NOTICE:  These are tech pages explaining how I did these mods to my bike.  In almost every case -
I DO NOT SELL THE PARTS DESCRIBED.  I do tell you where I got them.  EXCEPTION - I do sell my custom exhaust mods. 

Installing Stainless Stacks on an Interstate

Rationale

You have an Interstate, and you've been eyeballing those gorgeous Horseapple Ranch Stainless Stacks, but you've heard clearance under the luggage is a problem, and the last thing you need is a PITA install.  But SHOOT!  You sure love the look of those stacks!

This is how to install them with (mostly) hand tools, in an afternoon.

Cost

$320-399 if you get 32-40" Mirror Polished or Chromed, Stainless Howitzers from Horseapple Ranch. 

Time

2 hours.

Materials

• Horseapple Ranch Stainless Stacks
• WD40

Tools

• 4 1/2" angle grinder with grinding and cutting wheels, or Dremel as below, hack saw, cold chisel and hammer.
• air die grinder with 1/2" carbide burr, or Dremel with rotary file or several steel cutting stones, or mill bastard file
• Carpenter's square
• fine point felt marker
• masking tape
• mallet or dead blow hammer
• block of 4X4 wood
• small vicegrips
• phillips screwdriver
• metric combination wrench set
• metric socket set (optional)
• ballpeen hammer and anvil
• bench vise
• bike lift (optional)
• jackstand (optional)

Process

Provide clearance under the luggage by moving the shield up, removing the weep bumps, and taking up the clearance available as slop in the frame fasteners (actually pretty easy):

Lift the bike, place jackstand under rear luggage frame member, and   lower bike some so jackstand applies pressure up on frame. If you have a friend, or another way to lift on the frame, the lift and jackstand aren't needed.

Loosen these 2 upper bolts

And the 3 hanger bolts.

Press and hold down on the hanger and tighten the two bolts into the frame

Remove the bag and the heat shield under it by removing the 4 bolts inside the bag and the 4 screws in the shield.

We're going to move the heat shield up against the bag,

and remove the weep bumps.

Grind the bumps down flush with an angle grinder or Dremel.

 

Notice the rubber grommet and adjacent frame-screw-hole that defines the height of the heatshield, in relation to the bag.

The contact area of the grommet and screw will be moved down 1/2" in relation to the surrounding metal.  Outline the area with a marker.

Go ahead and install the stacks on the exhaust, or the
stacks & packs, as per the Stacks Install page.

Just about ready to wrap it up.  Tighten the frame members, while upward pressure is still applied.  Torque on the forward bag frame bolt is 25ft-lbs, the 2 frame bolts being torques in the pic is 29ft-lbs, so is the rear grab rail bolt, while the front one is 36ft-lbs.

Reinstall the luggage.  The heat shield will now be against the back edge of the bag, yet with still some air space above it & forward, and there will be about a quarter inch gap between the shield and the stack.  I guesstimate the torque of the four 8mm bag bolts is 9 lbs.  (I will shoot a closeup of the gap and the final look tomorrow, 1-30, and put here).