The Loudest Harley Davidson Exhausts

Here, we’ll be recommending the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts.

In our review, we will discuss the most important features of each exhaust, including the build quality, sound characteristics, and of course, how well the exhaust performs. We have put each option through the wringer in real-world tests.

Overall, the loudest and, in fact, the best sounding exhausts for Harley-Davidsons come from Bassani. These pipes have a meaty, powerful sounding exhaust note. They also bring a pretty healthy power-up to your Harley.

Over the last ten years, we have tested and reviewed almost all the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts. So if you want an informed opinion to help you make the best buying decision, leave it to us.

Keep reading for more of our thoughts on the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts.

Sort By Harley and Exhaust Type

• Loudest True Dual Exhaust for Harley
• Loudest Harley Touring Exhausts
• Loudest Vance and Hines Slip On Exhausts
• Loudest Exhausts For Harley Road King
• Loudest Slip On exhausts for Harley Davidson Motorcycles
• Loudest Harley Fishtail Exhausts
• Loudest Exhausts For Harley Street Glide
• Loudest Exhausts For The Harley Sportster 1200
• Loudest Exhausts For The Harley Milwaukee 8 (M8)
• Loudest Rinehart Exhaust Baffles
• How To Make Your Stock Harley Exhaust Louder?
• How to Make Your Harley Stock Exhaust Deeper

Bassani is our personal favorite loud exhaust for Harley-Davidsons. These pipes offer a loud and beefy exhaust note unlike any other. The fact that these are also some of the best-built exhaust systems for Harleys is just the cherry on top.

Let’s talk about the incredible sound of these exhausts. It is easy to say that these are some of the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts out there. But Bassani exhausts are so much more than that. Their sound signature is a deep and rumbly growl. It is the type of sound that makes your Harley feel more powerful with every twist of the throttle.

Bassani’s exhausts for Harleys are all about that bass! Expect a rowdy, thumping exhaust note if you get a Bassani pipe. As for overall loudness, these pipes blow the competition out of the water with a crisp tone that only gets louder when the motorcycle gets going.

Bassani’s mission seems to be making the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts. Still, the rest of the exhaust ain’t no slouch either! In fact, these pipes have a stellar build quality and use premium materials for better durability.

Most Bassani exhausts are fashioned out of 16-gauge steel. This helps the exhaust hold up better to high temperatures and pressure. Bassani also uses TIG welds for their loudest Harley Davidson exhausts, improving durability and structural rigidity.

16-gauge steel is a lightweight material, especially compared to the alloys used in stock Harley exhausts. So expect some functional weight savings that improve your bike’s power-weight ratio.

Speaking of power, Bassani’s loudest exhausts for Harley-Davidsons don’t lack in the horsepower department. These pipes have a free-flowing design that makes them some of the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts and some of the most powerful.

With a Bassani full system exhaust fitted to our Softail, we noticed that it was quicker off the line and had better throttle response higher in the rev range. In fact, we even got a pretty decent torque boost too. This helped with the bike’s low-speed maneuvering and made passing vehicles on the highway easier.

All said and done, Bassani’s pipes are some of the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts, but they also have a slew of other features that make them our top pick.

Vance & Hines pipes are the king of the hill when it comes to build quality. You won’t find a more well-built Harley Davidson pipe or one with more features. These are also some of the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts in the slip-on category.

V&H has long been renowned for its otherworldly build quality. They use the highest grade of stainless steel available, which means these pipes are designed to outlast the bike itself.

We exposed each of these loudest Harley Davidson exhausts to extremely high temperatures and pressure in our testing. The V&H pipes held up better than all the rest, without so much as an exhaust leak or crack.

V&H exhausts come with an impressive feature set. These pipes have full coverage heat shields integrated right into the design. This is really useful for longer rides where exhaust heat can make you uncomfortable in the saddle. With V&H pipes, neither the rider nor the passenger felt much exhaust heat, even on long highway journeys.

Another really cool feature of Vance & Hines’ loudest exhausts for Harley-Davidsons is their ‘blue-proof’ design. This is a special coating that resists discoloration over thousands of heat cycles. It works as advertised, keeping your chrome exhaust looking pristine and brand new.

But you came here looking for the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts. And admittedly, V&H is a tad quieter and more sensible than Bassani. But compared to stock Harley exhausts, Vance & Hines pipes are throatier, deeper sounding, and have more character.

We can attest to a 25% increase in volume, but it feels even higher than that. The exhausts have an aggressive sound that makes the bike feel a lot more imposing. And probably our favorite feature of any exhaust on this list, V&H slip-ons have this unique fluttering sound on cold starts that is absolutely epic.

Finally, the performance benefits of V&H’s loudest Harley Davidson exhausts are also plentiful. The same high-flow exhaust system that makes these pipes so loud also enables a boost in power. However, if you get a set of headers with your Vance & Hines slip-ons, that power-up will be even more noticeable.

But even with just the slip-ons, the bike felt faster and more eager to get going. We can also attest to a smoother throttle and better top-end performance.

V&H delivers by far the best balance of features. And while Bassani’s pipes are the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts, V&H is pretty loud too. But when it comes to performance, our next entrant blows both out of the water.

The ‘racing’ in Two Brothers’ Racing is well-earned. TBR’s exhausts are not only some of the loudest Harley Davidson Exhausts to be fitted to our test bikes but easily the most powerful. Add to that a premium build, and you’ve got another complete package of an exhaust.

Let’s get the boring stuff out of the way. TBR’s exhausts for Harleys come with high-quality stainless steel construction, perfect firmness, and everything else you’d expect from a top Harley Davidson exhaust brand.

Their exhausts have a sleek and retro vibe to them that we just can’t get enough of. TBR’s design language is right in line with Harley’s, with classic lines and timeless styling. Functionally, the exhausts are lightweight and use TIG welds to rein in high exhaust pressure. And the carbon fiber end caps are a signature TBR addition that completes the look.

Moving on to the sound quality, we liked the rowdy exhaust note of TBR pipes. Loudness isn’t quite to the level of Bassani but bites at the heels of V&H. It’s a race-bred sound that feels just as at home on the track as it does on the road. The tone is crisp and bassy, so it sounds loud standing still and going full tilt.

But ask TBR, and they’ll tell you that they never set out to make the loudest Harley Davidson exhaust. Instead, they aimed to make the best-performing ones, and loud acoustics were just a happy accident.

When it comes to performance, TBR’s loudest exhausts for Harley-Davidsons lead the pack. It starts with the high-flow exhaust architecture, which wrings out every ounce of power from the engine. The result is a smoother, more responsive throttle. The torque upgrade makes accelerating faster and more fun.

Not to mention TBR’s unique 2-into-1 style that many of their loudest Harley Davidson exhausts are based on enables ‘scavenging.’ For the uninitiated, ‘scavenging’ is a phenomenon wherein exhaust pulses from one header go into the other, improving backpressure.

All said and done, TBR’s pipes deliver the biggest power-up of any exhaust on this list. But the performance is about more than just adding a couple extra HPs. Every detail of this exhaust is focused on making the ride more pleasurable and fun.

For example, TBR exhausts usually mount slightly higher than stock, giving you more room to lean the bike into corners. The lightweight design also improves your bike’s power-weight ratio. Even the megaphone-style muffler is designed to produce optimal backpressure, ensuring that you get the best performance out of your Harley.

Bassani’s Road Rage 2-into-1 style exhausts for Harley-Davidsons are a treat for the senses. They look and sound like a million bucks, unlock tons of hidden power, and make your eyeballs shake in their sockets!

The entire construction of this aftermarket Harley exhaust uses high-quality 304 stainless steel. They may not look it, but the pipes are relatively light and don’t contribute much to your bike’s wet weight. And if you’re riding a Harley, you want to shed every gram you possibly can.

The 2-into-1 styling may not be to everyone’s taste, but we liked it. It gives your bike that classic bobber look that is really hot right now. Combine that with the beautiful TIG welds, and you’ve got an absolute showstopper on your hands.

Not to mention, the TIG welds will be significantly stronger and be able to withstand higher pressure. These pipes are also mounted higher than stock, so you can expect better cornering ability on your Harley.

But look at us rambling about the exhaust’s design. Let’s move on to the important stuff.

If you want a thunderous Harley exhaust, get this one. We can attest to an almost 25% louder exhaust note that is deeper and more robust than stock. If loud pipes save lives, you’re gonna be a local hero!

But loud exhausts are a dime a dozen. It is the higher quality of the exhaust that we fell in love with. The acoustics are perfectly calibrated, so the exhaust sounds simultaneously mean and refined!

Lastly, you do get a nice power up with this exhaust. Expect about 3 more horsepower over the stock exhaust and a little more down-low torque. Paired with the weight savings, this will give you an easier time maneuvering the bike in tight spots and burning rubber on the highway.

As for special features, you get all the necessary O2 sensors and adapters in the box, a partial heat shield keeps exhaust temps down, and the whole package is manufactured in the USA.

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How to Choose the Loudest Exhaust for Harley Davidson Motorcycles?

If you want your Harley to sound louder and more full, a slip-on or baffle delete might do the trick. But if you want to get the loudest exhausts for your Harley, you’ll have to do your due diligence. Let’s look at the most important factors to consider when looking at the loudest Harley exhausts. 

Types

Not all aftermarket Harley exhausts are made equal. And if you want to get a louder exhaust, your mileage will vary with different types of exhausts. 

Slip-ons are a good investment if you want to get extra dBs on the cheap. Slip-on style mufflers are specially designed to direct exhaust gasses in a way that enhances volume and sound. Different shapes will also provide varying levels of loudness. Different cans will also have different sound quality, depth, and tone. 

But if you want the absolute loudest Harley Davidson exhausts and don’t mind spending a couple extra bucks, a full system exhaust with aftermarket headers is the way to go. A full system will deliver the highest exhaust flow and thus be louder. Overall, the full system will also sound more bassy. Not to mention, full systems offer significantly better performance than slip-ons ever could. 

Fitment

This is pretty obvious, but the fitment plays a huge role in making your Harley’s exhaust louder. If you get an exhaust made specifically for your bike, the sound will be tuned to be louder and more pleasing than a generic pipe. 

Moreover, if you try to use an adapter or custom fabrication job to get an incompatible exhaust to fit on your Harley, the results won’t be nearly as good. This is why we tested all of our recommendations with different Harley models to ensure that they work as advertised. Still, it’s always good to check if your particular bike is compatible with the exhaust you like before pulling the trigger. Some exhausts will be compatible with Sportsters, others with Softails, and some with Touring chassis bikes. And some will be compatible with all of them!

‘Measure twice, buy once, we always say. 

Exhaust Configuration

Exhaust configuration is probably the most important factor when it comes to choosing the loudest Harley Davidson exhausts. 

As a rule of thumb, you’ll get significantly louder sound out of a shorter exhaust compared to a longer one. This applies to both slip-ons and full systems. Without getting too technical, just know that it is a lot easier for exhaust gasses to exit a shorter exhaust than it is for them to move through a longer one. In other words, you get higher exhaust flow from a shorter exhaust, resulting in higher power and louder sound. 

Similarly, 2-into-1 exhausts will be a bit louder than true duals. But this also depends greatly on the type of exhaust, the exact design, and the manufacturer. And that brings us to our next point. 

Brand

Different brands will have varying levels of loudness, but more importantly, they will have different types of sound and exhaust characteristics. 

For example, Bassani exhausts tend to be the deepest, rowdiest sounding, and loudest Harley Davidson exhausts. Vance & Hines are also loud and crisp but not quite as deep and rumbly as Bassani pipes. And finally, coming at a respectable third place, we have Two Brothers Racing exhausts. 

It is important to note that each of these pipes will have its own pros and cons. And while we recommend our reviews above for a more in-depth look at the differences, here’s a general overview. 

Bassani exhausts are the loudest and best sounding, but they might be too loud for some jurisdictions! Moreover, they aren’t the best suited for Touring bikes that get used for long journeys, where the sound might become annoying after a while. 

V&H pipes are by far the best-built. In fact, they offer the best balance of features and performance, even if they don’t stand out in terms of sound or power. Still, they’re loud and beefy, perfect for your Harley. 

And last…and kind of least, as far as loudness is concerned, we have Two Brothers Racing exhausts. They aren’t as loud as the Bassanis and not as feature-heavy as the V&H, but boy, do these things rip! They offer the highest boost in power and still put stock exhausts to shame. 

In Conclusion

No matter which of the above exhausts you end up getting for your Harley, you can be sure that it will give you a louder, better sound than stock. Or maybe you go with an exhaust that we didn’t test. In that case, write to us and give us your review. We’d love to hear from you!