I need help -- Rush Slip-ons

[Lobo-wolf1]

First, I am not a wrench, or even a very good mechanic -- but not helpless. I have a 2000 Fatboy with Stock exhaust. I just purchased a pair of Rush Slip-ons. There are NO instructions of any kind, or even any paperwork. Just a box with the part number on the side and the name Rush, with two slip-on mufflers inside. I did get a pair of harley Muffler clamps based on another thread. Now == help. Can anyone tell me how to put these on. I figure there must be more than just starting to unbolt the old mufflers and .... What do I do first, are there any gaskets or anything that I need. Is this as simple as I have heard. Help Please. And thanks.

[old_school]

Believe it or not it is that simple, I work for an HD dealer we sell them all day long anybody can bolt them on as long as you own a few wrenches.

[DaFish]

Hey Jess, like old_school stated. It is that easy. Just unbolt and work the old slip-ons off. You may want to spray some penetrating oil on the pipes to get them off easier. But you should be able to get it with no worries my friend!
Oh! No gaskets unless you remove the headpipes which don't need to come off.

DaFish

[greyghost51]

ahh yes, it's pretty simple, IF and that's a big IF you can get the old ones off without a lot of problem. I changed them out on my Heritage and probably spent about 4 hours total getting the old ones off the exhaust pipes, then about 15 minutes putting the new ones on. I've heard about putting penetrating oil on or WD40, but not till AFTER I did the work on mine :-). Like the end result and I'm very pleased with the Rush units (1.75").. Good luck, take your time and you can do it.

[Furcifer]

The special harley clamps are designed to be able to be used without the need for the sealer, common to older designs, but they always recommend buying new clamps. Personally, I think if you know what you're looking at you can inspect your existing clamps and just use them, as long as they weren't bottomed out before and you don't get any leaks. If you've already ponied up for a new set of clamps, then use them - you can't go wrong, really.

I just cleaned up the sealing surfaces and used my existing clamps for my Rush slip-ons (2.5" baffles) and they've been great - I love them. Also, you can get a mechanic's stethoscope from the Lisle rack at any auto parts place and just unscrew the probe to listen for exhaust leaks. You'll need to listen at idle and under a bit of load, since one pipe can be in reversion at idle, depending on header pipe(/crossover) design. If you do have any leaks, then you can just take them loose and apply some sealer, or live with it for a little while and wait for the surfaces to oxidize, settle in and bond a little. I changed mine out during my lunch break, and they have been good for over a year now. (Air tools help...)

[greyghost51]

Furcifer, just for future reference what IS the best way to get the old mufflers off the pipes? There was absolutely not slip off to mine, slip on was fine, but off was a royal pain. Any pointer would be appreciated.

[Furcifer]

Furcifer, just for future reference what IS the best way to get the old mufflers off the pipes? There was absolutely not slip off to mine, slip on was fine, but off was a royal pain. Any pointer would be appreciated.

Take everything loose and just use the leverage from the end of the pipe to move it in small circles, somewhat increasing in size, to wallow the outer sleeve to the point that it will slip. (make sure you're not crushing the inner pipe, but it's thicker with less surface area, so it should be fine.) If the bike is relatively new, there is little potential that you're gonna bend something in an unrecoverable way. Some P-oil sure can't hurt, but you'll want to wipe it all off before you put the new ones on. It should aid in cleaning the surface, too.

One thing though - I was not replacing stock pipes. The dealer had already installed Screamin' Eagle I mufflers on it, but they had been on there for two years before I got the Rush slip-ons. The stock pipes are probably a bit more difficult to remove, I would guess.

I kept my old ones for spares - I just cleaned them up with soap and water and a sponge/greenie. I let them dry and bagged them up in the same box the new ones came in, so if I ever damage them, I can throw the old ones on while I wait for new ones to come in.

[Salsa Steve]

Lobo-wolf, one other thing, be sure to wipe off your pipes after you handle them to get any grease or other contaminates off so they don'e burn into the pipe and then it's harder to clean off later.

http://www.cyclespot.com/forums/photopost/data/1031/medium/DCP_2468.JPG

[Lobo-wolf1]

Thanks for all the good info. I am going to put them on this weekend. I already bought new Harley Clamps per the suggestion by Rush. This is Not a new bike, a 2000 with 29K miles, and it is the stock pipes. So I will try both the WD40 and the little circle wallow move and prayer. I will let you know next week if I am successful. Again, thanks for all the help.

[Johnny Vintage]

I did the Rush thing on my 2006 Fatty too.

I also loosened everything off and sprayed a bunch of WD 40 around the clamp area. Leave it on overnight. Hold the pipe at the end and also at the clamp area. Then do the wig-wag circle jerk with the end hand. They will slowly start backing out.

One bit of advise, put a big old towel or blanket between the pipes and the bike. When they finally pop off it will protect the bike fron getting a ding. You kinda' go out of control at that point. The stock pipes are pretty heavy.

Good Luck,

You'll love the Rush!!

[98030 FatBoy]

Furcifer, you PCS'd yet man???

[FLHTCUI2004]

A wrench once suggested that I should place a dab of silicone on the pipe before slidding the new slipon mufflers on to help make sure there be a good seal.

Never heard of this before, and haven't done it, but thought I would just pass the idea on. . .

[Lobo-wolf1]

Thank you people of all this good knowledge. I really appreciate everyone pitching in to help with no put downs. Thanks. I have one last question before I jump into this. Heat Shields? Will I need them with the Rush Slip-ons? Again, thanks for all the help.

[UltraFlame]

You will not need heat shields for the slip ons and you already have them on your pipes since they are OEM. Normally only pipes have heat shields and the mufflers do not.

[Furcifer]

You will not need heat shields for the slip ons and you already have them on your pipes since they are OEM. Normally only pipes have heat shields and the mufflers do not.

...the Rush mufflers will get quite a bit *WARMER* though, so watch your leg...

Furcifer, you PCS'd yet man???

A seller just accepted my offer on a house yesterday. I'm in a JAX hotel right now doing the paperwork/inspections/etc. Household goods and the bikes won't be here until July, though... I'll be in Houston or Pensacola for all of June anyway, so it's unavoidable. Man, there's a LOT of Harley riders around here!!! I can't wait...

[Johnny Vintage]

Fatboys come with heat shields on the header pipes and the mufflers. It's because of the height of the pipes by the passenger's feet and legs.

I put my stock heat sheilds on the Rush and they look fine.

[Lobo-wolf1]

Well -- Put the new rush slip-ons on my 2000 Fatboy. As everyone here said, it was fairly simple. Unfortunately, everything Rush said was false. They have obviously not don't a great deal of research nor engineering. Before this purchase, I contacted Rush and ask them Several Questions and based on the answers, I purchased these. All those answers were false.
1) Asked about the cross-over. Rush Said that the 2000 Fatboy crossover was on the exhausts, not the mufflers and would not be affected. I asked because the shop Manual said the crossover was on the mufflers, Rush said NO. Wrong, the crossover is on the mufflers and is now gone. No Crossover.
2) Asked if the slipons would affect the way performace. Rush said at least a 5Hp gain with no modifications & 5% torque increase. Wrong -- Low in and Midrange have lost at least 10% or more power. Major affect on under 50 mph performance, all bad. I think because of loss of Crossover. Also, there is a major sucking when you let off the Throttle.
3) Asked how loud and what kind of sound -- Rush said deep & throaty, but not a lot louder than stock (with 1.75"). Wrong again, this sounds Hard, Sharp and LOUD. Much like V&H Straight pipes.

I could live with the loudness, and maybe get used to the hard cracking sound and the sucking, but the loss of power at low and mid range it really awful. I feel like cussing. I made a bad move. Not sure what to do now. I will ride it for a few weeks, but probably going back to stock. I will never trust Rush again, be careful of there products, because they lied to me in writing and that is just not right.

[FLHTCUI2004]

Wow!

I put the 1.75's on my 08 Ultra and they seem to be fine, though I added the motofuel baffles and Nightrider Xied's. I'm getting a little, very little decel pop, and even then, only occasionally. The right muffler is turning yellow right at the beginning of the slipon though.

I think the bike is running better, fuel mileage dropped a bit, so I assume the xied's are in fact, adding fuel to a lean running engine. I'm not sure it is enough fuel though. . .because of the yellowing muffler. But that may be a characteristic of the Rush slippons. . .I have no idea.

The motofuel baffles are quieter than the 1.75's and have a lower tone. I think the "bark" comes from the fiberglass not obsorbing the higher frequencies. The motofuel baffles use some german made material that does a much better job than the fiberglass. At least that is my experience.

The Ultra's don't have the crossover on the mufflers, so I don't know about that issue.

I think that I would like to find a dyno somewhere and run it once with the stock muffler's then once with the rush's and see if there is actually any difference. I can't tell if it sounds like more power or actually is more power. . . .main thing is that the bike sounds a lot more like it should. . .in my opinion anyway.