I had the Santee 45 Caliber Drag Pipes installed on my ’98 883 Sportster (pictured above). Let me tell you right now: 2 1/4” shotgun pipes live up to their name! A right sweet ROOOAR! explodes every time I give the throttle a hard twist.
This can be a good, or bad thing.
Road trips are pretty much out of the question, unless you invest in some industrial-strength ear plugs. And if you live in an area with a noise ordinance, you’d better think twice before gettin’ it on.
Overall, the design and quality of the pipes are quite good.
My girlfriend at the time (we met when she gave me a “Nice bike” compliment and asked for a ride--now we’re married!) didn’t have a problem with the straight-shot exhaust pipe, at least not when we were riding. The only time the proximity of the pipe to her leg caused an issue was when she was getting on/off. There’s a trick to it--be sure passengers swing the leg outward, and not straight up and down. It’s easy for passengers to get burned if they get a little careless (something we learned mighty quickly).
However, the pipe is far enough away from the header to not get heated to the point that it’ll melt jeans or boots in mid-ride. She and I have taken plenty of 70-ish mile rides, and she hasn’t melted anything.
I’ve ridden the Sporty for over 6,000 miles, and there is no bluing on the pipes. None. Now that is something to write home--or online--about. I’ve had several sets of custom pipes on my bikes over the years, and these are solid.
RATING: “Da Bomb”
Pros: Looks great; sounds great; quality construction
Cons: Easy to burn the passenger when getting on or off the motorcycle
Makes a right-side saddlebag almost impossible
