This is our buying guide on the best exhaust gaskets for Harley motorcycles in 2023. Below is a quick summary of our top recommendations. Scroll further down to read our in depth, hands on reviews, for each exhaust gasket.

James Exhaust Gasket Kit
- High quality product
- Seals well with cylinder head
- Holds up to increased pressure
- Comes with different nuts and bolts
- Easy to install
- Compatible with vast majority of Harley models
- Included nuts and bolts also fit very well

Vance & Hines Exhaust Port Gaskets
- High quality materials
- Quality controlled production
- Flat edges instead of beveled
- Fit perfectly on the cylinder head
- Create a precise seal
- Fit a lot of older model bikes as well
- Usable with modern engines as well

James Gasket Copper Ring Style
- Secure fit
- Resistant to wear and tear
- Holds up well to corrosion
- Reduces excess shifting of the pipe
- Great for use with older models
- Cheaper option that works well
- Minimizes leaks
- Copper is great at distributing heat
- Prevents warping of gaskets
In this guide we’ll be covering the best exhaust gaskets for Harley Davidson Motorcycles.
Exhaust gaskets need to align precisely with the cylinder head to be effective.
So we tested a wide range of Harley Davidson exhaust gaskets to find the one that performs best, is durable, and gives you the most value for your money.
‘Vance and Hines’ produced our favorite exhaust gaskets, with other manufacturers offering some quality options too.
Read on to find the best Harley exhaust gasket for your bike.
Vance and Hines’ exhaust port gaskets were by far the best performing of our lineup. These are indistinguishable from the stock gaskets, meaning they will line up precisely with the cylinder head and exhaust pipe. This creates a perfect seal and doesn’t allow exhaust gases to escape, maintaining engine performance as a result.
A plus point of these gaskets is that their edges are flat, not beveled. Beveled edges leave minute gaps and cause the bike to underperform. Furthermore, these gaskets are compatible with a long list of Harley Davidson models, spanning almost 40 years.
High quality manufacturing makes these gaskets durable as well. One of the bikes at the office has had these same exhaust gaskets installed for a good couple of years, and there haven’t been any hiccups. This motorcycle gets used quite often and already has over 50,000 miles on the odometer and still runs great.
Pros
- High quality materials
- Quality controlled production
- Flat edges instead of beveled
- Fit perfectly on the cylinder head
- Create a precise seal
- Fit a lot of older model bikes as well
- Usable with modern engines as well
Cons
- Do not fit the V-Rod
‘James’ provides another solid exhaust gasket for your Harley Davidson motorcycle. Here, we have a complete package with high quality gaskets and other relevant parts that simplify the installation process.
James’ kit comes with the gaskets themselves but also goes the extra mile by giving you a series of premium nuts and bolts to use during installation. This eliminates the need to use the old, worn parts that could cause problems down the line.
These gaskets also performed well in our testing, creating a solid seal that held up to increased pressure, and did not allow any exhaust gases to leak out. One slight problem we ran into was that one of the multiple packages we ordered came a bit damaged and slightly opened, but we can chalk that up to shipping damage.
Pros
- High quality product
- Seals well with cylinder head
- Holds up to increased pressure
- Comes with different nuts and bolts
- Easy to install
- Compatible with vast majority of Harley models
- Included nuts and bolts also fit very well
Cons
- Some reports say C-Clips are tighter than OEM
If you are looking for an exhaust gasket made of copper, James Gasket has you covered. Their Copper Ring Style exhaust port gasket offers excellent performance, value and effectively seals the cylinder head.
Copper is an excellent material to use for exhaust gaskets. It creates a tighter seal that helps you squeeze out that extra bit of power. The unique properties of copper gaskets prevent them from shifting once they are in place and keep the fit secure.
James copper gaskets for Harley reduce excess movement and hold up well over time. They are durable and effective at making your seals more robust and more resilient to general wear and tear. Superior corrosion resistance is another plus point with this product, making it the last gasket you might ever need to buy.
Pros
- Secure fit
- Resistant to wear and tear
- Holds up well to corrosion
- Reduces excess shifting of the pipe
- Great for use with older models
- Cheaper option that works well
- Minimizes leaks
- Copper is great at distributing heat
- Prevents warping of gaskets
Cons
- May require slightly different fastener torque values than OEM