This is a review of the Vance & Hines Classic II slipon exhaust for the '94 and later Honda Magna. I purchased and installed mine in April '02 for my '99 Magna.

Overview

The Vance & Hines exhaust is part # 19427. It is available from many on-line motorcycle parts suppliers. I purchased mine for $457.30 including tax & shipping from Hal Greenlee. It consists of 4 slipon mufflers and 2 header pipes, with mounting hardware and brief instructions. The mufflers are a straight through "glasspack" design for ultimate flow and good sound quality.

Installation

Installation is straight forward but frustrating. You remove the OEM exhaust system, leaving the front header pipes installed but removing everything else. In other words, remove all 4 mufflers and the rear header pipes. You also replace the mounting brackets which hold the mufflers to the frame of the bike. The V&H pieces bolt on, replacing the OEM parts. The fit is a tight in some places but overall very good. One of the header pipes was too tight. I had to round file the edge to smooth it, and use a rubber mallet to get it into the muffler. I did not use any gaskets or washers where the rear header pipes mount to the engine block, and I have had no problems or leaks, having these pipes for over 2 years now. The instructions are not very clear, so study the various parts carefully before installing. The entire job took me about an hour.

Later, when I installed Progressive HD 412 rear shocks, they wouldn't fit due to the V&H exhaust. So I had to add 8-10 clearance washers on the upper left side muffler where it joins the mounting plate. This worked fine, has been installed for over 2 years and no issues.

First Impressions

The fit and finish is excellent, better than stock. The sound quality is superb. These pipes transform the Magna into one of the best sounding motorcycles on the road today. They are louder than stock, but not loud enough to attract citations.

Tuning

These pipes REQUIRE the carb setup to be modified from stock. They flow even higher than most of the other aftermarket exhausts (such as the Cobras) and require even more jetting. Here is a dyno tested configuration that works extremely well at or near sea level:

Main jets: increase stock size 102, to size 107.5 (two sizes up)
Size 105 works OK but the V&H run better with size 107.5
Needle shims: add 2 extra shims for a total of 3 on each needle
It will run OK with only 1 extra shim (total 2), but will have a flat spot in the midrange which will be noticeable at 1/2 throttle or more.
Pilot screw: adjust from 2 1/2 to 2 3/4 turns open from the fully closed position (each turn being 360 degrees). If you have only 1 extra shim, you need to set the pilot richer at 3 turns.

NOTE: The Dave Dodge jet+shim kit has 1 extra shim on each needle and size 105 mains. This is great for any bone stock Magna and even works well with some aftermarket exhausts. But I found the V&H to be a little lean on this setup. I bumped the main jets to size 107.5 which improved top end response, and I added 1 shim to each needle which eliminated the midrange flat spot.

WARNING: do not run these pipes with the stock carb setup. I have seen a dyno run from a bike wtih V&H exhaust and the stock carb setup, and it was running A/F ratios of around 18:1. This is WAY too lean; the bike will be down on power and run poorly.

NOTE: these pipes, being a glasspack design, require periodic replacement of the packing material. It's advisable to stay on top of this maintenance because if the packing material blows out, the engine will run a bit lean and you'll lose throttle response & power. The internal packing cages are easily removable with 2 bolts on each of the 4 mufflers. V&H has a repack kit, part # 16106 for about $8 each. You need 4 of them to repack this exhaust. They recommend repacking every year or 10,000 miles. Standard R21 to R30 fiberglass also works, but avoid ceramic/fiber products like Superwool because they flake apart and blow out quickly. Looking up into the pipes from behind, you can see the packing underneath the perforations in the cage, and you can poke it with a bicycle spoke to feel how much is there. Repacking takes about 15 minutes per pipe or about an hour.

Caveats

Be prepared to spend an hour repacking every 10,000 miles or so.
It's a little tricky figuring out where all the hardware goes during install.
If you run progressive rear shocks (which are fatter than the OEM shocks), you will need to make additional clearance for the left side muffler mounting bracket.

The Final Word

This is the very best exhaust system available for the '94 - '03 Magna, period.
Fit and finish is better than OEM quality.
Sound quality is absolutely superb.
Performance, with the proper carb setup, is excellent. These pipes provide dyno proven extra torque and horsepower you can feel throughout the entire RPM range.
It is a true bolt-on mod that is easy to perform.
In short, these pipes are for anyone who has a Magna and wants the best exhaust system money can buy. 'Nuff said!