The Loudest Exhausts for Harley Davidson’s Street Glide Motorcycle in 2023

This is our buying guide on the loudest exhausts for Harley Davidson’s Street Glide in 2023. Below is a quick summary of our top recommendations. Scroll further down to read in depth, hands on reviews for each exhaust.

MOST USEFUL

Bassani Radial Sweepers Exhaust System

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• 16-gauge double-wall steel
• Unique design
• Best ground clearance
• Exhaust pipes are shorter
• Less pipe equals lower weight
• Higher volume of exhaust
• Aggressive, guttural sound
• Noticeable bump in low-end torque
• Faster acceleration
• Easier to pass other vehicles
• Heat shields integrated into the design
• Easy installation
• All the mounting hardware is provided in the box

Overall LOUDEST

Vance & Hines Shortshots Staggered Exhaust

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• Simple, minimalist design
• Available in black and chrome
• Staggered setup with narrow headers and wide mufflers
• Louder exhaust sound
• Free-flowing exhaust
• Lower frequencies are accentuated
• Awesome air intake sound on cold starts
• 220-degree heat shield
• Ideal for longer journeys
• Enhanced throttle response

BEST SLIP-ON

S&S Grand National Slip-On Muffler For Harley

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• Highest grade steel
• Comes in either chrome or black
• Larger, rounded muffler design
• Highest performance upgrade of any Harley slip-on
• Improved torque down low
• Smoother rolling on the throttle
• By far the loudest exhaust for Harley Davidson Street Glide
• Deeper idling sound
• dB killer can reduce the volume
• Easy to install
• Compatible with both Softails and Touring models

This is our review of the loudest exhausts for the Harley Street Glide. 

While the sound and overall volume are the differentiating factors, we also consider features like the build quality, any performance upgrades, and of course, the design of the exhaust in our review. 

If you want a quick recommendation, check out the Shortshots staggered exhaust from Vance and Hines for the loudest Street Glide exhaust. It has a loud and crisp exhaust note, higher power figures, and a tonne of style. And, of course, it has that otherworldly construction that V&H is known for. 

We have been riding for about twenty years and testing motorcycle accessories for the last ten. Leave it to us if you want an informed opinion on which loud exhaust to buy for your Harley Street Glide. 

Keep reading for more details about the loudest exhausts for Harley Street Glide motorcycles.

IMPORTANT! – Make sure you have the correct sizing and fitment so you don’t waste your money.

If ever there was a default loud exhaust for the Harley Davidson Street Glide, it is the Vance & Hines Shortshots. These pipes treat you to beefier, louder sound, a decent power up, and an effortlessly cool design.

First, let’s touch on the design of these bad boys. We have to say, the stripped-down, utilitarian look of Vance & Hines exhausts is always welcome. It just works and fits right in with the classic lines of the Street Glide.

The pipes themselves are staggered, meaning they grow in diameter as you move to the muffler from the headers. Those narrow headers facilitate backpressure, and the larger mufflers enhance the sound.

The next feature that stands out visually on these loud Street Glide exhausts is the 220-degree heat shields. They are integrated right into the design of the pipe, so you don’t have to install any aftermarket shields. As for shielding you from heat, they work pretty well, especially for longer journeys. What’s more, you can get them blacked out if the chrome is too ostentatious for you.

Next up, we have these exhaust pipes’ piece de resistance. We are talking, of course, about the sound. One crack of the throttle is enough to tell you that these are some of the loudest exhausts for the Street Glide.

Vance & Hines’ Shortshots bring lots of extra volume to your bike’s exhaust note while also making the sound deeper, more imposing, and aggressive.

And being a V&H pipe, it has that unique air intake sound on cold starts that you have to hear in person to fully appreciate. It adds a lot of character to the bike and is probably our favorite feature of this loud Street Glide exhaust.

But enough about the sound. Let’s talk about performance figures. The free-flowing architecture of this exhaust unlocks a hidden power-up. Granted, it won’t throw you back into the seat, but it’s definitely noticeable when you roll on the throttle. Furthermore, we noticed a little bit more torque at the low end too.

So with all of those awesome benefits, there must be some cons, too, right? Well, sort of. Specifically, some folks might deem the exhaust a bit TOO loud. If that’s you, fret not. Install the optional baffles to reduce the volume to more manageable levels.

Bassani makes some of our absolute favorite exhausts for the Street Glide and some of the loudest too. Their Radial Sweepers continue that trend, offering the loudest exhaust note of all. They also come with a non-conventional design that is shorter and sleeker.

The standout feature of this loud Street Glide exhaust is the styling. For the construction, Bassani opted for 16-gauge double-wall steel, helping keep weight down and durability up. The design features a slash-cut look that exudes style. Your grandpa’s Street Glide exhaust, this is not!

The pipes themselves are noticeably shorter than stock or even other aftermarket options. This has a couple benefits. First off, the exhaust sits higher on the bike, reducing the chances of the pipes scraping on bumps. It also gives you higher ground clearance for leaning the bike into turns.

And, of course, it allows the exhaust to be lighter than its competitors.

Furthermore, the shorter design gives you a little more power than a similarly set up exhaust that is longer. Not to mention, the short pipes boost overall volume as well.

These are far and away the loudest exhausts for Harley Davidson Street Glides on the topic of volume. The exhaust note is meaner and more aggressive. In fact, this exhaust made our otherwise docile Street Glide sound like a bat out of hell!

Besides making the Street Glide louder, this exhaust also adds a healthy performance upgrade to the mix. We were floored by just how much torque this exhaust added to the bike. Just be sure to get the proper ECU tuning done for optimal results.

Speaking of that torque upgrade, it made the bike easier to maneuver at low speed. And when you need to get going in a hurry, the Bassani pipe helps the Street Glide accelerate faster from a standstill.

Rounding up the feature list, we have an integrated heat shield that prevents excess exhaust heat from making your ride miserable. However, we did notice a bit more heat on our legs regardless of the shields. Guess that’s the price you pay for these pipes’ unique shape and style.

Installing these pipes is surprisingly easy for a full system. The included instructions are concise and easy to follow. All the necessary parts are provided, and the whole setup was built in the USA, just like your Street Glide.

This S&S slip-on for the Harley Davidson Street Glide matches the Bassani’s volume and puts its own unique spin on the exhaust note. Add to that the premium build quality, a significant bump in power, and you’ve got another excellent exhaust for your bike.

S&S exhausts are always the most well-built and durable, and this one is no different. The stainless steel is of a higher grade than most, and the surface coating holds up really well to scratches. But then, it has to be to keep the powder coating looking fresh. Or, if you prefer, you can get the slip-on in chrome.

It is a well-designed piece of motorcycle hardware, but we just can’t get behind this style. Still, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and maybe you will like the dual, large, rounded mufflers of this slip-on. It is a modern look that is clean and stylish, so we can’t complain too much.

But the real star of the show with this exhaust, and most of S&S’s offerings, is the performance. These pipes sport a free-flowing design that gets rid of exhaust gasses faster, enabling better performance. And we can report that rolling on the throttle is a lot more satisfying with these cans installed. Acceleration sees a decent improvement as well, mostly thanks to the higher low-end torque.

Expect passing cars and other bikes to be easier and merging on the highway to be a cakewalk!

Of course, most of your fellow motorists will automatically know to get out of the way when they hear the ear-splitting exhaust note of these Street Glide exhausts. The S&S and the Bassani were almost tied for first place in the run for loudest Street Glide exhaust, but the S&S eked out a win thanks to its enhanced low frequencies.

As for the sound character, it is a deeper, more full sound than stock. It’s the kind of sound you imagine purpose-built race bikes making at full tilt. If you decide to pick up a set of S&S pipes, consider investing in some earplugs to preserve your hearing!

And if that sound still proves too much for you or your local law enforcement, just install the included dB killers to quiet the exhaust down.

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Loudest Street Glide Exhausts FAQ

How do I make my Harley Davidson Street Glide louder?

If you want to extract louder sound from your Harley Davidson Street Glide, you can do a couple of different things. Firstly, you can remove the stock baffles, which restrict the flow of exhaust gasses. This will allow a higher volume of exhaust gasses to exit the engine in the same amount of time, resulting in a louder exhaust note. 

Another common method of making your Street Glide louder is by adding an aftermarket exhaust to it. This could just be a muffler or a full system. Either way, you will definitely get a louder exhaust note and even some performance benefits. 

Pro tip: If you want to get the most volume out of your Street Glide, get a shorter slip-on style exhaust. Shorter exhausts tend to deliver higher volume and offer better performance too. 

How do I make my Harley Davidson Street Glide Deeper?

We all like that deep and guttural sound that Harleys make. But what if you want to accentuate the low frequencies so that the bike sounds meaner and throatier? The easiest way of doing so is to get an aftermarket slip-on or full system exhaust. As mentioned above, this will derestrict the flow of exhaust gasses, making the exhaust note louder but also deeper and more imposing. 

Get a wider slip-on if you want to accentuate the lower frequencies even more. This will allow the sound to reverberate and become deeper before leaving the exhaust. 

Will a Slip-On Exhaust Make My Street Glide Louder?

In a word: absolutely. Most slip-ons are designed to make the bike louder and rowdier sounding. 

In a couple of words: it depends. While most slip-ons make for a louder, more pleasing soundtrack for your ride, some actually don’t have much of an effect. Now, we doubt you’ll find any slip-ons that actually lower the volume of your bike, but it isn’t unheard of for slip-ons to just maintain the same sound levels as stock. In this case, the slip-on is really just there for aesthetics or to change the sound character rather than increase the volume. 

Thankfully, we have reviewed a variety of Street Glide exhausts so you can get your next aftermarket pipe or can with confidence.