RK is looking to upgrade to better exhaust because of the sound mine now makes.

Technical Comments
There is a tab inside near the front of the slip-ons that can be adjusted to give the sound more "deepness". You can reach it with a broom handle and adjust it (or something curved to readjust it back). I played with this a little bit, and put it back to the default placement. I noticed that after 100 miles of running with it in default, the sound deepened on their own.

Also, I didn't rejet the carb. They are NOT back-firing, NOT making weird noises in decceleration, and they seem to be running just as well as the stock mufflers are. I will be adding a high performance air kit though soon.

Finally
Sorry about the novel. I just wanted to try to clarify my experiences with these slip-ons, since exhaust questions seem to be one of the most common asked things that Harley riders inquire about. I'm not just happy with the Cycle Shack's, I'm overly happy with them. So, my grades, out of a 10, are:

Deepness: 10
Sound quality: 10
Comments received: 10 (very happy that other die-hard riders are impressed)
Look: 9 (I'm still getting used to baloney-cut design)
Loudness: 9 (I took one point off due to the fact they may be too loud at times)

I had thought about continue to try different exhaust options BEFORE I put the Cycle Shack slip-ons, and now I'm not. I'm keeping the CS, since I believe that for the price (I bought new for $169 shipped to me, since I was offered a refund if I didn't like the sound...minus shipping costs of course) there is nothing comparable or even close. From the comments from experienced riders, my slip-ons sound as good as, if not better, than a lot of very high end exhaust systems.

Again, to each their own. I hope this helps explain some of the questions that are asked about the exhaust clip-ons, and if you have any questions, reply here or in email and I'll do what I can to answer them.

Ride safe everybody.

hi i got a set of cycle shack slipons for xmas and just put them on . i like them, i had se on before and they were pretty quiet compared to cs. i have talked to a lot of people about cs and nothing negative . karl 03 1200c

Hey Beertp and Klamen,

Are you guys running the CSs with or without the baffles?

I run the baffles in mine unmodified and I love the way they sound. Very Loud

klamen ...

Great review! I would like a set of those for my bike. My SEs are nice, but not loud enough. I just drilled out the 24 holes in each baffle. Maybe it will make a difference. We shall see when I get the bike back togather.

Again, thanks for sharing.

Hey Beertp and Klamen,

Are you guys running the CSs with or without the baffles?

I run them stock. They have a tab inside the muffler you can adjust that helps with tone frequency. I messed with it, then put it back to the stock position, they sound better. I think you'll see that they are loud enough, and plenty deep sounding, to not mess with removing the baffles.


Turbota: I played extensively with the SEs that I had, even doing some drilling. Get the Cycle Shack ones, you won't be disappointed.

I've got a lot of customized parts on my bike, I'm going to do more reviews of what I like and don't, to build this part of the forum up a little. I hope others will do the same thing, it's nice to have a review area to discuss our thoughts on the different products out there.

Good to hear about it...

I've ordered mine from Canada some days ago. Still waiting.
Sound matters, performance too, loudness I'm a bit afraid. But I think it'll be something helping control myself from swirl that gas control... :)

Can't wait so I'll take a look and try.
I'm waiting for the slash cut. I like more the slash down or tapered...

--
Mr. Mechano
'04 XL1200C red/silver
Kawasaki ZRX1200 152hp

I put on the CS turn out slip ons, love the look and couldn't agree more with the sound review. I too wanted a deep rumbling sound with a little (lot) more volume and got exacrly what I wanted. I get more comments on the look than the sound, you don't see allot of turn outs, but overall no negative ones. A word of caution regarding the turnouts after you put them on leaning right through a turn, and passing anything more solid than a bush on your right gives you allot of sound back at ya.

Klamen, thanks for the excellent review. I was originally looking for Cycle Shacks about four months ago, and the factory told me that they were 'sold out' and it would be a wait until they had more in production, so I wound up with Khrome Werks(nice). I have not heard any real negatives about the Cycle Shack slip-ons...actually, most I have encountered consider them a 'best-for-the-buck' buy.

Kim

mine are stock plenty loud.

My SE torque mufflers (tapered) have a lovely sound!!!! ;)
Only the Supertrapp 2-1 with megaphone muffler (no discs) can beat the SE sound ... :D

Great review.

Has anybody tried the drag pipes from Cycle Shack?

I'm sold. Who has best prices for these? Thanks.

150 shipped from gopartsdirect.com

That's for an 04-05

Try eBay. Type in Cycle Shack (or cycleshack, some people give it one word). There's a few of them on there.

Finally arrived Cycle Shack slash cut, and yesterday got mounted.

Nice look but too loud for the town where I live.

If Police stop me they'll put me into a jail and drop the key! :(

I've lost lot of low-end torque, but this is not a serious problem at all if I can correct a bit with a 29 front pulley.
I think I'll go to modify baffles to close a bit the slip-on side and let the gas go only thorough the holes.
In fact ther's a tab that isn't closed, looking into the pipe I can see the light thorough an 1/2" space around this tab. Closing around it the gases will be forced to go around the tube and thorough the holes making the pipe less louder.

They are a lot like a drag pipe now.

I need more back pressure for my driving style.
I like deep throat but very deep and a bit closed. Not like stock ones, but neither like these pipes.

When I purchased my new 05 1200C last month I was going to install a set of SE slip on's however my dealership suggested a complete set of Cycle Shack exhaust. The system uses the stock heat shelds off the stock system. They have a really good sound and the power increase is great.

Take a look and let me know what you think,

and yesterday got mounted.



Damn, how did that feel? :laugh :laugh

That's what I am looking for longshot48. Is that the stock head pipes or is it a full system? Do you have the part #? Should be the same for mine.

Thanks

That's what I am looking for longshot48. Is that the stock head pipes or is it a full system? Do you have the part #? Should be the same for mine.

Thanks

Hey Geek,

This is a full system, all that is retained from the stock system is the heat shelds.

The Cycle Shack part number is 1800-0050, I got the number off the box, I have the stock system stuffed inside for safe keeping.

My Harley Dealer did suggest when installing this complete system that you install a jet and breather kit which I did and this thing really runs good.

Ride, Ride, Ride

Longshot48

Thanks Lonshot! The part # will help so I make sure the dealer orders the right part. I am having them also install my Twin Velocity cleaner, rejet the bike, and dyno tune at the same time.

Thanks again for the info. :tour

Put my on new cycle shack slip-ons startted up the the bike and all i can do now is grin. The bike sounds so much nicer with the low rumble cant wait for it to truely warm up around here so i can get some real riding in :D

Does anyone know if they make a set of black pipes and mufflers. I couldn't find any when I looked.

Just purchased some sporty pipes from Americancycleclassics.com, dealer out of PA, has two sets of 04 pipes, and real good prices on used bikes. $192 shipped, the ones I bought look like stock but aern't, keeps some back pressure where it should be.

Great review.

Has anybody tried the drag pipes from Cycle Shack?
Have a set on my 98 883. Love em--Loud pipes save lives

Klamen, after reading your review of the Cycle Shack slip-ons I ordered them through Jireh. Just put them on my 05 883C this morning and everything you described was exactly true. These things are awesome! Only took me about 30 minutes to install and the bike truly has the sound of a Harley and a little more oomph. Thanks for the helpful info, can't wait till it warms up around here.

Just ordered the full cycle shack exhaust of Ebay. Total shipped was $192. :clap Hopefully get them sometime next week and will install next weekend.

klamen,i got se2s but sound kinda muffled. do the cshacks have crossover and are they obnoxiously loud? everything you said sounds positive. where do i get these pipes for 169? i have 04 1200c. thanks,brian

150 Shipped from gopartsdirect.com.

Got mine from Jireh $121.00 total incl shipping.

hdrican, do you know item#. also what year bike do you have?

Got a set of the slip-ons based partly on this thread. Very pleased! Put them on this past Saturday and have received a couple of nice comments about the sound already. They look lots nicer than the stock "cigars".

Installed my full pipes Sunday and am extremely happy with them. :)

Thanks for the Review! It was great, and dead on from my point of view as well!

I replaced the stock pipes with the CS slash cut, and I love them. Nice sound, and increased low end torque - amazing difference there. A friend just got the same style pipes, except hers are the SE brand slip on pipes - same design, only hers has "Screaming Eagle" etched on the side of one. Side by side, mine sound quite a bit louder; although they both have the deep throaty sound. Mine aren't overly obnoxious, but they are louder than some bikes around. I really am happy with them. $135 through my mechanic. My boyfriend installed them in 15 minutes. No adjustment to the factory default. Thanks to you guys here who recommended them to me. I love 'em! :clap :clap :clap

Its really cool to see all the input on exhaust systems, that was one of the first things that came out of Harley dealers mouth, we have to change those pipes.

My guy suggested the complete system and sense I was buying a new bike that was just out of the crate and had not even been services, they installed the new pipes and rejetted the carb before it had even been started up.

The pipes as most of you know really sound great ( nice thump thump at idel ).

Looks likes nice riding weather for this weekend.

If anyone gets the chance come visit us at the Heritage Rally near Charleston South Carolina April 9th through the 17th.

Have a good one.

Longshot

Great review.

Has anybody tried the drag pipes from Cycle Shack?Geek, bought a set of 1 3/4 straight drags with the gooseneck bend in them for $109. Love em and the sound. Check my avatar. Bought them from Jireh cycles

So many people love the CS slip ons and there are so many great reviews so I just ordered some. Too bad it takes so long to ship stuff overseas!

i love the sound of mine! and so does my girlfriend :o

Did about 120 miles today with my new Cycle Shack slip-ons and they sound nice and loud enough for me. :clap :clap :clap :clap

Installed new CS slip-ons. Nice. I got a chill, had a Grinch-like grin from ear to ear.

anyone have a sound clip or vid clip???

A sound clip really wouldn't do them justice. You would be better off trying to find someone in your area that has some to listen to.

I am seriously thinking about the CS's, but I don't want the pipes too loud. Is there a compromise between the SE, and CS's?

...In My humble opinion, CS pipes are the best bang for the buck. A few years back (about 10) America Iron magazine did a side by side pefromance comparision: Same bike, swap pipes, Dyno run.
CycleShack meet or beat all the other brands tested at 1/3 the cost.
What I thought was cool was that they beat Super Trapps...
ST's at the time were 350.00
CS at the time were 129.00

I agree! CS best "bang for the buck" Had slip-ons installed before I took delivery of my sporty. Really like the sound too. Friend had the same put on his sporty and when we're setting at a stoplight... the sound reminds me of a top-fueler idling at the tree just before launching.

Are the tapered Cycle Shack slip-on mufflers quiter than the slash or baloney cut slip-ons?

FWIW

I had this same question. The folks at Cycle Shack say that their tapered mufflers are quieter than their slash-cut. This is the opposite of what I got from Khrome Werks. The Khrome Werks person I talked to said that their slash-cuts are quieter than the tapered because the baffle is longer and, since theirs are fiberglass wrapped, quieter. Not sure I get it but, there's a lot of things I don't get.

Klamen,

Thanks for the excellent review on the Cycle Shack slip-ons. Due to your great posting and the other stuff I've read on this forum, I just stopped in and ordered my Cycle Shacks on my lunch hour today. Got 'em from a guy here in town, Direct Line Parts for 147.86, tax and shipping. Will be here tomorrow. Can't wait! :clap

Great Sportster Girl!
Im sure you will like them! I have been very happy with mine!

Have fun!

Hey Shemp, very cool slide show! Great way to show off your bike.

Beautiful bike, is that factory custom paint? It's gorgeous....

Thanks Sportster Girl!
Yes, it is factory paint. I had to wait an extra week or so to get that color w/ the laced front and rear wheels. I think it was worth the wait. I love it!
I havent seen another the same color in my area.

My last trip to the dealer, they did have one the same color, but didnt have the lased wheels, so i am still unique up to this point.

Glad ya like the slideshow. I keep ading pics, as I make any changes. Its cool to look at and what kind of progress is being made. Oh yeah, and how much $$$$$$$ I spend!!! ;)

No pics, of your scoot?
Thanks!

Good looking bike. Thats the color my son started to get but he did not wait for one. The backrest you have on there are those side plates non removable? If so where did you get them? And is that a medium height bar or the tall one? My son is talking about putting the sideplates on his that are the non removable ones. Thanks

Thanks!

The mounts are the removable type(H-D). I was up in the air about those, but decided that if I ever wanted to go with a different look, it wouldnt be a problem. Im glad I did, because I just ordered a Solo Seat, and Pillion.

The sissy bar is the medium medalion type. All was bought from the stealer.

I've got the tapered ones - dealer told me they'd be a bit quieter than slash-cuts. I wanted quieter - I also wanted tapered as I like the look of the stock pipes. Good sounding pipes - nice punch without causing me too much "I'm pissing off the neighbors" angst. I also wear earplugs so the pipe takes on a "deep thudding" sound from the saddle - I like it!

That does it! I'm ordering a set of tapereds right now. Well maybe after the OL leaves the room so she don't see me pulling out the credit card,,,again.:shhhh

That does it! I'm ordering a set of tapereds right now. Well maybe after the OL leaves the room so she don't see me pulling out the credit card,,,again.:shhhh

I put a set of C-S tapers on my 2005 1200R. They are louder than I expected. Best price is at www.jirehcycles.com

I really have to pretty much agree with Klamen's initial review that started this thread. I agonized over pipes vs. slip-ons and all of the choices available. After reading several threads in different forums, I purchased the CS Tappered Slip-ons and couldn't be happier with the results. No raspy sounds, good deep rumble, but they are loud when you "get" on the throttle (not a bad thing, right?), yet they are not that loud if you don't drive hard through the gears - but that trademark Harley rumble remains.

I bought the tappereds because they mimick the style of the stock slip-ons and I like that look. I bought them at Jireh's for $121.75 - delivered to my door. Very easy to install if you use WD-40 to help "persuade" the stock ones off and good spark plug readings with no other changes. I do have an S&S Teardrop free-flow AC and a rejet kit that I'll be adding as soon as there's a weather break here in NJ (lol!) to complete my Stage 1.

Cycle Shack slip-ons with absolutely no regrets!

Thumper26

I have the cs slash cuts on my XLH1200. Great sound - has anyone noticed that the sound seems to sound better and louder as they age - or am I changing with age?:doh
Bob

i have the cycle shack tapered slip ons. it was LOVE at first sound

xlhflh,

I agree with you. The sound of my CS Tapereds seem to have "mellowed" with a deeper rumble as I rack ou the miles. I love 'em, I love 'em, I love 'em!

Thumper26

I'm new, but I had to give my Thanks. What a review, my CS TurnOuts go on order tomorrow, sure they'll look and sound great on my 2006 XL1200 Roadster Thanks - Klaman

Mine arrived today, I got them from s0rgys on ebay. Don't know when I will get them put on though.

I have the cs slash cuts on my XLH1200. Great sound - has anyone noticed that the sound seems to sound better and louder as they age - or am I changing with age?:doh
Bob


Mine seemed to sound a lot deeper..and better after about 5000 miles on them..Or they seemed to anyway...Love em


http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b294/oakie10us/newsportypic2.jpg

H-D screamin eagle slip-ons are made by cycle shack. H-D is not in the exhause business. i have the tapered cycle shacks on mine. Deep rumble, loud , but not offensive. My buddy has the same bike, same setup as mine except he has vance-hines two into two. I consistently beat him

Great informative review. Thanks alot!

I dunno if they sound different.with age but, they sound mellower at the end of the ride. I actually kinda figured it was from hearing loss! Actually, they seem to get quieter as the motor load lessens....still hard to sneak out of the neighborhood though.

Got my Cycle Shack Turn-Out Slip on mufflers mounted today. Man!!! do they look and sound great. What a power and torque difference. Well worth the money.

I have to agree with Oakie. Mine seem to sound better around the 5000 mark than they did when they were brand new.

That does it! I'm ordering a set of tapereds right now. Well maybe after the OL leaves the room so she don't see me pulling out the credit card,,,again.:shhhh

I got em, I love the sound. Exactly what I wanted. I bolted them up to an otherwise stock 06 XL883. Seat of the pants says I have a little more torque and there is no indication it's running any leaner than it came from the factory.

I had an opportunity to hear them beside a Sporty with SEIIs. The SEs were way too quiet IMO. I thought the bike had stock exhaust when it pulled in. I rode in a charity ride that day and for the first time ever I could hear my own motor while riding amid a bunch of Harleys. And I LIKED it!

I do have a quality issue though. The exit end of the mufflers were not ground smooth, they have a v shape indentation at the bottom of the opening. Other than that the fit and finish looked very good.

I paid $149 plus shipping and the seller wants me to foot the bill to return them for exchange. Not sure it's worth it.

DON'T RETURN THEM!

Mine have them too as did my stock mufflers. I don't know why but I seriously doubt you will ever get a pair that doesn't have those little indents.

Look at your stock muffs and you'll see them on those too.

I know exactly what you mean about not hearing your bike in a group of Harleys. It can be very distracting to not be able to hear what rpm you are at. That situation is what prompted me to call and get a pair of CS for my bike. I got the tapereds too and just love them.

Now you need to get a high flow air cleaner and rejet to feel the power Harley locked inside your bike :tour

mine have those little dents too.
They are supposed to be there...I think

I just installed tappered cycle shack's also and they have the little dimples on both. I love them and they sound perfect in my book. they are mean and not too loud.

My Khrome Werks muffs have the 'v' also.

Kim

The tapered sound better and deeper than the slash cuts.

DON'T RETURN THEM!

Mine have them too as did my stock mufflers. I don't know why but I seriously doubt you will ever get a pair that doesn't have those little indents.

Look at your stock muffs and you'll see them on those too.

:tour

My stock mufflers are perfect.

Another thing I noticed later is that the rear CS muffler points a bit outward from the bike and the front one appears to tuck under. They aren't parallel to each other and I haven't figured out exactly why yet.

Having run them for about 2000 miles now I feel like they're borderline too loud. I'd like them 10-15% quieter even though nobody I ask says they're too loud. I rode 357 miles the other day and the noise level got tiresome. Not near as tiresome as riding anywhere near a big-twin with straight pipes though.

love my tapered CS slip ons. many compiments about how nice they sound.

I have the tapereds sitting in a box. How hard are they to install. Don't look hard but I worked on my boat yesterday and eveything went wrong. Do I have to loosen the pipe from the motor?

As I recall, I had to loosen the front pipe to get everything free. Removing the stock mufflers is the only challenge involved.

I had the header pipes off to add the Screamin Eagle port gaskets and stuck a deep socket/6" extension into the crossover tube hole to spin the mufflers off the header pipes.

I added the slash cut Cycle Shacks and they sound awesome!
Nice and rumbley Harley sound! That's 3 pair of muffs for me, here I come Xena!
:D :D :D

I got the turnout mufflers for JIREH. shipped to hawaii was only $116.00

The things were light conpared to the stock tapers. I would like to have them a BIT QUIETER since i live in a pretty metro area and i park right by a person's patio. Any clues on toning these down a tad? should i find someone to trade on the tapers?

i love the turnouts! you feel the exhaust blasting on your leg when u take off

When I first ordered the Cycle Shacks for my 1200C (07), I loved the sound, but then my bike started hesitating in cruise mode, and power just sucked when I got on it. When I talked to a couple of HD Service reps, they claimed the Cycle Shacks didn't provide enough back pressure for the Sportys.

Ignoring this advice, I went ahead and had the SE AC installed along with a remap. Although not as bad, the bike still hesitates while in cruise mode and power still sucks.

So now I'm not sure what to do:
1. Purchase new slip ons (Rush - 1.75 in. baffles)?
2. Dyno?
3. Fuel Management device (not recommended by HD service rep)?

the OL and i were at the local hang out this weekend. after about an hour and a half we were getting ready to leave when a big group of street bikers rolled up and were just hanging out. the wife started her stock 883 up, no big deal, i started my 1200N up (with the CS slips) and all the harley dudes stopped what they were doing and stared like holy crap i didnt know a sporty could sound like that! the best though was all the street bikers stoped and started pointing at my bike and lined up when i pulled out. i think these slips catch every one of guard, one thing for sure though your neighbors wont like em!

When I first ordered the Cycle Shacks for my 1200C (07), I loved the sound, but then my bike started hesitating in cruise mode, and power just sucked when I got on it. When I talked to a couple of HD Service reps, they claimed the Cycle Shacks didn't provide enough back pressure for the Sportys.

Ignoring this advice, I went ahead and had the SE AC installed along with a remap. Although not as bad, the bike still hesitates while in cruise mode and power still sucks.

So now I'm not sure what to do:
1. Purchase new slip ons (Rush - 1.75 in. baffles)?
2. Dyno?
3. Fuel Management device (not recommended by HD service rep)?

I don't have any hesitation with mine. There's a slight loss in bottom end, but that's normal with most pipes. I don't know why the service rep didn't recommend you getting a fuel management device other than them wanting to sell you something else. From what I hear, you can't go wrong with a Power Commander.

just put on my cycle shacks today.. I was also worried about the loudness of the pipes but if you stay off the gas they are not to bad. i was looking for that top fuel sound, without cams these sound GREAT love them. Acutally go a comment about how great it sounded at the gas station (only had the pips on for 20 minutes!!!)