I think this is fun...

[topherloaf]

Nope, he has a AID so he isn't allowed to use an arc welder.  He used the existing down pipes/headers and just used pipe clamps.

[theylive]

So the 800 Drifter I ride used to be my grandpas.  Don't worry, he's still alive and well, he just got himself a Road King he couldn't pass up when he couldn't find a 1500 Drifter.  What he did to the bike was all the chrome by himself with stainless steel and pipe bending etc.  The BEST part for me however is that he made dual side pipes for both sides of the bike...and put Harley mufflers on them!  Hahaha.  I remember when he got the bike he put some on, then drilled out the baffles and it made it loud!  For some reason afterwards, he took those off and put on some really quiet mufflers, still harley brand.  Both sets he got from a swapmeet in my area.  Well, yesterday we put on the loud ones again and my girlfriend said she could see me smiling from 3 acres away because of how they sounded.  Strangely enough....it sounds like a Harley with Harley mufflers.  I mean, not exactally...because it's not a Harley but still...makes me wonder.  Side-ish note: was Kawasaki the metric that was sued over sound???  It is a single crank pin engine.  Anyway...thought that was be fun for y'all to hear!

Did your grandpa use the existing headers and weld on the muffler?

[jveley]

I sold my Road King in favor of a Drifter.  200 pounds lighter and a bigger engine means that no matter what it sounds like, my Drifter will be out of earshot a lot faster than the Road King ever could be!

Still love the Hard Krome pipes, though.

[tmassey]

my 2 cents.....my drifter 1500 does not sound like a rk or any other hd.... .....its sounds better !

[topherloaf]

You RK people!!!!  Gpa still wants a Drifter 1500 instead of his RK. I don't blame him...imagine both of us having twin drifters huh???  That'd be neat as heck.  Well, to me anyway.

[chief]

Yeah me too... I sold my RK after I bought the drifter...

[topherloaf]

I think my drifter sounds really cool personally.  My grandpa took some harley bagger duals, slash cut them to match, drilled a hole straight through the baffle so now it's loud and fun....without being annoying.  It might not sound like his RoadKing for many reasons, but it sounds good enough to me!

[chief]

Yeah, they used that for an example, but the exhaust note was not unique enough to trademark... there is a big difference in the sound based upoon timing, pipes used etc. So they lost the suit.

[TC]

 LOUD PIPES   

[cochise]

I read Harley based their "sound" lawsuit on the NBC Peacock 3 tones.

[topherloaf]

Trademark, that's what I meant.

[chief]

No, you cannot "patent" a sound, you can "Trademark" a sound, but it has to be unique and distinct... like the MGM lion roar.

Harley tried to trademark the exhaust note but failed to do so after 6 years of trying.  So the sound is NOT trademarked or patented.

And your point was one reason... the exhaust notes of the various v-twins are just too much alike. Plus even different harley motors don't sound exactly alike. So, anyone can make a bike that sounds exactly like a harley if they chose to do so.

[topherloaf]

Yeah, I think I read somewhere that there's a patent on the sound just to be "cool" sort of like when Tupperware did it.  Didn't really serve any other purpose after those counter suits.   My question when I was a kid was...."who's going to check and how?  Are you going to roll up to a motorcycle at a light and stick a mic in the exhaust???" 

[chief]

Harley TRIED to trademark the sound and but 9 competitors sued to prevent it and won... actually Harley gave up. So, the do NOT have a trademark on the sound.

Every model v-twin engine has a different sound. I've always owned Hd's, but find it more and more difficult to discern a hd from a metric without looking at it... and then its still dicey. <g>

[topherloaf]

So the 800 Drifter I ride used to be my grandpas.  Don't worry, he's still alive and well, he just got himself a Road King he couldn't pass up when he couldn't find a 1500 Drifter.  What he did to the bike was all the chrome by himself with stainless steel and pipe bending etc.  The BEST part for me however is that he made dual side pipes for both sides of the bike...and put Harley mufflers on them!  Hahaha.  I remember when he got the bike he put some on, then drilled out the baffles and it made it loud!  For some reason afterwards, he took those off and put on some really quiet mufflers, still harley brand.  Both sets he got from a swapmeet in my area.  Well, yesterday we put on the loud ones again and my girlfriend said she could see me smiling from 3 acres away because of how they sounded.  Strangely enough....it sounds like a Harley with Harley mufflers.  I mean, not exactally...because it's not a Harley but still...makes me wonder.  Side-ish note: was Kawasaki the metric that was sued over sound???  It is a single crank pin engine.  Anyway...thought that was be fun for y'all to hear!