Hi guys, my 2011 dyna fatbob is already a stage 1 with vance n hines big shots, fuel pack, and air cleaner. One of my mad scientists friends suggested I do a power commander and cams to get more horses and tourque. All I really want is that if there is a situation where I gotta get the hell out of somewhere I can get on the throttle and get out quick. I'm down to drop $1500 on the bike parts but I want to know if there will there be a performance increase that I can notice. Some friends say save your money don't waste it on parts, others say do it. What do you guys think?

 

Keep your fuel pack, it does the same job as the power commander and is cheaper, chuck in some cams, nothing mental, 203 or 204 SE cams will do what you are looking for.

 

I'd agree. Keep the Fuel Pack, unless you really wanna spend more. Throw in a decent cam, and your scoot will light up.

 

..."light up" being a relative term.

Putting some cams in and getting a dyno tune to match will get you some extra grunt. However, this is probably only another 10%. If you really want to fly then you picked the wrong bike to start with, you will want a sportier bike than a Harley.

 

You don't know a lot about tuning Harleys then........try a 120R when you get the chance

 

this day and age 1500$ should get you heads + cams and you can keep your fuel pak.
heck a fuelmoto 107 bolt on kit is only 1300$ with your choice of cams. and they will install it for you + a dyno tune from Jayme for 1900. IMO When your looking at performance get what you really want, because you will get used to it and just want more! that said, if you go that route, you will be able to hop over obstacles, it will practically fly!

 

I happen to know a little, but overlooking that...A 120R engine is hardly your typical Harley. For less than the cost of an ordinary Harley there are other stock bikes that go half as fast again. That's just the numbers of it.

Harleys are not quick bikes. Fact. If you just want a quick bike then others are quicker. No amount of fanboy love of Harleys is going to change that.

Sure you can throw thousands at a Harley and it will be quicker. But there will still be quicker stock bikes out there and if you threw a relatively modest amount at them then then they would always out-perform just about any Harley no matter what was spent on it.

I mean, would anyone want to ride at 150mph on a Harley, never mind 200? It would be madness. The frame, suspension, brakes are just too old tech for that kind of speed. You would have to replace nearly the whole bike to make it halfway safe.

 

Screw all that, save about $1200 and put in a 30t tranny pulley. Lower your gear ratios in all gears, make 6th useable at 65-70 instead of 80 and never worry about get up and go.

 

True dat.

Also, a good cam will provide a noticeable increase in acceleration. Foxter is correct that several other bikes will outrun most HD machines, but your request was just a noticeable increase in giddy-up.

If you do the work yourself, you could do the cams and change your gearing for less than $1500. If you are going to pay a shop, especially a dealer shop, your cam swap will cost you $700 - $1000.

Both options will provide noticeable increases. I highly recommend the cams. They are the missing link between stock EPA style performance and a motor that runs well within its capability.

The pulley swap is a bit more work and arguably harder on the bearing systems, but the gearing change is a real kick in the *** for acceleration.

Oh, and listen to Spanner. He knows of what he speaks.

 

I have done 150mph on a 2008 WG with a 120R....it did it so well it was almost boring.....this is a Harley forum, we talk about Harley's....most of us are in denial about other makes of bikes so the context regarding fast is already set.