“Stepped” exhaust VS straight header pipes.

[paniolo]

Another EXHAUSTING question here.

I have the BUB Rinehart True Duals. It is a stepped system, and I love it…..except for one thing. The left pipe does not fit flush with the side cover. It sticks out too much for a short guy like me. So much more than stock, that it touches the inside of my left leg from time to time. My jeans have gotten wicked hot sometimes.

I know it’s possible to run different true dual header pipes like Hooker, and Torres Cycles with different slip-ons, sort of mix and match. My question is, can you run mufflers designed for stepped pipes, like the Rineharts, with non stepped true dual headers? Would not adding a TORX cone provide the same effect or make up the difference? I’d like to keep my Rinehart mufflers and just change the headers to something that fits more flush. I just don’t want to have to lose my current level of performance and tune.

Thanks!

[JJ 02FXDL]

Are your Rinehart muffs removable from the headers? Mine are for a Dyna but they are all one piece, welded.

My thoughts are that motorcycle exhaust is similar to vehicular exhaust except that you have fewer cylinders. The headers directly affect the flow of exhaust out of the combustion chambers. They can free flowing or more restrictive depending on their diameter, angle of the bends, how the bends were bended, etc. The muff helps tune the sound or makes it quieter in some cases, are supposed to help keep the air clean, and can be either free flowing or more restricting. A perfectly tuned header and muffler system is the best option but not always one that can be had for whatever reason. In my opinion a good non restrictive header would work just fine with a muff that provides good sound but due to the baffles also provides the needed back pressure. In the case of my Rineharts the headers are stepped to help with the back pressure because they decided to go with a free flowing muff, i.e. the baffles are more like a glass-pack setup (one can see right through to the other end when looking in a glass pack) rather than the other kind of baffles that actually force the exhaust gases to go through them or around them. These are my thoughts and I am by no means an expert, nor have I done any testing or studies regarding motorcycle exhaust. I have however talked to lots of people and read some things. Your mileage may vary.

JJ