Boss system with Ghost Pipe...
Boss system with Ghost Pipe and Back Cut tips.
Bolt-on power is great for two reasons: it doesn't require hours of labor, and compared to a complete engine rebuild kit, it won't drain your pocketbook and you'll still see noticeable gains. The most common bolt-on upgrade is an aftermarket pipe and air cleaner and that's exactly where D&D Performance Exhaust fit in with its Boss Exhaust System and Zipper's Performance Hi-Flow Air Filter kit.
The Boss is a 2-into-1 exhaust system for 2009 Touring models that's available in either midnight black (MSRP: $1,080) or show chrome finish (MSRP: $975) and comes with either Back Cut or Slant Cut exhaust tips. Available with the Boss system, since it's a 2-into-1 pipe, is the Ghost Pipe (MSRP: $346). The Ghost Pipe mounts to the oil pan-replacing the stock crossover pipe-to look as if the bike is running true duals, when in all actuality, it's just a dummy pipe to give the true duals look.
Also available with the Boss system is a Zipper's Performance Hi-Flow Air Cleaner kit (MSRP: $140) that is made to increase airflow with a high flow backing plate. The filter is 100 percent washable and is made from layers of cotton gauze material. The backing plate incorporates internal breather passages and is available in three finishes: silver cast aluminum, black, and chrome.
According to Aaron Whitney, chief engineer at D&D, the company did a lot of testing with the new system and noticed that after testing the Boss system and Zipper's Hi-Flow air cleaner kit against the stock setup, there were increases in horsepower and torque. Aaron also noticed that the air/fuel ratios were essentially the same. Aaron mentioned, if you were running a high-performance cam or had some motor work done, you would definitely want to run a tuner when combined with the Boss system. But if you're only running the Boss system and Hi-Flow air filter with no motor work, no tuner is actually necessary; however, you could see some slight gains and increased performance if you decided to run a tuner.
We stopped into one of our neighborhood Harley shops, Huntington Beach Hogs and Choppers to perform the install.
1. Here is the 2-into-1 system...
1. Here is the 2-into-1 system with the muffler on the bottom, the 2-into-1 header in the middle and the Ghost pipe up top. D&D provides very thorough installation instructions as well. Accompanying the exhaust system is the Zipper's Hi-Flow air cleaner.
2. When we showed up to HB...
2. When we showed up to HB Hogs, Ed had already removed the stock exhaust system to save time. He then removed the oxygen sensors from the stock headers and installed them onto the new head pipes with anti-seize. Then he slipped in the new exhaust gaskets and loosely fit the Boss system to make sure everything lined up. The chrome heat shields were already installed to the 2-into-1 system. Once it lined up, Ed mounted the rear of the header's mounting tab on top of the transmission mount and snugged everything down.
3. Next, Ed loosely attached...
3. Next, Ed loosely attached the muffler to the header in order to make adjustments if needed. After lining up the muffler, he tightened it to the header and the saddelbag support. Once the muffler had been installed, Ed plugged the oxygen sensors back into the EFI system.
4. Ed slid the Ghost Pipe...
4. Ed slid the Ghost Pipe underneath the Touring chassis to bolt it up to the oil pan.
5. The Ghost Pipe simply...
5. The Ghost Pipe simply bolts to the back of the oil pan (arrow), and doesn' t connect to the exhaust system; it's only made for aesthetic purposes. Once it was torqued to spec it was tightened to the left bag support. At this time the entire D&D system was done. It took roughly 10-15 minutes to install the entire system with a few simple tools.
6. The Zipper's Hi-Flow kit...
6. The Zipper's Hi-Flow kit comes with the required mounting hardware. Next, Ed installed the Zipper's Performance backing plate to the motor
7. ...then he attached the...
7. ...then he attached the air filter assembly to the backing plate. Ed simply tightened down the three bolts and attached the stock air cleaner cover and the entire install was finished. After that, Ed put the bike on the dyno to see the results.
8. Here's a look at the finished...
8. Here's a look at the finished Boss 2-into-1 with its accompanying Ghost Pipe sticking out on the other side.
9. The stock numbers show...
9. The stock numbers show 67.43 hp and 78.36 lb-ft of torque. Look at the difference after the Boss system and Zipper's air cleaner were installed. The numbers shot up to 76.58 with 88.57 lb-ft of torque. That's an increase of 9.15 hp and 10.21 lb-ft torque. Not only did the power increase but the system produces a great rumbly tone. To hear what the pipes sound like, log on to
www.hotbikeweb.com