Back around 2001 George Jackson asked me to build a custom exhaust for his custom bobber. I turned him down because I was up to my ears in orders with a 3 month backlog and didn't have the time to prototype a custom set for his bike. Much as I liked George, it was a business decision. I would have had to charge him a lot of money to spend the kind of time it would have taken. I regretted not making his pipes, after he got cancer and left us. Even so, it was the right decision at the time.
George put Super Trapps on it. Probably the right pipes among bolt-ons for the bike at the time. Viking wasn't in the game yet. And my pipes at the time, unless I did a custom build, weren't quite right for a blown bobber. Too heavy, too long, and no crossover yet.
Well I got another chance at it. A local rider has acquired George's custom, and is restoring it up right. Turns out the bike has been in several hands, since George checked out in 2003, and some have not been kind to it. It needs work. And Chuck is just the guy to do it.
The bike was a beauty. I got the chance to ride it back then. It was fast, but had a flat spot on the torque curve that George was working on. I don't know if he got it ironed out before he got sick.
Here's some pics from back in the day, mostly by Dave Turley.
OK, so Chuck, who is also a 2A guy, asked me to build a custom exhaust for the bike. His priorities were The Perfect Look, and a Great Sound, w/o too loud. Performance, OK, after the first 2. He loved the 5" Bugles look, but they have to be really short, and turned down & out for the custom look.
He said the bike needs a bit of tuning work. Not running so quick now.
So I built these pipes. Found an excellent set of cores, low miles, chrome perfect. Got the best stacks available - Dynaflex. Built custom glasspacks - actually a hybrid, they are SS wool with glasspacks, built with an elbow to follow the Bugle stacks, turned 45° down and out for a great look plus the end of the glasspacks, not visible. Center of the packs, built with 1" diameter steel tube - same diameter as the headers - heavily perforated and wrapped with SS, then an outer layer of fiberglass blanket. The system built with crossover, so both mufflers egress gas from all headers. System of course uses scavenging, very low backpressure but still not too loud with these custom packs, though only 10" long, they are built to be very effective with a short length.
These weren't cheap, with the handmade packs. However I'm proud of them, I think they are the best looking pipes I've ever built. The light play over the curves - well they look like art. They weigh 18# each, about 5# less than stockers. Can't wait to see them on the bike when he gets it done. He said it's his winter project.
Anyway, thought I'd put some pics here. I still can't add new stuff on my web page. Just a headsup - here's another pipe option I'm making available to others as well, since I've prototyped it now. I'm not setting a price, but saying I'm building custom pipes to order now, for those with an idea for their bike.
