Of all the ways to customize your motorcycle, aside from paint, the wide world of exhaust systems provides the largest variety. Just a few of the options to choose from include true duals, 2-into-1s, mufflers, drag pipes, and fishtails. Then you have the myriad of finishes; chrome, ceramic black, heat wrapped, and heat shields/no heat shields. When searching out new pipes, if you want a particular sound, style, performance, or some other criteria, finding the right exhaust for your ride can be a daunting task. When it came to one of our project bikes (a '96 Springer) however, we were able to easily narrow down the pipe pool based on necessity. After lowering the front and rear of the Softail, the lean angle of the bike was significantly reduced. So we wanted set of pipes that had a custom look but wouldn't interfere with the lean angle on the right side. We found exactly what we needed with a set of Fuelies from Exotic Choppers.
Paul Kokesh started Exotic Choppers (EC) about 10 years ago as an all around shop that could handle everything from paint, fabrication, custom bike building, and service as well as offering a line of custom parts such as intakes, lighting, handlebars, and exhaust systems. Within the exhaust section of the EC website you'll find a plethora of pipes that range in style from mild to wild. Aside from the wide variety of styles, Paul also offers his pipes for a large cross section of bikes and fitments from baggers, Sportsters, Dynas, and V-Rods to Right-side drive bikes, hard tails, as well pipes for older models like Shovelheads. To go along with the pipes, Paul also offers the option of baffles or no baffles, torque cones, custom tips, o2 sensor bungs for EFI, and various finishes such as chrome, black ceramic, and polished silver ceramic. You can also order chrome pipes with a metallic ceramic lining which will help prevent discoloration on the exterior.
-
01. We felt a set of black ceramic-coated Fuelies ($675) would fit our project bike perfectly. The pipes feature a stepped design to help improve performance with a 1-3/4-inch diameter top section transitioning into a 2-inch diameter middle section and ending with a 2-1/4 diameter inch final section.
01. We felt a set of black ceramic-coated Fuelies ($675) would fit our project bike perfe
-
02. Aside from the pipes, the only other thing that came in the box was a bolt with a lock nut and two washers. We searched the box for a lower mounting bracket to bolt the ends of the pipes to and after a quick conversation with Paul he assured us that simply bolting the flanges at the ends of the pipes together would sufficiently secure the pipes.
02. Aside from the pipes, the only other thing that came in the box was a bolt with a loc
-
03. We ordered our set of Fuelies with baffles. Due to the design of the pipes, Paul has to weld the baffles into the 2-1/4-inch diameter section of the last piece of pipe before that section is welded to the 2-inch diameter middle section. Obviously once in place the baffles can't be removed.
03. We ordered our set of Fuelies with baffles. Due to the design of the pipes, Paul has
-
04. We started by ensuring the exhaust ports were clean and then installed new exhaust gaskets. To ensure a tight seal, it's important to always install new gaskets whenever you remove your pipes from the heads.
04. We started by ensuring the exhaust ports were clean and then installed new exhaust ga
-
05. Next, we slipped the exhaust flanges onto the new pipes followed by the exhaust flange retaining rings.
05. Next, we slipped the exhaust flanges onto the new pipes followed by the exhaust flang
-
06. Starting with the rear pipe, we then loosely bolted it to the head.
-
07. After loosely bolting the front pipe to the head we used the included nut and bolt to loosely tighten the ends of the pipes together via the flanges welded to the ends of each of them.
07. After loosely bolting the front pipe to the head we used the included nut and bolt to
-
08. We then began tightening the exhaust bolts alternating between the left and right side bolts on both the front and rear pipe to ensure everything tightened up evenly and was properly aligned at the lower flanges.
08. We then began tightening the exhaust bolts alternating between the left and right sid
-
09. With the head pipes tight and the lower flanges aligned, we tightened the lower bolt and installation was complete.
09. With the head pipes tight and the lower flanges aligned, we tightened the lower bolt
10. With the short design and routing method of the Fuelies we've had no issues with dragging the pipes in a hard right turn. And while we were nervous about the end of the pipes not being secured to the bike or frame we haven't had any issues with excessive vibration or the pipes coming loose. The Fuelies have a nice rumble to them and we were afraid that they might be a little disrupting to our neighbors, but the inclusion of the baffles help give them a moderate tone while also providing some back pressure for improved performance. To get an idea of what the pipes sound like visit
hotbikeweb.com.
10. With the short design and routing method of the Fuelies we've had no issues with dragging the pipes in a hard right turn. And while we were nervous about the end of the pipes not being secured to the bike or frame we haven't had any issues with excessive vibration or the pipes coming loose. The Fuelies have a nice rumble to them and we were afraid that they might be a little disrupting to our neighbors, but the inclusion of the baffles help give them a moderate tone while also providing some back pressure for improved performance. To get an idea of what the pipes sound like visit
hotbikeweb.com.
Source
Exotic Choppers
Exoticchoppers.com | (407) 253-1233