I just received my Paul Bryant headers and want to share my observations about him and them. First Rate Mate no question. Very easy to communicate with and extremely knowledgeable, top notch perfection!
Here is the header with his custom crossover both HPC coated. Beautiful craftsmanship!(and I'm a welder)
I first bolted these on without changing my tune. I wanted to hear or feel any difference. I am using RamAir and the stock roadster mufflers that I De-CAT'd (the thread for that if you're interested is, "Another way to skin the CAT"). My tune was simply stock with opened secondaries 100% and copied the i3 tables to i2 and i1.
The very first thing I noticed starting the bike was, to my astonishment, it was quieter! I know this is going to generate some flak? Sitting there idling I could clearly hear more of the internal motor sounds like the valve train and timing chains. The only explanation I can think of for this is the thickness of the tubing with the coating on the inside and outside.
On to the ride! Wow! No question she's breathing easy now, big smile, totally worth it! Still quieter than stock manifold? I'll take it, thank you very much. I had just gone through the process of trying to quite down the RamAir with foam weather strip and lining the bear claw with Dynamat which really worked great, but now sounds louder again as there's not as much coming from the right side?
The tone or note coming out of the mufflers while accelerating is deeper, more aggressive, and addicting. The volume at cruise speeds 65 to 85 mph is actually less than I had with the stock configuration and a slightly lower note. I'm thrilled with this.
Here's a shot without the stock chrome crossover cover so you can see the fit. Absolutely perfect! It does not protrude out from the motor anymore than stock either! That was one of my reasons for going with Pauls vs CES or Carpenter's.
So next I installed the custom tune that HansO sent me and went down the road to my secret supplier of 93 octane no ethanol fuel. I intend to just go get the gas and come back to do chores, mow grass etc.
Well I didn't! I simply could not believe this was the same motorcycle at all. I was practically laughing out loud. I filled her up and drank her down and filled her up again and went up over the skyline drive 3 different ways, put more gas in her and drank half that tank! 275 miles of pure adrenaline rush. Got home just before dark.
Here's a shot with the crossover cover installed:
This is simply an amazing HP and torque per dollar upgrade, and for me well worth the effort. I feel really grateful for this website and all those who volunteer and donate and collaborate. It's an incredible resource. Thanks to Paul Bryant, HansO and everyone who has helped me understand these newer machines, TuneEcu, AFR's etc. If anyone has specific questions about Paul Bryant headers or "skinning the CAT" don't hesitate to PM me. Thanks again everyone!