Finish quality on their black torquer 450 exhaust is terrible…read more
I have had Vance & Hines exhaust systems on my motorcycles for as long as I can remember. Always love the quality and sound, but that has changed today. I bought a 2022 Harley Davidson Ultra, brand new from Fort Wayne Harley Davidson back in 2022. I still have my 2004 Harley Davidson Fatboy - with a Vance & Hines exhaust system, which seems to still be near perfect, despite having over 50,000 miles on it. When I bought my ultra, I knew exactly what exhaust system I wanted to put on it. There was no question in my mind that it was going to be Vance & Hines. I rarely ride the Ultra, and typically only take it out when my wife and I want to take a scenic cruise through the country, or a trip to the lake. I still ride my FLSTFI or Sporty 95% of the time. The Ultra has less than 5000 miles on it - and doesn't get taken out when I know it's going to rain, and is still in pristine condition otherwise. It's very clear that the motorcycle is not abused, nor is it ever left out in the weather, but I noticed about a month ago that there was a rust spot on the side of the right side slip on (Left side is perfect, so that tells me that there might've just been an issue with the finish application on this side). The bike is and has been in a garage, with three other motorcycles, 90% of its life. There is no reason for a rust spot to develop on this exhaust with so few miles unless the product was faulty from the manufacturer. I would question it, even if the motorcycle had 15,000 or 20,000 miles on it, but less than 5,000, kept in a garage, and it's already rusting? That screams to me, - *Quality problem*! I reached out to Vance & Hines through Fort Wayne Harley Davidson to see if there was anything they are willing to do for me on this, since I have been a loyal customer Vance & Hines for years, but they declined to do anything about it. I get that the bike was purchased late in the season, 2022, which I only put a couple hundred miles on it before the season was over, but wow! I did not expect such low quality from a high priced motorcycle exhaust manufacturer. I was hoping they would stand behind their product, but no. This will be the last set of Vance & Hines exhaust systems that I purchase. They lost a loyal customer, over what probably cost them less than $100 to make. I would've been happy to install it myself, if they would've said "Yeah, it shouldn't be rusting! We'll send you the right side slip on right away!"
Just be aware, if you are looking to purchase their product, that Vance & Hines quality seems to be declining, at least from my perspective.
I will not have rusty parts on an otherwise pristine $30,000 motorcycle with less than 5000 miles on the clock, so I am looking for a new exhaust provider. Several of the riders that I ride with agree that there's a clear problem with this exhaust.