S&S Grand Nationals on a 1994 Road King? Damn Right They Fit.

Words & Images by Jack McIntyre with Johnny Mac from Johnny Mac’s Chopper House, Philadelphia, PA

Sometimes the best motorcycle projects start with a simple problem.

In our case, it was finding a decent set of slip-on mufflers for a 1994 Harley-Davidson Road King. If you’ve ever hunted for exhaust systems for one of these early Evolution touring bikes, you already know the struggle. The aftermarket isn’t exactly overflowing with choices anymore, and finding something that looks right, sounds right, and doesn’t require rebuilding half the exhaust system can feel like chasing a ghost.

So, we rolled the old Road King into Johnny Mac’s Chopper House here in Philadelphia and started digging.

After looking through every option we could find, one set kept grabbing our attention—the S&S Grand National slip-ons. They weren’t advertised for a ’94 Road King, but they looked close enough that we figured it was worth making a phone call.

Our contact over at S&S Cycle confirmed what we were hoping to hear. With just a little fabrication, they should bolt up without much drama.

He was right.

In fact, this turned out to be one of the easiest exhaust upgrades we’ve tackled in quite a while.

The upper mounting brackets lined up perfectly. No drilling. No welding. No custom brackets. The only modification required was trimming the inlet end of original exhaust pipes to that the slip-ons would slide over the factory head pipe before tightening everything down with the supplied clamp.

That’s it.

Seriously.

If you’ve got a wrench, a metal-cutting hacksaw, a drill to help tighten things down, and a little common sense, you’ve got everything you need to knock this project out in an afternoon. We happened to have a fully equipped shop at our disposal, but honestly, you don’t need one. We did the installation right on my motorcycle trailer, and you could just as easily do it with the bike sitting on the garage floor. No lift required.

Now let’s talk about what everybody really wants to know…

How do they sound?

The Grand Nationals already have a deep, throaty rumble right out of the box, but we decided to pull the baffles for just a little more attitude. The result was exactly what we were after, a deeper tone with a little extra bark, without crossing the line into obnoxious.

Removing the end cap of the slip-on to pull out the baffle.

The flange at the end of the baffle needs to be cut off as that goes back onto the slip-on.

They’re not the kind of pipes that have every cop within three blocks looking your way.

Instead, they deliver that classic Harley voice that lets everyone know you’ve arrived without announcing it to the entire county.

For anyone riding an early Road King who’s been frustrated by the lack of aftermarket exhaust choices, this is a project worth considering. It’s inexpensive, straightforward, and the payoff is immediate. Better looks. Better sound. Better attitude.

That’s what riding is supposed to be about.

Sometimes the best modifications aren’t the expensive ones, they’re the ones that make you grin every time you thumb the starter.

This one does exactly that.