How to Remove the Baffles From a Harley Exhaust

Baffles muffle the sound in the exhaust pipes.

Harley's exhaust system has gotten quieter throughout its evolution. If you are looking for a way to add more sound, an easy way to do it is to remove the baffles. The baffles are located in the pipes of the exhaust system of your Harley and can be removed without damaging the bike. You can take your bike to an authorized Harley Davidson shop to have this done, but the cost will be much higher than doing it yourself using tools that you likely have on hand.

Difficulty:

Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Electric drill
• Vise grips
• 1 3/4-inch bi-metal hole saw
• WD-40 or cutting oil

1. • 1

     Remove the bit from your drill and attach the hole saw. An electric drill works well for this purpose.

   • 2

     Coat the exhaust pipes with WD-40 or cutting oil, taking care to coat the pipe fully where the baffles are. Keep the pipes coated with oil while cutting to reduce the risk of accidents, and to keep the drill and saw blade from overheating.

   • 3

     Cut just above the chrome ring on the end of the exhaust pipes one at a time. Continue cutting until you have gone through the first and second layers of the pipe.

   • 4

     Clamp the vice grips onto the baffles and twist the baffles one at a time to remove them from the inside of your exhaust pipes. The baffle is the metal piece inside the pipes.

   • 5

     Put the exhaust pipes back on the bike if you removed them for the drilling process.

Tips & Warnings

• You may wish to remove both exhaust pipes from your Harley before removing the baffles to make the job easier.

• Keep the exhaust pipes covered with oil while cutting them to reduce the possibility of accident or injury.