How To Remove Baffles From Harley Exhaust: Pros And Cons Of Removing Baffles

Removing baffles from your Harley exhaust has a lot of advantages, and not everyone knows how to remove baffles from Harley exhaust without damaging the whole exhaust pipe.

Baffle saves the motorcycle from making a loud noise, this is helpful because straight exhaust pipes are banned in some areas.

So the need to insert baffles inside the exhaust pipe is compulsory so as to reduce the noise and give your motorcycle a calm and deep sound.

A lot of people might be afraid that removing baffles from their Harley exhaust pipe will damage it but I am here to assure you it is safe and removing baffles will not damage the engine of your motorcycle.

The baffle is a perforated metallic pipe that is inside the muffler and is designed to generate backpressure and moisten the engine sound before they travel out of the exhaust system.

This is why they are mostly called motorcycle exhaust silencers.

Besides being attached to motorcycles, baffles are practically used in all vehicles to reduce the noise below the legal noise limit.

What is Baffles on Harley?

Baffles are the specific parts that are inserted inside the exhaust system and help to slow down the gas flow from the exhaust before they leave the exhaust pipe.

The baffle and all the interior diameters of the exhaust pipe are where the sound of the engine is totally modified.

A lot of riders tend to remove their motorcycle baffles when out on track days.

How does it work?

Baffles are designed to function in a simple way. In a simple term, baffles work is to reduce the rate at which the pulsating air that is coming from the engine motorcycle engine and change it to an even airflow.

This is the reason behind the reduced exhaust sound because a slow and steady exhaust flow is very quiet.

Long baffles tends to produce a quieter sound and besides the dimension of the baffle, the surface is of less importance.

If you own a Harley Davidson, you will notice that the baffle has many holes perforated on its surface. The holes are designed to help dampen and break the sound wave.

Besides breaking the engine noise, exhaust baffles also help to create back pressure inside the exhaust system.

The pressure generated by the baffles also enhances the performance of the engine and prolongs its life.

How to Remove Baffles From Harley Exhaust

Various steps must be employed when trying to clear the baffle from a Harley exhaust pipe.

We have discussed why it is important to remove baffles from an exhaust pipe and the importance can not be overemphasized.

Although removing baffles from the Harley exhaust pipe has both advantages and disadvantages, we have listed some of the advantages and disadvantages of removing baffles from the exhaust pipe is that when you remove the baffle.

It will lead to a lower end torque because there is no backpressure and can make to have a bad riding experience.

Let’s get into the proper basis of How to remove baffle from Harley Exhaust.

Time: 4 hours of your time will be enough to remove baffles for your exhaust pipe.

Tools

• A Drill bit or a 1/2 ” hole saw  
• A Drill bit extender  
• A Handheld drill  
• A Wrench set
• Basic socket

Step by step guide of Harley Davidson Baffle Replacement

Before you start to remove the baffle, make sure the exhaust pipe is cold so as not to get hurt.

Step 1: Setting up the tools needed

Unload the bit from the drill and bind the little hole saw. A drill that works with electricity will function well for this task.

Step 2: Lubricating the exhaust pipe.

Lubricate the exhaust channels with a WD-40 or the cutting oil, taking your time to lubricate the pipe completely where the baffles are found.

Keep coating the pipe with oil while cutting to try and reduce the risk of disasters, and to protect the drill and saw knife from overheating.

Step 3: Cutting the baffle

Reduce just above the chrome band on the edge of the exhaust channels, one at a time. Proceed with cutting until you have gone through the initial and second coverings of the pipe

Step 4: Continuing cutting the baffle 

Grasp the vice grips onto the baffles and shake the baffles very well one at a time to discard them from the interior of your exhaust tubes. The baffle is the iron piece inside the tubes.

Return the exhaust tube on the bike if you removed it for the drilling operation.

Extract the baffle from the deeper pipe by doing the process again.

You can use an arbor expansion for your gap saw to reach the inner part of the lower pipe. You can also prefer to untie the pipe from your motorcycle while you discard the baffle to avert using an arbor expansion for your saw.

N.B: It is recommended that you have the owner’s manual at hand and have a clear knowledge of your motorcycle and its structure and model.

Repairing motorcycle pieces should be done with care and understanding. It is a good impression to be thoroughly prepared and trained to do the task correctly for your protection.

It will be helpful to reach out to your bike factory to ask appropriate questions and be sure you are fully aware of any prototype specifications or design variations from another motorcycle before following a guideline obtained from a friend or the internet.

Do it yourself Replacement Cost

Here we will be talking about the cost of removing baffles from your exhaust pipe yourself.

It is very easy to remove the baffle from the pipe of your Harley exhaust and it will actually cost you no money to do this.

You do not need any money for this, all you need is to get the procedures right and you are good.

Professional Replacement Cost

A lot of interviews have been done and we have asked many Harley Davidson riders how much they have spent on the removal of the baffle from their motorcycle and the answer is $150.

This is much and seems like a waste of money for something you can do by yourself.

Pros and Cons of Removing Baffles from Harley Exhaust

Removing baffles from your Harley Exhaust has a lot of advantages and disadvantages too and in this section, we will be dwelling on the pros and cons of removing the baffles.

Pros

Noise Reduction

The primary and sole purpose of baffles is to slow down the rate at which the gas airflow leaves the exhaust and to reduce the engine noise of the motorcycle through the exhaust pipe.

Baffles reduce and moisten the overall volume of the engine.

The loud noise coming from your motorcycle engine can be considered as a disturbance to some neighboring areas or unhealthy people.

Most of the countries have certain governmental laws to restrict and ensure certain noise limits from their citizen vehicles are not exceeded.

The baffles inside a motorcycle’s exhaust pipe are primarily used to reduce the excess noise pollution and to help the motorcycle riders abide by the law while still enjoying the minimal sound from their motorcycles.

Reduced Maintenance Cost

Harley motorcycle exhaust baffles are modest parts of the motorcycle that are easily shaped with a simple design.

They do not need too much cost to maintain them, and they have a prolonged service life.

The Harley motorcycle’s exhaust is not expensive and is not a piece that you will have to repair or replace frequently.

Cons

Increased Back Pressure

The addition of extra pressure, also called backpressure, results in a reduction of the horsepower output and limits the motorcycle torque, increasing the strain on the motorcycle engine.

The igniting of fuel inside the engine results in exhaust gases as end-products. These gases flow into the pipe and are released through the muffler and baffles.

The Increased back pressure induced by the baffles is the sole disadvantage of having a baffle attached to your exhaust pipe.

This little increase in the back pressure can affect the engine’s overall performance, inducing a change in the air-to-fuel percentage ratio, causing the engine to run richer.

When an engine is running richer, it may result in a problem with its motorcycle performance and cause difficulties to the emissions.

Leakage

As you continue using your motorcycle, the exhaust baffles have the possibility of degenerating because of regular wear and tear and its exposure to the gases and the heat from the exhaust pipe.

This degeneration can result in what is known as leakages.

Leaking can cause an unbearable rattling exhaust pipe sound when you are riding the motorcycle.

Exhaust baffles are unrepairable and you will not get an entire replacement from the manufacturer if leakages occur.

This will increase the cost of maintaining the motorcycle. However, replacing your leaking baffles with a new one is very cheap.

Frequently Asked Questions about How to Remove Baffles from Harley Exhaust

Will removing the exhaust baffles affect My Motorcycle performance?

When you remove the baffle from your motorcycle exhaust, it will change how the whole engine runs.

It will cause the motorcycle engine to run leaner (combustion of less fuel), and lean mixture flares hotter exhaust that can damage the exhaust.

Replacing the baffles will also damage the power hook of the motorcycle.

What is the function of a baffle in an exhaust?

Baffles help to reduce the percentage of sound elicited by the exhaust pipe, typically on an inner combustion engine by forcing the exhaust to flow in an indirect path before running out of the muffler.

Lessening the back pressure of an engine can have adverse side effects on the valve string and engine efficiency.

Will removing the baffles of my Harley void its Warranty?

Removing baffles from your motorcycle exhaust will not void its warranty unless it results in a problem, for example banging your baffles wouldn’t cause any problem to your motorcycle brakes but if you mistakenly burned a valve, they might say it was affected by the exhaust mod.

What are the tools needed to remove baffles from an exhaust pipe?

You do not need complex tools to get this done, you only need some simple tools that you can purchase easily from the store or improvise. The tools needed are A Drill bit or a 1/2 ” hole saw,

A Drill bit extender, An Handheld drill, A Wrench set, and a basic socket.

Is it possible to remove baffles inside a stock exhaust pipe?

If you just want your motorcycle to sound loud then do it. However, as you possibly know, there is more to an exhaust design than seeing it as a bit of bent tube; replacing the baffles can add reversion (a momentum bouncing back from the back of the pipe) that will rob the motorcycle of some power.

How do I confirm if my exhaust pipe has baffles?

Bend down on your hands and peek into the exhaust pipe from the back with a big flashlight. Baffles come in several types, but the bulk of them are straight; if you have an exhaust tip that is curved or may restrict your view, drag them off before you look.

Can I put the baffle back after removing it?

Regarding the certainty that you do not have a stock baffle. You cannot put the baffles back. Capitalize on a set of slip-on mufflers.

Conclusion

Reducing the baffles from your Harley motorcycle will cause no long-term harm or damage to your motorcycle and gives no performance enhancement advantages.

It can contribute to a preferred aesthetic appeal and reduce the engine volume, and these are the main motives for making the change.

So the choice is yours to which one you want to do, whether you want to remove the baffle or leave it.

If you have any questions or comment on the article, please feel free to drop them in the comment section and we will reply to you as soon as possible.