When I bought my 1200, the tail pipes came complete with rust, but other than that, they are pretty much intact.
What to do? I could buy a new one: yeah right - I'm not that rich; I could go the Sportster way: not yet - I want to stay as close to stock as possible; or I could try to cover it up. So I went with the latter.
What do you use to cover up a 2" OD tail pipe that has a rust ring? Going into this, I was pretty sure I could use a slip-on, but I couldn't find anything with the 2" OD, so I asked the question on a few forums and Neil over at NGW said he used muffler repair tape to take up the space. That was what I was missing! It was as plain as the nose on my face but I couldn't see it. So yesterday was shopping day and here is what I bought:
Muffler Tape:
Tail pipe slip on's: 2 1/4" ID
First thing to do was cut off the lip on the end of the tail pipe. I didn't want to take it all off because this would also help to take out the slop on the back end.
Once that was done, I de-burred and finish ground the lip until the slip-on was tight.
Then I wrapped the muffler tape around the front of the tail pipe and then slid the slip on into place.
Two self drilling screws to hold it in place.
And the exhaust system looks as close to stock as I am going to get it without spending a fortune!
What to do? I could buy a new one: yeah right - I'm not that rich; I could go the Sportster way: not yet - I want to stay as close to stock as possible; or I could try to cover it up. So I went with the latter.
What do you use to cover up a 2" OD tail pipe that has a rust ring? Going into this, I was pretty sure I could use a slip-on, but I couldn't find anything with the 2" OD, so I asked the question on a few forums and Neil over at NGW said he used muffler repair tape to take up the space. That was what I was missing! It was as plain as the nose on my face but I couldn't see it. So yesterday was shopping day and here is what I bought:
Muffler Tape:
Tail pipe slip on's: 2 1/4" ID
First thing to do was cut off the lip on the end of the tail pipe. I didn't want to take it all off because this would also help to take out the slop on the back end.
Once that was done, I de-burred and finish ground the lip until the slip-on was tight.
Then I wrapped the muffler tape around the front of the tail pipe and then slid the slip on into place.
Two self drilling screws to hold it in place.
And the exhaust system looks as close to stock as I am going to get it without spending a fortune!
