First Ride with XiED mod - Results and Installation suggestions
#1
08-01-2010, 02:00 PM
First Ride with XiED mod - Results and Installation suggestions
Thanks to all on the forum for the help as I decided on the XiED option for my 2009 Heritage Classic.
A few things to consider. The installation isn't difficult, but it could be tedious. The instructions are somewhat vague (at least for me) with no illustrations. There are also two connectors to install - one for each cylinder. That is probably obvious to most people, but it wasn't to me.
Before starting I disconnected the negative ground from the battery, trying to avoid any possible damage from sparks, etc. Surprisingly the company directions didn't mention this. I've never done a mod to a bike without disconnecting the battery. I don't know if leaving the battery connected could create any issues, but why take the chance. I'd suggest that this should be noted in the directions.
The first XiED connector installs into a small black box located at the front base of the frame, just below the oil filter on the left side of the bike as the rider is facing forward. The box is very tight and you can't install the new XiED into the box along with the existing connector - they won't both fit. My solution was to install both connectors into the box, snap it shut tightly with a narrow screwdriver as best as I could. That seems to work, but the case isn't water tight. I'm considering adding dielectric grease to the connector to prevent any water from entering. So far I've left it as is.
The extra length of the new connector I left outside the box, in a gentle arc, with the in line resistor in the wind stream at the front of the frame. You may have a better/different solution, but be aware that you will need one. Unless you enlarge the stock box the connectors will not fit.
The rear connector is toward the front lower portion of the oil tank, on the right side of the frame as the rider is sitting facing forward. The connector is hard to access, and I found the best approach was to get down under the frame, with my head on the ground, looking up into the frame. From there the connector is visible. The stock connector is attached to the oil tank by a small connector. I disconnected it entirely, and found that the better solution for me. Trying to fiddle with it while installed was frustrating beyond belief. Take it down, make your connections, and reinstall as best you can. I used zip ties to secure the XiED to the existing harness, and a second zip tie to secure the old and new harness to the main wiring harness. These directions will make more sense when you actually can see the connectors.
Once all of that was done I reconnected the negative battery lead and started the bike to check that it was running properly. It appeared fine, and I didn't notice any other issues, so I reinstalled the seat, and rechecked the wiring clearance and front box. Everything seemed good.
Next up was a test ride - about 30 miles, slow in town traffic, higher speed highway riding, and everything in between. For me, I noticed a significant improvement in acceleration. A hill I know well, and that I usually take in fourth gear, usually requires me to shift to third to keep the bike from lugging. With the XiED I didn't need to downshift. It accelerated well, no lugging.
When coming out of a sharp bend in a local road in third gear (my normal way of riding in that area) I usually find the bike close to lugging when I give it some gas. With the XiED the bike responded quickly and briskly. It felt like I shifted down a gear or two, but it was in the same gear I always use.
I had no popping or other noises coming from the bike as I decelerated from speed in any gear. Some people have, and for those that do it appears as if the cause may be related to after market exhausts, or loose connection on the stock muffler/headers. I deliberately kept the bike in lower gears to get it to rev higher in the RPM band (it seems that the XiED works most visibly below 4,000 RPMs - I wanted to see if I could see a difference above that level). I didn't notice any significant change in the higher RPM band. The bike was equally responsive at that range, both before and after the XiED.
What I did notice, and hadn't really noticed earlier, is that the rear exhaust pipe on the bike has blued considerably. This happened prior to the XiED install; I saw it clearly when I stuck my head under the frame to install the front XiED connector. The Heritage chrome pipe hides a lot of the bluing, but it is clearly there. Whether that is/was the result of running the bike at the very lean settings that the factory uses to meet EPA emissions requirements, or just particular to my bike, I don't know. Supposedly the XiED permits the bike to run cooler, and richer, possibly reducing the bluing.
The other major benefit cited for the XiED is cooler running. No question about this at all - the bike is noticeably cooler. So much so that I could place my gloved hand on the rear cylinder head at a stop light. Before the XiED I'd never attempt that. I also noticed far less heat coming off the engine, most noticeable on the rear cylinder, closet to my leg, but also very noticeable on the front cylinder.
The downsides:
(1) Higher levels of pollution emissions. I know for some that isn't a big issue, but it is worth noting that even the XiED site measures over 8X the amount of pollution when using the XiED on the Softail bikes. That sounds really bad, and compared to stock it is, but to be fair the increased pollution is still less than almost any carb equipped bike will create. It is also likely lower than produced with a dyno tune, or third party ignition solution. It is worth noting that if you live in a state that measures emissions, the company makes another solution (I believe it is the O2 version) that puts out almost exactly the same pollution as the HD stock part. For the technically inclined, the stock AFR is 14.6. The XiED moves it to 13.8; the O2 moves it to 14.2. A typical closed loop car emissions AFR is 14.6, just like the stock HD unit.
(2) Lower mileage. I've not had enough miles to know, but the company website suggests that mileage will drop by 8% or so. If you drive 5,000 miles a year, and do most of that in mixed driving, the factory bike will average near 40 MPG, and burn 125 gallons of gas. At $3/gallon that's $375 a year. If you get 35 MPG with the XiED mod (lower mileage than the company believes you'll get), you'll burn 143 gallons of gas. The difference, at $3/gallon, is $54 a year. If you put on lots of miles that may or may not matter to you. To me it's not significant.
(3) Long term impact. I haven't been able to find any information about the long term impact of using the XiED. But I can speculate. In hot weather the richer mixture creates a noticeable reduction in engine heat - specifically engine head temps. In heavy traffic that may be important, especially if you run "real" oil, not synthetic. I haven't been able to record oil temps on my bike, but I suspect it would be possible that the temps without the XiED reach/exceed 240 degrees on occasion. That's hot enough to potentially break down some oils. I'm not an engineer, and maybe someone who is can provide more technical details. Running an oil cooler isn't much help, at least to me in stop and go city traffic when the bike is at a standstill. Keeping the head temps down to me is a good thing, but I can't quantify how good. The bluing on the pipes also concerned me. (It probably shouldn't. I've owned BMW R series bikes for years and the exhaust always turns blue. They're also air cooled engines, so the operating temps appear within design limits). Anyway, to get that hot means to me that for those of us who aren't always on the open road there may be a higher level of oil changes needed to cope with the excess engine heat. To that degree I think the XiED will be a good way of controlling excess heat, but you may disagree or have another solution.
Summary: For $100 or so, a great mod, and highly recommended. Some have mentioned that the parts cost for the XiED is pretty low and the selling price is relatively high. Maybe if you're very technically capable and can duplicate what the XiED contains that's true, but for me having the ability to install a "plug and play" mod onto the bike by myself is well worth the money. Keep in mind that all of the connectors fit perfectly into the HD wiring harness, and appear to come from the same manufacturer.
The company spokesman, Stephen, answered all of my emails, and hand held me into which unit to buy. He also took my complaints without going crazy in return. I had a lot of difficulty following the directions, and let him know that a small schematic for each bike would be welcomed by many users of his product. The different locations for connectors vary form bike to bike - one size fits all directions don't address that.
A few things to consider. The installation isn't difficult, but it could be tedious. The instructions are somewhat vague (at least for me) with no illustrations. There are also two connectors to install - one for each cylinder. That is probably obvious to most people, but it wasn't to me.
Before starting I disconnected the negative ground from the battery, trying to avoid any possible damage from sparks, etc. Surprisingly the company directions didn't mention this. I've never done a mod to a bike without disconnecting the battery. I don't know if leaving the battery connected could create any issues, but why take the chance. I'd suggest that this should be noted in the directions.
The first XiED connector installs into a small black box located at the front base of the frame, just below the oil filter on the left side of the bike as the rider is facing forward. The box is very tight and you can't install the new XiED into the box along with the existing connector - they won't both fit. My solution was to install both connectors into the box, snap it shut tightly with a narrow screwdriver as best as I could. That seems to work, but the case isn't water tight. I'm considering adding dielectric grease to the connector to prevent any water from entering. So far I've left it as is.
The extra length of the new connector I left outside the box, in a gentle arc, with the in line resistor in the wind stream at the front of the frame. You may have a better/different solution, but be aware that you will need one. Unless you enlarge the stock box the connectors will not fit.
The rear connector is toward the front lower portion of the oil tank, on the right side of the frame as the rider is sitting facing forward. The connector is hard to access, and I found the best approach was to get down under the frame, with my head on the ground, looking up into the frame. From there the connector is visible. The stock connector is attached to the oil tank by a small connector. I disconnected it entirely, and found that the better solution for me. Trying to fiddle with it while installed was frustrating beyond belief. Take it down, make your connections, and reinstall as best you can. I used zip ties to secure the XiED to the existing harness, and a second zip tie to secure the old and new harness to the main wiring harness. These directions will make more sense when you actually can see the connectors.
Once all of that was done I reconnected the negative battery lead and started the bike to check that it was running properly. It appeared fine, and I didn't notice any other issues, so I reinstalled the seat, and rechecked the wiring clearance and front box. Everything seemed good.
Next up was a test ride - about 30 miles, slow in town traffic, higher speed highway riding, and everything in between. For me, I noticed a significant improvement in acceleration. A hill I know well, and that I usually take in fourth gear, usually requires me to shift to third to keep the bike from lugging. With the XiED I didn't need to downshift. It accelerated well, no lugging.
When coming out of a sharp bend in a local road in third gear (my normal way of riding in that area) I usually find the bike close to lugging when I give it some gas. With the XiED the bike responded quickly and briskly. It felt like I shifted down a gear or two, but it was in the same gear I always use.
I had no popping or other noises coming from the bike as I decelerated from speed in any gear. Some people have, and for those that do it appears as if the cause may be related to after market exhausts, or loose connection on the stock muffler/headers. I deliberately kept the bike in lower gears to get it to rev higher in the RPM band (it seems that the XiED works most visibly below 4,000 RPMs - I wanted to see if I could see a difference above that level). I didn't notice any significant change in the higher RPM band. The bike was equally responsive at that range, both before and after the XiED.
What I did notice, and hadn't really noticed earlier, is that the rear exhaust pipe on the bike has blued considerably. This happened prior to the XiED install; I saw it clearly when I stuck my head under the frame to install the front XiED connector. The Heritage chrome pipe hides a lot of the bluing, but it is clearly there. Whether that is/was the result of running the bike at the very lean settings that the factory uses to meet EPA emissions requirements, or just particular to my bike, I don't know. Supposedly the XiED permits the bike to run cooler, and richer, possibly reducing the bluing.
The other major benefit cited for the XiED is cooler running. No question about this at all - the bike is noticeably cooler. So much so that I could place my gloved hand on the rear cylinder head at a stop light. Before the XiED I'd never attempt that. I also noticed far less heat coming off the engine, most noticeable on the rear cylinder, closet to my leg, but also very noticeable on the front cylinder.
The downsides:
(1) Higher levels of pollution emissions. I know for some that isn't a big issue, but it is worth noting that even the XiED site measures over 8X the amount of pollution when using the XiED on the Softail bikes. That sounds really bad, and compared to stock it is, but to be fair the increased pollution is still less than almost any carb equipped bike will create. It is also likely lower than produced with a dyno tune, or third party ignition solution. It is worth noting that if you live in a state that measures emissions, the company makes another solution (I believe it is the O2 version) that puts out almost exactly the same pollution as the HD stock part. For the technically inclined, the stock AFR is 14.6. The XiED moves it to 13.8; the O2 moves it to 14.2. A typical closed loop car emissions AFR is 14.6, just like the stock HD unit.
(2) Lower mileage. I've not had enough miles to know, but the company website suggests that mileage will drop by 8% or so. If you drive 5,000 miles a year, and do most of that in mixed driving, the factory bike will average near 40 MPG, and burn 125 gallons of gas. At $3/gallon that's $375 a year. If you get 35 MPG with the XiED mod (lower mileage than the company believes you'll get), you'll burn 143 gallons of gas. The difference, at $3/gallon, is $54 a year. If you put on lots of miles that may or may not matter to you. To me it's not significant.
(3) Long term impact. I haven't been able to find any information about the long term impact of using the XiED. But I can speculate. In hot weather the richer mixture creates a noticeable reduction in engine heat - specifically engine head temps. In heavy traffic that may be important, especially if you run "real" oil, not synthetic. I haven't been able to record oil temps on my bike, but I suspect it would be possible that the temps without the XiED reach/exceed 240 degrees on occasion. That's hot enough to potentially break down some oils. I'm not an engineer, and maybe someone who is can provide more technical details. Running an oil cooler isn't much help, at least to me in stop and go city traffic when the bike is at a standstill. Keeping the head temps down to me is a good thing, but I can't quantify how good. The bluing on the pipes also concerned me. (It probably shouldn't. I've owned BMW R series bikes for years and the exhaust always turns blue. They're also air cooled engines, so the operating temps appear within design limits). Anyway, to get that hot means to me that for those of us who aren't always on the open road there may be a higher level of oil changes needed to cope with the excess engine heat. To that degree I think the XiED will be a good way of controlling excess heat, but you may disagree or have another solution.
Summary: For $100 or so, a great mod, and highly recommended. Some have mentioned that the parts cost for the XiED is pretty low and the selling price is relatively high. Maybe if you're very technically capable and can duplicate what the XiED contains that's true, but for me having the ability to install a "plug and play" mod onto the bike by myself is well worth the money. Keep in mind that all of the connectors fit perfectly into the HD wiring harness, and appear to come from the same manufacturer.
The company spokesman, Stephen, answered all of my emails, and hand held me into which unit to buy. He also took my complaints without going crazy in return. I had a lot of difficulty following the directions, and let him know that a small schematic for each bike would be welcomed by many users of his product. The different locations for connectors vary form bike to bike - one size fits all directions don't address that.
Last edited by lencap; 08-02-2010 at 03:05 PM.
The following users liked this post:
JayMN (07-23-2019)
#2
08-01-2010, 04:10 PM
Road Captain
#3
08-01-2010, 06:59 PM
Ultimate HDF Member
#4
08-02-2010, 09:43 AM
Thanks for the replies. Glad you like the writeup.
In terms of making it seem harder than it is, that wasn't my intent. On the other hand, if you don't fully appreciate what the job entails you may be inclined to think it's a ten minute fix. It isn't, and when I do a job I like it to look professional. Dressing wires, finding the right place to place them, ensuring that the connectors won't touch hot parts of the engine, etc. to me are all important. Being sure to disconnect the battery seems like a very basic step, at least to me, but it wasn't mentioned anywhere. I am also especially careful on a mod like this since it isn't a HD approved mod and they will not support it. If anything goes wrong, it's up to you to fix it. The front case, where the original connector is located, is down low on the frame. Just the place where it can get a lot of water on it in a heavy rain. Noting that and suggesting that some extra steps may be worth considering seems reasonable to me as well. Again, I'm not saying everyone has to do this, but some may want to.
The issue of emissions testing may seem like overkill as well, but if you took the time to install the XiEDs I think you'd like to know that it may be worth waiting until after you take the emissions test before installing the XiEDs.
In terms of making it seem harder than it is, that wasn't my intent. On the other hand, if you don't fully appreciate what the job entails you may be inclined to think it's a ten minute fix. It isn't, and when I do a job I like it to look professional. Dressing wires, finding the right place to place them, ensuring that the connectors won't touch hot parts of the engine, etc. to me are all important. Being sure to disconnect the battery seems like a very basic step, at least to me, but it wasn't mentioned anywhere. I am also especially careful on a mod like this since it isn't a HD approved mod and they will not support it. If anything goes wrong, it's up to you to fix it. The front case, where the original connector is located, is down low on the frame. Just the place where it can get a lot of water on it in a heavy rain. Noting that and suggesting that some extra steps may be worth considering seems reasonable to me as well. Again, I'm not saying everyone has to do this, but some may want to.
The issue of emissions testing may seem like overkill as well, but if you took the time to install the XiEDs I think you'd like to know that it may be worth waiting until after you take the emissions test before installing the XiEDs.
Last edited by lencap; 08-02-2010 at 09:49 AM.
#5
08-02-2010, 11:18 AM
#6
08-13-2010, 09:49 PM
#7
12-24-2010, 01:26 PM
MERRY X MASS, I put slipons(1.75 baffle) & XiED'S on a CROSSBONES.Bike ran great. Then added a high flow intake.WOW !! bike ran amazing. Decided to remove the XiED'S & try the FUELPAK,not happy. Bike was hard to start,popped,and felt like it was going to stall once. it also seemed to have a delayed throttle response. Anyone have an alternate map suggestion ? tech support is closed. Think Im going back to the XiED's (only) I understand that they only work in CLOSED LOOP mode,wont the ECU compensate in the OPEN LOOP mode ?
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#8
12-24-2010, 02:07 PM
Road Master
there are no downsides to using the xied's the richer mixture is minor just enough to do the trick
i had them on my last bike a didnt notice a significant fuel mileage drop
they dont work at an idle so no spewing black clouds like with a carbuated bike with bigger jets..
the biggest benifit is no hunting/surging when just on the throttle to maintain any speed/and the other is no more popping
on my sportster they were just inline to the O2 censors and wasnt a problem finding space for them i just zapped them to the frame as specified in the intsructions and away i went
id buy them again but im leaning towards the HD super tuner..from all my research its the only way to go imo
i had them on my last bike a didnt notice a significant fuel mileage drop
they dont work at an idle so no spewing black clouds like with a carbuated bike with bigger jets..
the biggest benifit is no hunting/surging when just on the throttle to maintain any speed/and the other is no more popping
on my sportster they were just inline to the O2 censors and wasnt a problem finding space for them i just zapped them to the frame as specified in the intsructions and away i went
id buy them again but im leaning towards the HD super tuner..from all my research its the only way to go imo
Last edited by colonelangus1; 12-24-2010 at 02:11 PM.
#9
12-24-2010, 07:23 PM
I have an 09 Ultra and my bud has one and bought them within a week of each other and had the same mileage when I did a test. my ultra is 100 % stock as far as the engine and exhaust goes and my bud put aftermarket exhaust and high flow air filter. I noticed an immediate boost in torque, ie. fun, and a reduction in heat. The real heat test was done after we pulled over after being in fifth gear for awhile and I did a temp check off the rear cylinders and we were within 2 degrees. Seems to me that if you want to stay stock but improve performance and reduce heat this is a good buy. but if you are going to change exhaust and air filter, then not money well spent since the o2 senser can only adjust up to the o2 senser or the exhaust/ air cleaner mods. just my experience, your results may vary as they say.
#10
12-25-2010, 05:10 AM
Road Warrior
I ran them for a year with no problems. I would recommend them to anyone with a stock setup.
I have heard they can damage the O2 sensors if run too long. May be something to consider if you plan on upgrading fuel management to something that uses those sensors (TTS/SERT). I got the word on that from Doc at TTS. If you are going to leave it stock or use something like Thundermax with its own sensors, there is nothing to worry about. If you damage the sensors and have to replace them I think they are pricey.
I have heard they can damage the O2 sensors if run too long. May be something to consider if you plan on upgrading fuel management to something that uses those sensors (TTS/SERT). I got the word on that from Doc at TTS. If you are going to leave it stock or use something like Thundermax with its own sensors, there is nothing to worry about. If you damage the sensors and have to replace them I think they are pricey.
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