Polishing Exhaust

By Dennis Santopietro

Q: I have a FHLXS 2014 stage 4. The Vanes and Hines 450 pipes LOVE THEM but the left exhaust is black all the time. I was told by Harley that was normal for these mufflers. Is this true?

A: Really very common. Usually nothing to be overly concerned with. If your spark plugs look good, we suggest not wasting too much time pondering it. If, however, your plugs are somewhat “sooty”; you may be tuned slightly rich. Polishing exhaust may help.

Related Videos:
Chrome Polishing Tips & Techniques

Share tips, start a discussion or ask one of our experts or other students a question.

Make a comment:
characters remaining

3 Responses to “Polishing Exhaust”

  1. William

    I have a shovelhead i've had a difficult time looking for a link for is bike.The video looking for is (How to install a kick start kit on a 4 speed trans,that never had it.Or other videos. ps: Los felicito por su labor para nosotros.

  2. James camps

    I have the same problem on my HD Softail heritage (build 1996) equipped with PAUGHCO 2-into-1 classic exhaust. The colour of the front cylinder spark plug is perfect! The issue is on the rear one; that spark plug is dark black! Altough I do not have exessive oil consumption and have only one carb who does alliment the two cylinders. Engine starts very well and there are no issues during driving or stationary working. What could be the problem?

  3. Charles

    I've had a difficult time finding a link on your site to ask this question. Does your tech tops and videos include shovelheads? Thank you