Good price on V & H Baggers

[slots]

Don't want to start any issues...but on the Delphi board.... exists a sigificant, many posts thread concerning the lack of durability for V&H Baggers...rear pipe cracking (nearly 20% of those polled), heat shield delamination/breakage......plus the arrogant, non-existant, poor, screw-yerself, you-are-fuggered, minimal-warranty customer service exhibited by V&H.....(I have encountered that meself... my rear pipe cracked less than a year after prurchase... I was told "tough pukkie" by the V&H techs....I had to buy a new rear pipe).

These folks on Delphi are intelligent, experienced and aware...they are not fabricating the issues with V&H. Poor quality product...and even worse customer service.

I have a set of V&H Baggers on my Nomad... but if/when I have issues... I will switch to Cobras in a heartbeat.... I detest the piss-poor design of the V&H pipes and the lack of chrome coverage on the rear cross-under pipe......seems cheap and tawdry (always loved that word) to me..... wish I had the Cobras installed instead of V&H...

Just my lowly opinion...should be yours too <G>

Slots
Reno, NV

[beezer]

Cobras don't have the sound of V&H

[ringadingh]

Originally Posted by beezer

Cobras don't have the sound of V&H

I agree, I want to hear yours roar.

[cactusjack]

I've read those posts on Delphi as well. V&H insists there's no defect, but there are many documented cases of the pipes cracking. I've read about it on VROC, also. I think they are getting their tubing from a different source, probably to save money - because it seems to affect only pipes manufactured in a certain time period.

Still, if I was going to buy aftermarket pipes, they would probably be V&H Baggers because I like the sound better than the Cobra's.

[macmac]

The thing is no one knows how these were installed. You can force them and expect them to crack, or you can 'fit' them and expect good long use.

Now maybe if I knew how guys installed them, which I do with Cadd, and watched because I had broken ribs, and then did myself on the 06.. Well then maybe if his crack, or mine crack, there is a real problem.

other there and of here may fit these...

You don't pound on the mufflers and tighten head pipe clamps first.. Like Cadd said you get it all bolted LOOSE, and make sure you have it fitted..

The last set I bought for the 06 were used slightly and they were not fitted, and I sort of can't get the crossed over fitted because I have been ridding it with no clamps at all and still can't get the muffler off the pipe. I can tell it was a jammed on fit. The package as it came from UPS was ridiculous... Still it hasn't cracked.

I can imagine that V&H might have got a bad batch of tubing which led to cracking. I do not think there's anything particularly wrong with their overall design, except that short looking heat shield on the rear pipe that everyone complains about. I have seen a lot of bikes where the rear pipe is really blue under the heatshield. That indicates a too-lean, hot mixture, and this can certainly weaken the pipe.

As for V&H themselves, I remember back when they were a nickle-dime outfit, and they've come a long way since then, but their product is far from perfect and it sounds like I should be glad I haven't had to deal with their customer service.

I knew I'd have to fit them by hand when I bought them, and so I can't complain about that.

I've never owned Cobra pipes but I've bought some of their other chrome bits, and I can tell you that the quality of them varried.

[nomad561]

That has to be the best price I have seen.
As far as defects go,the best you can hope for is to inspect before install and hope nothing goes wrong after that.

[beezer]

Originally Posted by Wandering Nomad "Darksider"

That has to be the best price I have seen.
As far as defects go,the best you can hope for is to inspect before install and hope nothing goes wrong after that.

My last name ends in a vowel. I don't pay full price for anything ;)

[cactusjack]

[quote= beezer]

Originally Posted by "Wandering Nomad "Darksider"":k9le5jz6

That has to be the best price I have seen.
As far as defects go,the best you can hope for is to inspect before install and hope nothing goes wrong after that.

My last name ends in a vowel. I don't pay full price for anything ;)[/quote:k9le5jz6]

Ah, buy a lot of stuff that "must have fallen off the back of a truck or something", do you?

Shhhh! Don't get him busted until my new Sony shows up!

[beezer]

mum's the word

[ds06nomad]

$419 is a good price OTD. Paid $450 for mine and love them. You should hear them with the baffles removed!!! My baffle packing blew out pretty quickly, and I ordered replacement packing from V&H, but have yet it install it. They sound fine w/o the packing.

Mine did rub against the rear axle drain plug, but I got a shorter-headed bolt at the hardware store and no problem since. Wish they made fishtail ends for them!!!

Good product, no issues in 8K+ miles.

DS

Originally Posted by ds06nomad

...Mine did rub against the rear axle drain plug, but I got a shorter-headed bolt at the hardware store and no problem since....

I'm really surprised they rubbed. There are a lot of parts between the actual bike frame and the muffler itself. Maybe if you loosened up the bag hangers and fender hangers, rear cross bar, and rear crash bars, then pried them all to the left with a wood wedge between the gearcase & the left bag rail, then tightened things down again, you'd get the proper clearance. Maybe.

When you have so many parts in an assembly, and some of them are rather long, it's quite possible for the hole at the end of that "chain" to be off a bit due to either a build up in manufacturing tolerances or a build up in assembly tolerances, or both.

[beezer]

Mine are on the truck for me to put on today. I cracked the bolts on the old set but didn't drop them yet since sometimes my luck is like the UPS truck crashes .

I can't wait. It's just sitting there on Idaho's jack adapter waiting for it's new voicebox.

[moenko]

Hmmm, getting scared now - my Nomad came with the Baggers. They look in excellent shape and the sound - well - pretty neat !! I will keep a close eye on those.