How to quiet mufflers?

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Offcenter
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How to quiet mufflers?

#1

Post by Offcenter »

Hey guys,
I recently got my '76 on the road with a set of seemingly new Harley FLH mufflers on it.
Even though the mufflers appear new and unmolested, the bike has a heck of a bark.
My ears are still ringing. I like quiet bikes. There is no way I'm going to enjoy riding
this thing any distance....which is what I want to do!
I was thinking of getting some stainless steel wool and stuffing it into the inlet
end of the mufflers. Would this quiet them down without restricting the
giddy up 'n' go too much?
Any and all suggestions appreciated!
Thanks guys.
George in Jersey
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#2

Post by JBz »

are they the Harley mufflers that come apart on the tail end with 3 allen bolts. If so they could be repacked............... if not just putting stainless steel wool probably wouldn't help much unless the washer is way down there. and I wouldnt recommend that way but might help jb
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#3

Post by BlueThunder »

Don't use steel wool or home fiberglass packing. They don't last and eventually blow out the pipe. Use muffler packing material. You'll be happier in the long run.
...Brian
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Offcenter
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#4

Post by Offcenter »

I just looked. No allen bolts or screws of any sort.
These things are welded in one piece.
I'm hoping to get some first-hand advice on this.
I already have some hearing loss and don't need it to
get any worse.
Sure wish I could get the original mufflers for the thing,
but they are no long available....at least not at a price
that any normal human can afford!
George in Jersey
76 GL-1000
77 Trail 90

It's called a "Dresser".
A bagger is an old lady who lives under
a bridge with her crap in a shopping cart.
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Offcenter
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#5

Post by Offcenter »

BlueThunder wrote:Don't use steel wool or home fiberglass packing. They don't last and eventually blow out the pipe. Use muffler packing material. You'll be happier in the long run.
Muffler packing material? First I've heard of it. Suggested source, Brian?
Thanks!
George in Jersey
76 GL-1000
77 Trail 90

It's called a "Dresser".
A bagger is an old lady who lives under
a bridge with her crap in a shopping cart.
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#6

Post by salukispeed »

I think I saw some after market baffles that you might adapt to the inside of the Harley mufflers you have. I may have seen them in the JCWhitney catalog and other places. They may last longer than a repack with stainless wool. I have never tried them. You may have ended up with aftermarket harley look alike. I have a set of Road King mufflers on the shelf but they have almost nothing in them to reduce the sound and it turns out they are after market ones you can look straight thru.
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#7

Post by JBz »

can you see all the way thru them or is there a washer or something like that in there???????? jb
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#8

Post by Motowalt »

Sounds like your FLH mufflers may have been cored by the previous owner to make them louder.

I installed a pair of Sportster mufflers on my 78 and it isn't very loud at all, about the same as the stock horseshoe muffler.

Try a new pair and see if that makes a difference, they are inexpensive.

Secondly, I always wear earplugs when riding, not just to protect against exhaust noise, but windnoise. They make a huge difference in lessening fatigue on long trips.
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#9

Post by BlueThunder »

BlueThunder wrote:Don't use steel wool or home fiberglass packing. They don't last and eventually blow out the pipe. Use muffler packing material. You'll be happier in the long run.
Offcenter wrote:Muffler packing material? First I've heard of it. Suggested source, Brian?
Thanks!
Packing info article:
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q ... 1466,d.aWw

Muffler packing sources:
https://www.denniskirk.com/moose/fiberg ... /25112.sku
http://www.jpcycles.com/product/ZZ33433
http://www.motorcycle-superstore.com/41 ... er-packing
http://www.amazon.com/Moose-Racing-Fibe ... B00230BCB6
http://www.bikebandit.com/aftermarket-p ... er-packing
http://www.dimecitycycles.com/vintage-c ... p-120.html

Or google "motorcycle muffler packing" for more sources.
...Brian
2014 CTX1300 Deluxe - BlackThunder aka Predator
1977 GL1000 - Ox
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#10

Post by ericheath »

I used a two inch hole saw to drill the back out ( where the three screws would be). Didn't like the sound at all. Louder, but not the nice tone of the big vtwins. I put them back in. Imo, the stock Harley muffs sound nice. Do whatever you want to these, you still have a 250-300 cc cylinder making the noise. That's the same size as most lawn mowers. I haven't been able to find a set that has a good "tune."
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#11

Post by rcmatt007 »

did some PO knock out the baffles? OEM FLH pipes are actually fairly quiet... or, are you making noise where the header meet the muffler, or where the header meets the head?
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#12

Post by Gowing »

Keep an eye out for the stock horseshoe system off a parts bike on local craigslist or
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=mbmizeMSK3g
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#13

Post by Offcenter »

JBz wrote:can you see all the way thru them or is there a washer or something like that in there???????? jb
No, I've looked inside with a light. The original baffles are intact. The mufflers were billed as new take-offs. They were not even dirty inside when I got 'em. I get the feeling they were never used.
wrote: Secondly, I always wear earplugs when riding, not just to protect against exhaust noise, but windnoise.
I thought of that. But I don't do well with anything in my ears.

Thanks for the links. I'll look into muffler packing material. Seems like the best way to go at this point.

Thanks guys.
George in Jersey
76 GL-1000
77 Trail 90

It's called a "Dresser".
A bagger is an old lady who lives under
a bridge with her crap in a shopping cart.
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#14

Post by robin1731 »

Offcenter wrote:snip...........

Thanks for the links. I'll look into muffler packing material. Seems like the best way to go at this point.

Thanks guys.
If you can't take the internal baffle out you won't be able to use the muffler packing. Like someone already said those mufflers stock are pretty quiet. Maybe they are just "louder" than you are looking for. Almost sounds like the stock GL muffler is what you want.
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Re: How to quiet mufflers?

#15

Post by rcmatt007 »

my thoughts exactly. Stock FLH mufflers are quite quiet (say that three times fast). So if they are really loud, I would look elsewhere for the noise in the system
-Rodger-
all it takes for evil to prosper is the want of a few good men to do nothing-Edmund Burke
The question is not how much time do you have, it is what you do with the time that you have Gandalf
"One of the greatest dignities of humankind is that each successive generation is invested in the welfare of each new generation." Fred Rodgers
"it takes 10,000 hours to become an expert" ancient saying
78 constantly modified/customized since 1978, BOTM June 2015 de-evolving this very moment viewtopic.php?f=30&t=65511
76 Ltd "cookies bike" ALMOST DONE
79 project, finished, FOR SALE
'86 1200 (Beth's)(FOR SALE) with motorvation sidecar (sidecar sold) , July 2017 BOTM
'17 HD Road king and 08 HD Heritage softail (Beth's) (FOR SALE). I guess you can say we have MBS
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