EPA Approved Slip-ons

[jimkelley]

Wondering if the after market guys have slip-on mufflers that carry the EPA certification stamp. I just traded my 03 FLHT for a new '09 Ultra, and am thinking of changing out the mufflers. The way things are going I want to go conservative but still improve the sound a little. I have looked at several company web sites and no one seems to even mention the subject. The Harley SE slip-ons are supposed to be 50 state approved but other than that I haven't found any info. Anyone got any info in this area? I'm kind of partial to Vance and Hines Ovals or Monster Ovals.

[mediaguy]

Any aftermarket pipe that exceeds the stock Db level is NOT EPA approved.

[milindh]

Forget about the EPA. They don't give tickets. Whatever your state and local requirements are should be your main concern. They can give you tickets. Out here in California there are noise restrictions in some places while other jurisdictions want you to show the OEM stamp. It really can vary from city to city. In some cases even SE slip ons aren't allowed. Whatever pipes you get be sure to keep your stock pipes around in case you have to clear a ticket. This whole OEM stamp thing is a big drag cuz a lot of bikes' OEM pipes have been discontinued or never had a stamp in the first place. I keep an old set of stock headers and muffs in the garage for my FXR4 just in case.You might consider getting a set of aftermarket perfomance baffles for your stock pipes.

[Gas Man]

I don't know about EPA, but the SE II slip ons are 50 state legal. Whatever that means.

[unclepsycho]

I havent seen any with the EPA stamp,

But, I'm looking for a proctologist that also works on Harley's, so he can remove the innerd and replace them into the stock muffler shell.

I tried one idea, but destroyed the outer chrome in the process. I thought about welding in the EPA stamp onto my new design, but that may not be quite legal.

Lucky for us, the AMA is fighting for our rights to do some of these exhaust mods etc, just like car and truck owners have been doing all along with no problems from the law.

[nukeguy]

No telling what Big Brother has planned for us pertaining to motorcycle noise/emissions level enforcement courtesy of the EPA. I still have my original factory slip on's just in case. Nothing would surprise me these days.

[milindh]

Originally Posted by Gas Man

I don't know about EPA, but the SE II slip ons are 50 state legal. Whatever that means.

Yeah Gas man, I believe you about some pipes being 50 state legal. I'd bet some of the aftermarket makers are working up some similar pipes for their lineups.

What I was getting at was that different local jurisdictions have their own laws and levels of enforcement. Last summer in, I believe, Temecula, California visiting bikers were welcomed with heavy police presense and many bikes were pulled over and ticketed for their non OEM pipes. In that case tickets were also given for the SE pipes despite the protests of the owners that they were kosher. The ticketing officers' reactions were, "Tell it to the judge. I'm just enforcing the law here."

It seems that the locals were getting tired of the summer visits from bikers with loud pipes blasting away so pressure was put on the cops to clamp down hard on all the bikes. I'm sure we'd all agree that probably more Harleys have modified exhaust than don't. Along with that, places like Temecula (a cute little tourist town in the hills north east of San Diego that is a favorite go to spot for a lot of bikers) have an aging population that is not so appreciative of the that ballsy biker sound (Harley or crotch rocket).

So...the pressure gets applied. Whether the enforcement was either legal or fair a ticket meant going to court to fight it with chances of winning slim to none. If you produced documentation that your SEll pipes were OK you'd probably win your case but you'd have to drive up to Temecula and sit in a court room all day to make your point and you wouldn't even be guaranteed acquital. I believe their local law was that your bike had to have the pipes it was born with. Not legal or fair?....Tell to the state supreme court.

I'm with Uncle Psycho on this. Let the AMA and other biker groups fight this fight. Yesterday I rode my loud FXR past two local police speed traps but luckily I saw them up ahead. I upshifted and slowed down and crept by them. These days I save the wide open Samurai blasts for the less populated areas (if possible....). If I get popped I'll slip on my old stock pipes to clear the ticket. Meantime, I'll try not to be too obnoxious, I swear!

[Gas Man]

The only downside of the SEII pipes is that they aren't that loud. However, I don't mind that for my road trips.

[Hammerhead Pat]

I'm really pleased with the S/E II's, loud enough but not so bad as to have the neighbors complaining( at least not about the noise)

[Gas Man]

Well its funny, the sound level seems to be different depending on bike model. My wife's Nightster sounds GREAT and has much more volume compared to mine. But as Pat said, they are just enough but not too loud.