Air Flow 18" Exhaust Tips

[Sodbuster]

Any one use these and if so what gage metal are they ??. Was wondering how they match up with the factory/OEM covers that partially cover the mufflers.  I'm sure some are thinking why not get the stacks but with the 18" tips if I don't like them I can always put the factory tips back on.

http://store.airflo.com/af40-418hs.html

Comments ??

[Thunderbolt]

right now I have Cobra's on, but I put a set on my OEM pipes.  I think they match up perfect.  Looks good too, sound a little better as it resonates in that big space.
If you buy them, the best way to mark them for drilling is to take a manilla folder and wrap it around your OEM tips and punch holes through the folder.  Since the Airflo's are just a round tube, you can pick where to drill the holes.

[Sodbuster]

right now I have Cobra's on, but I put a set on my OEM pipes.  I think they match up perfect.  Looks good too, sound a little better as it resonates in that big space.
If you buy them, the best way to mark them for drilling is to take a manilla folder and wrap it around your OEM tips and punch holes through the folder.  Since the Airflo's are just a round tube, you can pick where to drill the holes.

Don't suppose you have a pic of them mounted ??

[Thunderbolt]

  If you look close in the rear view, I added some aluminum standoffs attached to the bag rails to hold them down a little lower.  I also had to elongate the holes in the hangers to allow them to drop a little.

[Sodbuster]

Thanks TB .... you're right, they do look good 

I gotta get me some

[Jess from VA]

I have the 18" straight cut Airflow tips (you show) on both bikes.  They are far superior to the cheapo OE  tips, which even years back were pitting and showing a few little dings.  I do not know the gauge of metal but they are heavy duty (it would take a big vice to bend them), and have very nice chrome... better quality than the rest of the OE pipes for sure.  When I got them they were $42 apiece, and the cheapest exhaust upgrade I'd ever done (course it's just tips).  

I like the straight cuts better than any turnout/down, and the flat cut edges hold their chrome finish if you keep after them with a little 0000 steel wool on occasion.  If you get your holes just right (and two holes/screws will hold them plenty tight, rather than the three on the OE tips), the flush fit to the OE exhaust is nearly seamless looking.  If you have cut piggies remember, one of the three tip screw holes is in one of the piggies (at least on the interstate).  

Even it you clean up the OE side, they fit very tight and take a piece of soft lumber and rubber mallet to slide on.  You have to drill your own holes.... use a center punch to dimple before walking the drill bit down the nice chrome.  I drilled first with an 1/8" bit, before going with the correct size (don't remember  1/4"??).

If you need to know how to make a construction paper template to transfer hole locations to the Airflows, there used to be a nice how-to somewhere, or I can describe it.  The Tim Skelton link on Airflow's site is not for tips but for full-length pipes.

[GOOSE]

thunderbolt....looking at your green interstate...did you take the saddlebag heat shields off from underneath the bags so that the airflow pipes would go on without touching the metal plates?   thanks for the reply.

[Thunderbolt]

cut off the rear couple of inches of the heat shield.  Reason was that it touched the tip as I originally installed it before I made the other adjustments to lower the mufflers.  I actually elongated the top holes of the muffler hangers upward and the lower holes downward to allow them to drop.  If you do this, you need to hold the mufflers down to the lowest point before tightening either the bolts that hold the mufflers on the hanger or the hanger to the frame.  If I had were doing this again, I would just modify the hangers and not cut the heat shield.  If you know anyone with a set of heat shields unmolested, I could use them.

[Sodbuster]

Even it you clean up the OE side, they fit very tight and take a piece of soft lumber and rubber mallet to slide on.

Thanks Jess for the info.  So, have you ever taken the tips off for what ever reason or are they on for good once you install them ??  In other words how hard would they be to remove without destroying them ??

[Jess from VA]

I just bent my heat shields up a little.

[Hoser]

You can also fit them with grumpy's exhaust tips.  Hoser

[Jess from VA]

Even it you clean up the OE side, they fit very tight and take a piece of soft lumber and rubber mallet to slide on.

Thanks Jess for the info.  So, have you ever taken the tips off for what ever reason or are they on for good once you install them ??  In other words how hard would they be to remove without destroying them ??

Never been off....... not much need I can think of (2 interstates; one set is bone stock and the other has pigs full cut and I'm not changing either.... I gave my OE tips away, you won't want yours again either).   But I think they'd come off OK w/o damage if need be.  I'm thinking a strap wrench with a rag or something between the pipes and strap, and maybe squirt some WD40 or penetrating oil in the seam.  

[Sodbuster]

Even it you clean up the OE side, they fit very tight and take a piece of soft lumber and rubber mallet to slide on.

Thanks Jess for the info.  So, have you ever taken the tips off for what ever reason or are they on for good once you install them ??  In other words how hard would they be to remove without destroying them ??

Never been off....... not much need I can think of (2 interstates; one set is bone stock and the other has pigs full cut and I'm not changing either.... I gave my OE tips away, you won't want yours again either).   But I think they'd come off OK w/o damage if need be.  I'm thinking a strap wrench with a rag or something between the pipes and strap, and maybe squirt some WD40 or penetrating oil in the seam.  

The only reason I ask is my "piggies" are cut also and rear baffles drilled w/ 3/8" drill. If I ever wanted to extend the "piggie" stubs or any kind of alteration it sounds like I would have to make that decision before I put the air flow tips on.

Currently I have the interstate tips on and like the sound of what I have but like the looks of the straight cut tips.  I'm guessing the air flow tips would be a little louder ?!?!

Those "grumpy" tips look good on them too.

Thanks for all the info ....

[ILcruiser]

I installed the Airflo 18" tips, but they were a bit longer than I wanted, so I had a local metal shop cut 2 1/4" off of them.  Then, I added Grumpy's tips, which add back 1 1/4".  Both the Airflo stacks and Grumpy's tips are of top-notch quality and construction.  As far as the sound is concerned, the stacks don't make the sound louder, just deeper, probably due to the increased volume of the pipes v. oem.  Nice sound, but I still had more drone than I wanted.  I extended the piggies with 3/4" copper pipe and sleeves; no more drone!  They easily slip on and off, so you can check the sound with your cut piggies as they are, then extend them if that's what you want.

[scoot]

when I mounted mine I used a piece of 3" masking tape, lined it up on the edge. I then just used a marker and marked the holes. I then transferred the tape to the AirFlo tips and drilled out the marks.
Keep in mind there is a right and left side. They are not the same.



I think they lined up nicely 

[Dougs2000IS]

Where does a person get "Grumpy's tips"?

[Hoser]

Grumpy is a member, and contributing sponser,  search for his posts or click the members link at top of the page.  Hoser

[Jess from VA]

Where does a person get "Grumpy's tips"?

http://grumpyscustomparts.com/

http://www.grumpyscustomparts.com/apps/photos/album?albumid=4329027

[JC]

You can also fit them with grumpy's exhaust tips.  Hoser

+1 on the 18" Airflo and Grumpy's tips. Love mine! Looks great, sounds even better (cut piggies and drilled baffles). Take your time drilling the holes and measure twice before drilling. Modify the hangars by elongating the mounting holes and don't cut the heat shield for the saddlebags, just use a vice and ball-peen hammer to flatten them for enough clearance (I've got maybe 1/4", but that is enough). Yes, you can remove them after installation, but I can't imagine why. Make sure to re-torque the headers after the first couple of rides, especially if you use new gaskets.

[BradValk48237]

Got em her too.... Piggies cut and rear baffles drilled... Get alot of comments on how good it sounds..... From the V-Twin bunch at that!!!