Changing the baffles in the mufflers require retuning?

azbob09

250+ Posts
Dec 1, 2009
251
27
Wickenburg, AZ
Name
Bob
I've got a 2012 TG that is totally stock (a/c, cat in headers,no stage 1 or tuner). The only thing I've done was put the 3.5" Rinehart mufflers off of my limited before the TG. This is the first time I've every left a bike stock & surprisingly I'm very satisfied, except I would like a little more "of a bark".
The Rineharts come with 2.25" baffles but they have a High Flow 2.5" baffles that's suppose to be a little louder. I don't think it will affect the air/fuel mixture or hurt the performance so as to require any additional tuning. Like I said I'm happy with the way it runs, it's not a rocket, but it's good enough for me.
Any in put or exprience would be appreciated.
 
Lots of storys about how much the ecm can adjust for changes. I just added Xied's to mine and am very happy. No rocket ship but at 1200 lbs can't expect to much.
 
Kind of my feelings with the bike also. After costing more than my first home I don't want to add another 3k+.I had the cats removed by my dealer and they say the ECM has no trouble adjusting. Other than that done ( for the heat) i think I'll leave it alone. it runs fine and still sounds like a Harley ( albeit a stock one!) .
If I want to scream, I hop on the Victory 'Jackpot' that's a bit hopped!

D.
 
Yea, I think I'm going to order the high flow baffles & hopefully it won't change the tuning enough that the ecm can't adapt.
I guess if it does I can always change back to the originals & try & sell these.
If it sounds more like the old true duals maybe I'll think it's a little faster & I'm a little younger!!!
 
Yea, I think I'm going to order the high flow baffles & hopefully it won't change the tuning enough that the ecm can't adapt.
I guess if it does I can always change back to the originals & try & sell these.
If it sounds more like the old true duals maybe I'll think it's a little faster & I'm a little younger!!!

Before you install the new baffles make sure you can remember the low end torque with your smaller baffles. Then change, and test again !
Remember more noise isn't an indication of more power !!
Also listen for deceleration backfire. You might also find flat spots in your acceleration, or areas that seem to serge the RPM up & down, engine pinging....
Keep in mind what lean mixtures do to an engine,,, then make your decision...........:Trike1:
 
With the CAT still in the headers I doubt that you will be able to hear much difference in the sound when you go from the 2.25 to 2.5 baffles. Take the CAT out and then you will be able to hear the difference, but you will probably need to retune.

Sam
 
Before you install the new baffles make sure you can remember the low end torque with your smaller baffles. Then change, and test again !
Remember more noise isn't an indication of more power !!
Also listen for deceleration backfire. You might also find flat spots in your acceleration, or areas that seem to serge the RPM up & down, engine pinging....
Keep in mind what lean mixtures do to an engine,,, then make your decision...........:Trike1:

Yes, I'm aware of decel backfire, serging, slight loss in low end torque, & particully pinging. All good points but I'm not opening up a/c with stage 1, which I know would cause it running leaner. Im going to leave that stock as I'm ok with the power & right now I have none of the above mentioned problems.
It has crossed my mind that maybe I should just leave it alone, but I would like it to sound a little more like the old Rinehart true duals & I'm hoping a small change in the muffler baffles would help.
 
Yes, I'm aware of decel backfire, serging, slight loss in low end torque, & particully pinging. All good points but I'm not opening up a/c with stage 1, which I know would cause it running leaner. Im going to leave that stock as I'm ok with the power & right now I have none of the above mentioned problems.
It has crossed my mind that maybe I should just leave it alone, but I would like it to sound a little more like the old Rinehart true duals & I'm hoping a small change in the muffler baffles would help.

I'm not really familiar with those muffs, but if you have removable baffles, are they wrapped with fiberglass ? If so remove the packing. Or you could drill a few holes larger if it has holes in the baffle. If they have slits, open them up a little at a time. Make them as loud as you want without buying new baffles.
Take a look you might be surprised.

:Trike1:
 
Yes, I'm aware of decel backfire, serging, slight loss in low end torque, & particully pinging. All good points but I'm not opening up a/c with stage 1, which I know would cause it running leaner. Im going to leave that stock as I'm ok with the power & right now I have none of the above mentioned problems.
It has crossed my mind that maybe I should just leave it alone, but I would like it to sound a little more like the old Rinehart true duals & I'm hoping a small change in the muffler baffles would help.


The no air cleaner change and all is well is a myth. The bone stock air cleaner is capable of allowing more air into the engine if you give the engine a way to move that air by an exhaust change.
 
I'm not really familiar with those muffs, but if you have removable baffles, are they wrapped with fiberglass ? If so remove the packing. Or you could drill a few holes larger if it has holes in the baffle. If they have slits, open them up a little at a time. Make them as loud as you want without buying new baffles.
Take a look you might be surprised.

:Trike1:

I understand what your saying but they're not wrapped in fiberglass & I don't want to enlarge the holes or slots in the baffles I have because if I don't like the sound or the way it runs with it's existing tune I won't have anything to change back to.
 
I understand what your saying but they're not wrapped in fiberglass & I don't want to enlarge the holes or slots in the baffles I have because if I don't like the sound or the way it runs with it's existing tune I won't have anything to change back to.

Pay attention to what msocko3 is saying. Exhaust can change many things. If things are change very far from stock................

:Trike1:
 
I drilled out the back of the baffle with a long one inch drill bit. But make sure your bit is tight otherwise I will let you figure out the rest...LOL
 
Msocko, I'm agreeing with:The bone stock air cleaner is capable of allowing more air into the engine if you give the engine a way to move that air by an exhaust change.



I have yet to feel (by my seat of the pants dyno) my exhaust change giving a noticable HP increase. But changing the cam to one designed to work with a specific exhaust will provide significant power increases. Just throwing a random muffler at an engine is not the best approach.

Agree?

Phu Cat
 
Msocko, I'm agreeing with:The bone stock air cleaner is capable of allowing more air into the engine if you give the engine a way to move that air by an exhaust change.



I have yet to feel (by my seat of the pants dyno) my exhaust change giving a noticable HP increase. But changing the cam to one designed to work with a specific exhaust will provide significant power increases. Just throwing a random muffler at an engine is not the best approach.

Agree?

Phu Cat

I'm not throwing a "random muffler" at an engine. I'm changing a pair of Rinehart standard 2.25" baffles to another pair of Rinehart high flow 2.5" baffles.
 
Timflorida, I've heard guys remove the pipes after the cat chamber and just knock the catalyst with a hammer and screw drive. But if big brother ever starts checking motorcycles for polution it's gonna cost ya $787 for a new cat chamber. I bought a new set of header pipes with spots for the '02 sensors and saved my stock catalytic pervertor.

BTW, I'm in Ocala, where are you?

Phu Cat
 
How do you take the cats out?

The best way it to cut a windown in the back side of the chamber where the cat is and chisel it out then weld the window back in. The other way is to get a Fuelmoto Jackpot head pipe, Fullsac Xpipe or one of their Sport pipes. Of course retuning is required when ditching the cat.
 
I'm not throwing a "random muffler" at an engine. I'm changing a pair of Rinehart standard 2.25" baffles to another pair of Rinehart high flow 2.5" baffles.

I've seen a single disk change on a Supertrapp supermeg make a difference in AFR. Depending on how the flow and scavenging is changed the engine could develop rich or lean spots.
 
Msocko, Have seen the Fuel Moto pipes recommended in other places. Any particular reason. Shouldn't all header pipes be about the same? School me.

Phu Cat
 
Msocko, Have seen the Fuel Moto pipes recommended in other places. Any particular reason. Shouldn't all header pipes be about the same? School me.

Phu Cat

Head pipe diameter size and flow characteristics change how the engine will run and what range of rpms the engine will perform with those changes. Remove any restriction in either the headpipe such as the cat or change the mufflers to a better free flowing baffles from the stock setup currently and you have begun down that slope of re tuning your engine.

Add a cam, increase the compression or build a larger engine and the size of the pipe and muffler flow combination at some point has to change with what your trying accomplish as well
 
Msocko, Have seen the Fuel Moto pipes recommended in other places. Any particular reason. Shouldn't all header pipes be about the same? School me.

Phu Cat

FLTR2008TRIKE did a pretty good job of summing it up. For folks looking to retain the stock look of their exhaust Fuelmoto and Fullsac exhaust is the way to fly. I ran the Jackpot head pipe on my 2010 Triglide, nice piece of workmanship and I couldn't beat the price.

At the time nobody was making a head pipe for the Triglide so Jamie ask someone to send a factory head pipe in so he could get the dimensions off it, I sent my dads head pipe in since I already had it odd his 09 Triglide. Jamie got the dimensions and shipped my dads head pipe back and a new Jackpot head pipe free of charge for sending him a head pipe to measure. Since then Fullsac has adapted his Xpipe to the Triglide and come up with a more budget oriented pipe called he sport pipe.

This is my head pipe laying next to a Jackpot head pipe.

fmpipe1.jpg
 

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