Tailgunner Mach II Classics

O N E - H O U R T E C H by Chris Maida
Tailgunner
Mach II Classics
Bolt-on great-looking pipes with a better sound and more power!
I
test 2009 Electra
1 OurGlide
Standard is up
on Rob’s dyno with
its saddlebags, left
side cover, and seat
removed.
T’S NO NEWS THAT EXHAUST SYSTEM
upgrades are the most often made modification to a new
Harley-Davidson, be it a Sportster, Touring, or any model
in between. In fact, new pipes and/or mufflers are usually
the first mod made by an owner. That’s because though H-D’s
new exhaust systems are pretty good at flowing air right from
the factory, there’s always room for improvement, especially in
the rumble department.
To that end, we got our hands on a set of Tailgunner Mach
II Classic mufflers and bolted them onto a spanking-new 2009
Electra Glide Standard to see just what kind of gains in sound
and performance we would get for one hour of work. In a
previous issue, we bolted a new Doherty Power Pacc air cleaner
onto this same machine. The Doherty did a nice job of getting
more air in, so we wanted to see how a set of Tailgunners would
do in getting more air out.
Tailgunner’s Mach II Classics have CNC-machined nacelles
that come in either a hardened, anodized Stealth Black finish or
polished aluminum. You can also choose between removable
16" Power-Baffles for quieter rides or the
louder 10" Power-Baffle. All Tailgunner
mufflers are made in America using
16-gauge steel that’s covered in an excellent chrome finish. The Mach II Classics
are available for all 1986-2010 H-D
baggers. However, true dual header pipes
need to be installed on 2010 models.
To do the deed, we asked our buddy
and longtime dyno guy Rob of Rob’s
Dyno to do the installation. Rob
strapped the bike down with the stock
pipes and did his runs. Then he changed
the muffler with the bike still on the
dyno. The accompanying dyno sheet tells
the tale. What you can’t see there is that
the bike had a nice low rumble to it with
T OOLS N EEDED
•
•
•
•
•
Clean rags
Glass cleaner
Ruler
Deep 1/2" socket
9/16" socket ■
uses a deep 1/2" socket to remove the two
2 Rob
stock rear muffler support bolts that hold the
muffler to the saddlebag support.
100 • AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2010
www.AIMag.com
then uses a 9/16" socket to loosen the stock
3 Heclamp,
which holds the muffler to its crossover
pipe.
twists the muffler a bit to break it loose
4 Rob
from its crossover pipe. As he does this, he pulls
the muffler from the pipe. Don’t yank the
muffler up and down. He removes the second
muffler in the same way.
removing the stock clamps from the stock
5 After
mufflers, Rob attaches them onto the new
Tailgunner mufflers. He orientates them just as
they were on the old mufflers.
www.AIMag.com
DECEMBER 2010 • AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE •
101
ONE-HOUR TECH
the Mach IIs fitted with the 16" PowerBaffles. The owner told us it’s just what
he wanted: a bit more sound, but not
enough to piss off the neighbors when he
rolls in late at night.
the new Tailgunner muffler is positioned on
6 After
the stock pipe in the same position the stock
muffler was, Rob attaches the stock rear support
then replicates the position of the stock
7 Rob
clamp on the old muffler and tightens it using a
9/16" socket.
SAE Horsepower
SAE Torque (ft-lbs.)
RPM (x1000)
80
▲
▲
hardware. If there’s a gap between the muffler
and clamp, fill it with washers.
100
70
80
60
50
60
40
40
30
20
20
10
0
0
2.0
2.5
3.0
3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
• Max Power = 71.00 • Max Torque = 83.75
• Max Power = 72.41 • Max Torque = 85.34
CF: SAE, SMOOTHING @ 5
102 • AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE • DECEMBER 2010
www.AIMag.com
securing the other Tailgunner muffler,
8 Before
Rob measures how much the mufflers protrude
from the rear of the bike and makes both stick
out the same amount.
wiping down the mufflers with glass
9 After
cleaner to remove all fingerprints and reinstalling the saddlebags, here’s what the finished
tail end looks like. Nice tips! And they sound
great, too. AIM
SOURCES
R O B ’ S DY N O S E R V I C E
Dept. AIM
Gardener, MA 01440
978/895-0441
www.RobsDyno.com
TA I LG U N N E R R OTA RY C A N N O N E X H A U S T
PO Box 1265, Dept. AIM
West Tisbury, MA 02575
508/693-1944
www.Tailgunner-Exhaust.com
www.AIMag.com
DECEMBER 2010 • AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE •
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