Interstate saddlebags on Standard with stock Standard exhaust?

[Glaserbeam]

I have a 2002 standard with stock exhaust and triple tips.  I found a nice set of I/S saddlebags with stock saddlebag mounts, that seem to need the extra clearance that the I/S tips provide because the saddlebag mounts/carriers have a flap at the rear that extends downward an inch and would interfere with standard muffler tips or triple tips.

Can I simply cut away the part of the carrier that extends downward?  Or do I need to replace the whole exhaust with an Interstate exhaust?  I know that the Interstate tips by themselves won't work on a Standard exhaust because they'd interfere with the piggies (I know that cutting the piggies is an option, but I'm not interested in doing that at the moment).

Thanks as usual.

[Bagger John - #3785]

I ground away the parts of the heat shield water channels which extended downwards and contacted the tips - this on several saddlebag-equipped Valkyries I've owned. A touch-up with flat black barbeque paint immediately followed so the machined areas wouldn't rust.

[John Schmidt]

The two Johns agree, I've been running sans that last bit of the shield for years and for the same reason; the down-turned edge kept hitting the top of the pipes. That happened even with the pipes the bike came with as well as the saddlebag support/mount. 

[Glaserbeam]

Great feedback, gents!

[98valk]

u have one of the yrs shields that bend down and hit, other yrs don't, like the tourer bag shields don't hit.  just make the shields flat up against the bags.
the I/S tips were a style thing but also made the exhaust exit longer due to the overhang of the trunk.

MarkT on his site has a flatten fix of the shields on his site.

[hubcapsc]

I just compared my Tourer's heat guard with an Interstate set I
have... I don't see a difference... They have the same part
numbers (I looked up 97 and 2000)...

Sometimes people mount triple tips so that only two mounting
screws line up. Does that make triple tips hit the heat guard?
I'm pretty sure Honda's plan  was to mount them the way
all three screws line up... they sure don't hit the heat-shields
that way...



I haven't looked at my Interstate set of pipes lately, I think I remember
that you'd have to cut the piggies on Interstate pipes to get triple tips to
fit (or maybe mount them in the two-screw-only orientation?) ...

-Mike

[gordonv]

I've an IS, and swapped out to a set of std/tourer pipes I picked up new (old stock) for $100. No issue.

[Bighead]

I put a set of IS bags on a standard and no problem no modification bolted on and been there for a out 10 yrs.
also if for some bizzare reason yours hit the pipes I wouldn’t cut the heat sheild but rather flatten than part out.

[BigBod]

I've an IS, and swapped out to a set of std/tourer pipes I picked up new (old stock) for $100. No issue.

That's reassuring, I'm just about to do the same. Picked up an exhaust from a standard, found a pair of triple tips cheap that I just had re-chromed and gonna fit the whole thing to my Interstate.

Fingers crossed it all goes smoothly...lol....The Interstate is new to me so gonna do lots of those little jobs that I just know need doing. Wheels are coming out for new tyres so getting them powder coated first. New bearings all round, new pads all round, service the back end and that's just for starters...gonna be ready for some serious touring next year.

[gordonv]

As mentioned in the above, the IS exhaust is a little longer and reaches out past the bags (or is it to the end?).

Here is my IS pipes, which I removed the chrome and slipped on 4" truck stacks.



They did make contact at the rear of the bags/mounts, I want to remove the bags/mounts, swap out the pipes, then mount the bags back.

I wonder if you might have an issue with the triple tips.

[hubcapsc]

found a pair of triple tips cheap that I just had re-chromed

I thought chromers wouldn't touch exhaust parts... you mean I
could get my triple tips re-chromed?

-Mike