I had Longshots and a Kuryakyn Twin velocity air cleaner installed on my brand new '02 Midnight Star at the 600 mile service (July '02). The pipes are a LOT louder than I expected. My riding buddy says they sound really good, but are almost obnoxious when I pass him or ride just ahead of him. What I did was to fabricate some very simple baffles and they quieted the bike down a bit. I took a flat, brass door strike (the one that a door's dead-bolt goes into) and bent it into an "L" shape. Make sure you use a solid brass one and not the cheap, stamped sheet metal type. After you have the brass bent into an "L", place the screw hole on one side of the "L" onto the screw that secures the stock V&H baffle (still installed). Put a dab of "Form-A-Gasket" on the screw threads and secure with a nut & lockwasher. Repeat for 2nd pipe.

Believe it or not, this really works. The bike is still very loud, especially when you "get it on", but it's a bit quieter at idle & cruising. It works by disturbing the outflow of the exhaust. As an added bonus this provides some extra back-pressure, for increased torque. This will work well for those who like a louder sound,and run without baffles as well. Here again, this will restore some critical back-pressure for improved torque in the low to mid range.

Exhaust gas analyzation at Yamaha says carb adjustment is still right on. The bike runs great & sounds "most excellent". I removed them a while back, to see if the sound improvement was just my imagination. Nope...definitely quieter with them on, so reinstalled them right away. Again, it's not a huge difference with or without these things.

For illustration, suppose 100 decibels is the legal max. I'd guess the Longshots with their stock baffles might be 105 decibels. Adding my baffles makes it 99 decibels....I still take it real easy when going by a cop. In the sketch, top drawing is the doorstrike - you probably have one laying around the house - or available at a hardware store. Middle drawing is the strike bent into the shape you want. Bottom drawing is one of the exhaust pipes, viewed from the rear, with the new baffle bolted into position.

Top View

You can also view this mod and others at Loren's website Loren's Midnight Star

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DISCLAIMER: This information and procedure is provided as a courtesy and is for informational purposes only.  Neither the publishers nor the authors accept any responsibility for the accuracy, applicability, or suitability of this procedure.  You assume all risks associated with the use of this information.  NEITHER THE PUBLISHERs NOR THE AUTHORs SHALL IN ANY EVENT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OF ANY NATURE ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE USE OR MISUSE OF THIS INFORMATION OR LACK OF INFORMATION.  Any type of modification or service work on your motorcycle should always be performed by a professional mechanic. If performed incorrectly, this procedure may endanger the safety of you and others on your motorcycle and possibly invalidate your manufacturer’s warranty.

Comments (9)

VANCE & HINES Written by darren, on 04-03-2007 02:44 I just got my v & h today from usa < i live in australia> and before i received them i was quite concerned about the noise level which has had so much talk about them on this site all i can say is that i love them the sound is just right, if you don't like the noise then stik to original system. Regards Darren

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