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As I've said before, no need to mess with jets unless you also change the intake side.

I think 2003 and older sporty's are the best, no crossover. But you can plug the crossover or figure out a way to connect it.

and the best part.... they are cheap

Okay here is how the HD touring mufflers connect

my 05.... the front exhaust header comes down the right side

the rear header "Y's" as it exits. half going to the left and half to the right, the right side connects with the right pipe just before it heads into the muffler.






(the "sparkles" are sawdust from cutting wood)

in effect, back flow from the right must go back up to the rear jug "Y" to go down the left header to the left exhaust.

newer twin cam 96..... both the front and the rear come down and join together into a larger connector which heads straight back to the right muffler. from this connector there is a cross over under the frame to the left muffler. One advantage is that both headers are further from where the passenger and drivers legs are.

in either case, it would appear that more exhaust will go to the right side rather than the left, especially at idle. At speed, one would expect there is so much exhaust it would even out. So if I were designing the system, I would expect the right muffler to have more back pressure than the left, in effect making it easier for the exaust to cross over to the left side

I don't have any automatic cutting or welding tools. Are these steps absolutely necessary for proper fitment? Will installing sportster pipes using this method work for a 79gl1000? Thanks.

I was looking at mine and don't want to do any welding so I can go back to original mufflers easily. I think it can be clamped in instead of welding.

Anybody do it without welding?

I did not have to weld mine.
*Late (78-79) model GL1000 headers.
*Straight 1 3/4" exhaust adapters from the autoparts store.
*Sportster mufflers
I ground down the high spots that were left on the headers from the original horseshoe muffler connection till smooth.
Adapters were still such a tight fit I put the headers in the chest freezer overnight, heated the adapters with a propane torch and then drove them on with my dead-blow mallet.
Then the Sportster mufflers slid on and the Harley clamp was used to cinche them down to the adapters.

Hoosier Daddy wrote:I did not have to weld mine.
*Late (78-79) model GL1000 headers.
*Straight 1 3/4" exhaust adapters from the autoparts store.
*Sportster mufflers
I ground down the high spots that were left on the headers from the original horseshoe muffler connection till smooth.
Adapters were still such a tight fit I put the headers in the chest freezer overnight, heated the adapters with a propane torch and then drove them on with my dead-blow mallet.
Then the Sportster mufflers slid on and the Harley clamp was used to cinche them down to the adapters.

what year sportster pipes did you use? you mentioned you used 78-79 headers, but would you or anyone else know if the bolt hole location for the pipe bracket on the gl1100 is in the same measuring distance as the 79 gl1000? I ask because i would like to place the sporty pipes on my bike as well and do not want to have a fitment issue.

Pagman wrote:
what year sportster pipes did you use? you mentioned you used 78-79 headers, but would you or anyone else know if the bolt hole location for the pipe bracket on the gl1100 is in the same measuring distance as the 79 gl1000? I ask because i would like to place the sporty pipes on my bike as well and do not want to have a fitment issue.

Just get on Ebay and find some about 1999 or 2000 model pipes. They will have no crossover pipe and have a tab at about the middle of the pipe to mount. I got mine for $30 shipped. Just got to put them on.

Adapters were still such a tight fit I put the headers in the chest freezer overnight, heated the adapters with a propane torch and then drove them on with my dead-blow mallet.

much like the way steel tyres were put on Steam locomotive driving wheels

Hoosier Daddy wrote:I did not have to weld mine.
*Late (78-79) model GL1000 headers.
*Straight 1 3/4" exhaust adapters from the autoparts store.
*Sportster mufflers
I ground down the high spots that were left on the headers from the original horseshoe muffler connection till smooth.
Adapters were still such a tight fit I put the headers in the chest freezer overnight, heated the adapters with a propane torch and then drove them on with my dead-blow mallet.
Then the Sportster mufflers slid on and the Harley clamp was used to cinche them down to the adapters.

Hoosier Daddy,

I gotta say that your wing is the nicest one i've seen. Mine has been stripped of its fairings and luggage, and parts have been pulled off for cleaning, restoring, repainting, and replacing. I'm taking the direction of customizing, but parts are hard to find. Is your seat custom made? How did you incorporate the rear lights? I would like to see additional pics if you have.

Yeah, HD.

How about adding a link in your sig to your 50 page build thread?

Pagman wrote: Hoosier Daddy,

I gotta say that your wing is the nicest one i've seen. Mine has been stripped of its fairings and luggage, and parts have been pulled off for cleaning, restoring, repainting, and replacing. I'm taking the direction of customizing, but parts are hard to find. Is your seat custom made? How did you incorporate the rear lights? I would like to see additional pics if you have.

Wow Pagman, You are too kind!
Yes the seat is custom made. The fiberglass pan was hand laid over a styrofoam buck that I carved a curve in the rear to match a catseye tail light I found cheap. I bent up a aluminum strap to use the turn signal posts to mount the taillight. For the rear turn sigs I drilled and tapped the stock holes in the frame horns that were originally for the grab rail.

Roady wrote: Yeah, HD.

How about adding a link in your sig to your 50 page build thread?

Great suggestion Roady, always thinking of others aren't ya
Honestly thought I had already done that, so if you scrolled over the word "Bomber" it was a linky.... guess I better fix that huh.

Being that i'm new to this site, i'm still getting myself to browse through as much material as possible. I didn't know there was a 41 page long thread to HD's rebuild. I got exhausted reading half way into it, but I'll surely continue and will definitely be referencing that page as i work on my wing. Nice to know there's a step by setp guide in showing how one of the coolest bikes here got customized.

Keep an eye on it ... might just be 2011's BOTY.

Hello all,

I've got a 77 GL1000 that I am soon to be working on. I've managed to pick up a set of HD mufflers off 2007 FLHTC-UltraGlide. They were free, brand new sitting in a box in a shed of co-worker. (Actually I bought him a Chipolte burrito for them, so they cost me $7)

Any one have any idea if I'm going to have problems mounting them, or tuning the bike? From what I gathered thus far there is some debate on the construction of left vs right.

Has anyone mounted this type to a GL1000 yet?