Freedom Performance Slip Ons

[556ALPHA]

Looks like all the Chrome versions of the FP Liberty series are now Out of Stock...

BUT the Vance and Hines Twin Slash Rounds are on sale at Revzilla for 423.99

https://www.revzilla.com/motorcycle/...uero-2009-2013

[ErikB]

I got the last set of chrome with the black tips. After purchasing I went back and checked the page again, and they were out of stock. I couldn't really find chrome ones anywhere else after searching around before purchasing from parts giant, except for some black ones on ebay. I suspect that is probably why they aren't more popular. As many times as I've searched for slip-ons for this bike, I had no idea they even existed, and Freedom seems to have no working website.



Anyway, they'll be here tomorrow, so fingers crossed. I'll have a mint condition set of the V&H slash tips, or these, for sale shortly...

[556ALPHA]

I just installed the Vance and Hines this evening. No ride yet, look forward to your comparison.

[ErikB]

The Freedom pipes are out for delivery today, so I'm planning to install them when I get home and then take a quick ride. I had pulled the V&H off over the weekend, and the bike is just sitting there waiting for the install, so that should only take about 20 minutes.



I will take some pictures as well as a video of the first startup and post it here since I can see that there is hardly any information on these. I have a helmet cam, so I can give that a shot too maybe. Not sure how that audio will be, but its easy enough to try.

[ErikB]

Ok guys, as promised... I installed the Freedom Performance Liberty slip-ons this evening, and took it for a short ride. For reference, I have tried the Cobra Billet Tip slip-ons (#4230), and most recently the Vance & Hines Twin Slash slip-ons (#18371).

The Cobras were the most "tinny" in terms of tone. They just don't sound very good, IMHO. They were fairly loud, maybe SLIGHTLY quieter than the V&H. The Vance & Hines are in the middle tone-wise, and the Freedoms are very throaty and deep compared to both of the others, they sound the best by far for my tastes. The other note on the Cobras, fitment was iffy at best. The bolt holes on the mounts are very low tolerance, they are hard to get lined up, making it easy to strip the bolts.

All in all, I would say the Freedoms are "overall" a bit quieter than the Vance & Hines, when taking into account all situations. The V&H are pretty much loud all over the place, these Freedoms have some interesting characteristics... None of these systems should be considered "quiet" frankly, compared to stock.

The Freedoms are somewhat loud during mild to moderate acceleration around town. They sound good doing it though. They aren't completely obnoxious, and in this area I would say they equal the V&H, but have a MUCH better deeper/throaty tone to them. At cruising (ie in 5th or 6th at 60mph plus), they settle surprisingly well into the background. Much quieter than the V&H or the Cobras in this scenario. I was actually REALLY surprised by this. I was able to hear my radio no problem.

At wide open throttle, the Freedoms quiet down fairly well too. Strange. The other 2 at wide open throttle are "wake the dead" mode, but not these. I was really surprised by this (and pleased), not sure how they accomplished that. The Freedoms are their loudest at what I'd call 25% - 75% throttle.

The Freedom pipes stick out further than the other two, which is a plus in my opinion. They look the best of the 3 (looks are subjective) to me. The inner diameter is at least twice that of the Vance & Hines. The Cobras are about the same, but they are smooth. These have the same sort of louvers as the V&H do. When I first looked down them I thought, great, these will be louder than hell. Glad I was wrong there.

Between these 3 systems, the Freedoms are the clear winner in overall tone, and while volume is similar in some cases, they have it where it counts for me: relatively quiet at cruising and WOT. I have swapped the pipes on that bike between the aftermarket ones listed and stock, at least 6 or 7 times now. I'm done, the Freedoms will stay. Glad I bought them.


The Freedoms were more difficult to install than the other 2 systems. Not hard per se, but it took about 4x longer than the others due to required assembly, and fiddling with orientation, especially on the right side. They come with 2 mufflers, 2 connecting pipes, and two heatshield extender thingies. The other systems are just a single piece on either side. No O2 sensor bung bolt was included, but I already had one laying around. Also, no instructions. The extra heatshields make for a less seamless install than the Cobras or V&H. It was difficult to get the factory one on the right side to lay flush with the Freedom pipe. This is mostly covered by the saddlebags on the upside.


Here is a video. The wandering idle is due to a cold start with the Ivan reflash:





And some pics:

[556ALPHA]

Thank you for taking the time to photograph and video the Freedom Slip Ons. From looking at the wensite you purchased it appears they may also be the same pipes fitting most Harleys. Maybe that is why they have the extra parts for install. The sound characteristics you described are exactly what I am looking for. At this point the Vance and Hines are on and I am gonna try them for the summer, maybe adding quiet baffles to see how that changes things. It would be nice if Freedom had a working site to make buying easier. I suspect that is why there are so few installed, distribution. If more people knew of them and they were easier to buy then there would be more on the Vulcans based on your opinion. Thanks again!

[ErikB]

No problem, I figured it was a rare chance for me to actually help out others looking for pipes.

I'd imagine that calling Freedom or PartsGiant to place an order might be successful, and I'd agree that the rarity of the pipes seems to be a contributing factor here. I don't know how long they've been available, but in my many searches for exhaust, I'd never managed to find them. The non-working website is odd these days.

I would think that the base pipes are the same ones for other bikes, as they looked identical apart from the hardware welded to them to fit the Vulcans specifically.It looks to me like they make the pipes, then depending on the bike add on a heatshield of varying length and design, and then supply connecting pipes to specification. It is surely cheaper from an R&D and supply chain perspective, but the V&H and Cobras were easier to install being 1 piece. Not a huge deal overall...

[8v06]

EricB,
I'm glad your impression of these is similar to mine. I found the install a little harder than I think it should have been but some instructions would have helped out quite a bit especially with the heat shields. There again I'm mechanically challenged so you cant rely on my opinion when it comes to that.
I am already getting complements on the deep throaty tones. I have the chrome mufflers with chrome tips so they still have a closer to stock look except for the way they stick out a few inches farther. I have not gotten any comments on the looks but have been asked several times in the last week what brand they are. I may try the quiet baffles just because of the mild to moderate acceleration. I just hope it doesn't change the cruising tone. Its Perfect. I would recommend these without a doubt.

[ErikB]

Rode around for longer this evening. The Freedom pipes are the loudest under load and mild to moderate throttle, such as going up a hill. In this scenario, they aren't any quieter than the other offerings I've tried. They really do sound fantastic tone-wise. Make no mistake, these are not quiet pipes by any stretch. They do settle down pretty well at cruising speed. The question one should ask before buying them, is how often are you at that speed and in that situation.

I'll admit that I am second-guessing taking the bike on the long trip next week. I am a little worried that after 5-7 hours into a day, that any of these pipes I've tried would just be too much to listen to volume-wise. Not sure yet. My 2016 Indian Dark Horse that is fully dressed for touring is also serviced and ready to go, and even with Bassani pipes, its half as loud. Considering taking that instead, and then ordering the baffles for the Freedoms. I think they'd be perfect if you could cut 5-7db from that mild to moderate throttle scenario. I'll have to think about it...

[ErikB]

For reference, I called Freedom Performance today (nice folks), and they said the part # for the quiet baffles is AC00118
I'm going to try them for a while longer before I order those...

[556ALPHA]

$100 each? Wow

[ErikB]

This evening I tried the slightly higher level filter in my ear plugs (the gold one on the Alpine Music Safe plugs). Fixed it, lol. I'll be taking the bike on the trip starting Monday...


https://www.alpinehearingprotection....csafe-classic/

[smokier]

Thanks ErikB for the great write-up, comparison and photos.

Looks like some FB's might be in my future!
(Maybe that Thanks Alot!)

Ride safe,
Smokier

[BEAST1700]

Erik B!

thank you so much for the detailed reviews! I was looking at the cobra neighbor haters, but every site says they won't fit, so was gonna go with the 4 inch cobra with scalloped tips, until I saw your Freedom write up! awesome pics and video! sounds good and throaty! will look into these! Was the install really 4x harder? that's a concern as well.............I'm not the most mechanical either, so ........

thanks again dude, awesome write up, saved me a TON of time!

Mike

[8v06]

Mike, I see that you havent yet gotten a reply so I will jump in.
I am not mechanical by any means. I was able to put them on in about an hour or so without any major issues. Mine didnt come with any instructions so it took me a little longer to figure out what piece goes on first. The actual install took no time at all.
I am still glad I made the purchase. I hope this helps.
Mike