ost bikers believe a motorcycle without chrome is like a cheeseburger without fries. The more of the shiny stuff the better, they say. But lately some are going over to the dark side, blacking out engines and replacing those shiny chrome exhaust systems with black pipes. “We’ve had a lot of requests for black pipes,” says Matt Held of Hooker Headers. So Hooker decided to fulfill those requests, but not in an ordinary way, which is how the Darkside ceramic coatingwas born.
     Making a black exhaust system is a lot harder than it sounds, Held says, especially if you want it to both look good and last a long
time. “You can do a black hightemp paint, but obviously it’s not going to hold up. V-twin riders are very demanding, and they want something that’s going to hold up and consistently look good, week after week, month after month.” So Hooker turned to a hightemperature black ceramic coating used successfully in the aerospace industry. It has a semismooth, matte-black finish that maintains its good looks for years, and is easy to clean. Years after some chrome pipes have blued and rusted, Darkside-coated pipes will still look like they did when they came out of the box.
     While black is making a comeback, performance never went out of style, which led to Hooker’s stepped-tube design. “We’ve been stepping pipes for a longtime,” Held says. Stepping increases the internal diameter of the pipe toward the front of the header for better scavenging and flow. When the exhaust gases come out of the narrow header into the larger section, it creates a low-pressure area that helps scavenge the exhaust gases away from the cylinder. “That gives us great bottom end without sacrificing top-end power.”
Another Hooker power play is making two versions of every exhaust system, depending on the displacement of the engine it’s going on. “We make separate pipes for 80- to 96-inch Evo and Twin Cam engines, and for 96- inch-and-larger aftermarket engines. Most people don’t understand why we do this. Other manufacturers make just one pipe to fit all size engines, but they don’t work very well on the smaller engines. Hooker is known for making power. We try to get the customer what he wants.”
     And power is what you get from Hooker systems like the new Fourbidden, a unique 4-into-1 design that comes in chrome, a silver ceramic coating, or Darkside black ceramic. “The 4-into-1 Fourbidden is an industry first,” Held says, “with two pipes on each head merging into one collector, like a true automotive header. Each tip has two positions–turned down, or out. The position of the tip gives you a different look, but at the same time you can put a black tip on a chrome pipe, or any of the other tips in silver ceramic, chrome, or black ceramic.” The Fourbidden works as good as it looks, too. “Everybody asks what the 4-into-1 design does to power. We found 13 horsepower with it on a stock Softail on the dyno.”
     Fourbidden headers use a lowrestriction reverse primary collector, which opens into four 1-3/8- inch primary tubes merging into a
secondary 3-inch-diameter 4-into- 1 collector. Built into the collector is a removable baffle that deepens the exhaust tone and improves low-end throttle response. Attached to the collector is a 3- inch-diameter two-way adjustable tip with an engraved Hooker logo. The Fourbidden system is designed to fit all 1986-2006 Harley-Davidson Softails or any aftermarket left-side-drive bike with the same frame geometry.


     Joining the Fourbidden in the Hooker lineup are Straight, Scallop, and Slash Cut Troublemaker Drag Pipes for Softails and 2004-2006 Sportster models. They feature Hooker’s step-tuned internal head pipes, and come in versions for stock to 96-inch Evo and Twin Cam engines, and 96-inch-andabove aftermarket engines. Their innovative design eliminates the low-end and mid-range torque loss that goes with other brands of large-diameter straight pipes. Optional muffler cartridges are available offering either a smooth mellow sound or loud sound with improved flow. Troublemaker Drag Pipes come in chrome or Darkside black ceramic.      Rounding out the newest Hooker systems are the Rebel Darksides, for riders who have gone rat or raw, or just want that stealthy anti-bling look. They’re available in a short staggered pipe design with either straight cut or slash cut outlets, and come in two versions to fit stock to 96-inch Evo and Twin Cam engines (straight cut), and 96-inchand- above aftermarket engines (slash cut). For Straight Cut Rebel Pipes, black anodized, silver anodized, and even chrome billet tips are available to further accessorize your pipes.
Like the Troublemaker Drag pipes, Rebel Step Tuned pipes feature a ceramiccoated stepped internal head pipe design to increase horsepower and torque, with a huge 2-1/2-inch high-temp black ceramic outer pipe for the “big tube” look. They also use Hooker’s
stepped pipe design, which eliminates the low-end and midrange torque loss typical of largediameter straight pipes. The Rebel
series is also available in chrome to fit right-side-drive applications.
     All Hooker exhaust systems come with new gaskets, flanges, and C-clips, as well as machined brackets, hardware, and muffler cartridges that deliver the deep rumble that Harley owners demand.
     Whether your customers want the shine of chrome or the stealth of Darkside black ceramic, Hooker has them covered–the choice is theirs. Either way, they’ll get more power, better sound, and a longlasting finish with Hooker Headers. Check out the entire Hooker line at booth 2528 at the V-Twin Expo in Cincinnati, and talk to your Drag Specialties rep for more information.