The trouble with stock Harley-Davidson exhausts, or pipes, is that they are intentionally designed to inhibit the respiration of the engine. Exhaust gases are stopped, or obturated, from escaping into the atmosphere. The result is a big engine that chokes, gags and performs like a little engine. Consequently, a market in replacement exhausts thrives. Harley's brand of replacement parts to make the factory engine run the way it should is the Screamin' Eagle performance line. Perhaps you bought only the Screamin' Eagle mufflers, but replacing the entire exhaust only involves turning a few more nuts and bolts.
Remove all heat shields by completely loosening the worm clamps that hold them to the exhaust pipes with a flat-head screwdriver.
Loosen and remove the two flange nuts that secure the front and rear exhaust pipes to the cylinder heads with a socket wrench and a hex socket, if you intend to replace the complete exhaust. Slide the exhaust flange and retaining ring off the cylinder head studs.
Loosen and remove the two oxygen sensors that bolt into your exhaust near the transmission cover using an open end wrench.
Loosen and remove the two nuts and bolts that secure the front and rear exhaust pipes to the frame bracket using an open end wrench.
Remove the complete exhaust assembly from the motorcycle. Remove the exhaust port gaskets from the exhaust ports in the cylinder heads.
Loosen both the muffler clamps that fasten the mufflers to the header pipes using a socket wrench and hex socket. Remove both mufflers with the interconnect tube (if applicable) from the exhaust pipes.
Remove both mufflers from the interconnect tube using a socket wrench and hex socket. Remove and discard the interconnect tube gaskets.
Bolt the new mufflers to the interconnect tube (if applicable) using replacement gaskets and a socket wrench and hex socket. Connect the mufflers to the new or replacement exhaust pipes using the old mufflers clamps.
Replace the exhaust port gaskets in the exhaust ports in the cylinder head.
Tighten the muffler clamps with a socket wrench and hex socket. Connect the front and rear exhaust pipes to the frame bracket using an open end wrench and the hardware you removed earlier
Coat the thread of the two oxygen sensors with Teflon paste. Install the oxygen sensors in the front and rear exhaust pipes. Tighten with an open end wrench.
Reconnect the exhaust pipes to the exhaust ports using the flanges, retaining rings and nuts you removed earlier. Tighten the nuts on the exhaust studs with a socket wrench and hex socket.
Replace the heat shields on the exhaust. Refasten the worm clamps using a flat-head screwdriver.
