Cutting piggies??

[Varmintmist]

With any luck I am going to hunt down a replacement for my wrecked 97 soon. I am hoping to be able to look at one tomorrow night.
Description says that piggies are cut. I understand that this is common, though I have never modified a exhaust system except to put glass packs and Hush Thrush on cars in my younger years once the stock were falling off.

First, why do it? Is there any benefit to messing with the stock exhaust?
Second, Are there problems associated with it? I assume that it changes the flow, which will alter the back pressure. Sometimes that can be good, sometimes not.
Third, is a rejet required, OR a good idea since you changed the back pressure.

[sandy]

Cutting Piggies has no effect on backpressure. No jet changes are necessary. It mearly lowers the exhaust tone a bit.

[Earl in Pensacola]

I have a '97 Tourer and cut my "piggies" off flush several years ago.  The first thing I will say is that I wish I hadn't done it!  The Good and the Bad of it is, in MHO, at idle it sounds like you have an exhaust /muffler leak, which I don't like!   However, once you get moving and the RPM's go over 2K  it sounds better and better the higher the RPM's get.  At no time is the sound loud enough to be objectionable or what some call harmonic or drone.

[SANDMAN5]

Slightly lower tone. Also needed if you want to use I/S tips.
Drilling the rear baffle plates lowers the tone even more. I also
drilled the front baffles on my 03 but haven't yet on my 98. No
need to rejet or retune.

[hubcapsc]

Are there problems associated with it?

That depends on the meaning of the word "it" 

I hated it.

My tired Valkyrie came with rusty mufflers with cut piggies and drilled baffles, and I barely
rode it until I got some rusty mufflers with whole piggies and undrilled baffles...



-Mike "they're not rusty now"

[BF]

Cut piggies isn't really louder...but a more deeper sound.  Drilling rear baffles is the next step and that IS louder.  But be warned, that once you cut the piggies or go even further by drilling the baffles, you can get droning. 

If you ride with a windshield (or a fairing....something that will block wind noise) and ride with a helmet that covers the ears (even a half that covers the ears....like if it has a neck curtain), you can get some drone.  It might be much worse with a full helmet. 

If you wear a half that doesn't cover the ears, or without a windshield you won't really notice it. 

But if you like a quiet bike, you can still cut the piggies and still hear the birds chirping.....it's a nice note but not for some if you want really quite. 

Here's some reading on cutting, drilling and the Ragnar cut.....

http://luiscajiga.com/Exhaustm.htm

http://luiscajiga.com/Exhaustm2.htm


 

[Jess from VA]

Only other point here is one of the piggies has a threaded boss for one of the three screws that hold each exhaust tip, whether OE or Air Flow.  If that piggie is cut all the way off, that boss is gone.... but not to worry, two screws hold all tips on fine.

Cut pigs does nothing but make noise, no (measurable) performance improvement or degradation. 

I have two '99 ISs, one bone stock and one with pigs gone.  I like the low rumble of missing pigs, and once I am at 35-40 mph or so, I can hear no difference at all between the bikes (in my half helmet and 57yo ears) (unless I nail the throttle)... the sound is behind me.  I would not want any more sound than cut pigs though.

[FLATSIX]

I have a '97 valk and for years I was unhappy with the too quite noise of the big machine.

Handodealer said to not touch the standard configuration because of loss of power.

Because of all the posts here about cutting piggies I DID IT and from that moment I was completely happy : no loss of power, more sound and not too much neither.

If you cyt them, leave 1' of the piggies in case that you later want to undo the  cutting, then you have still that 1" left to put back some tubes.

So if you want the beast to act like a beast =  cut those cursed piggies !

[ridgeman06]

I cut the little piglets on my 98, but I left just enough so as not to cut off the third mounting nut for the tips. I left maybe about 3/4"-1". I also have the triple tips installed. I have a slightly deeper sound, but not bothersome at all.

[Colin]

I cut the little piglets on my 98, but I left just enough so as not to cut off the third mounting nut for the tips. I left maybe about 3/4"-1". I also have the triple tips installed. I have a slightly deeper sound, but not bothersome at all.

+1 (Exactly the same as mine)

[Spirited-6]

I cut the little piglets on my 98, but I left just enough so as not to cut off the third mounting nut for the tips. I left maybe about 3/4"-1". I also have the triple tips installed. I have a slightly deeper sound, but not bothersome at all.

+1 (Exactly the same as mine)

+ 2. My Tourer sounds great, no drone, just mellow tones. 

[paulclark911]

Has anyone, drilled out both sets of baffles without cutting off the piggies? and if you did how did that sound.