When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I've just finished the journey through this thread, plenty of tasty food for thought.
I'm personally too OCD to embrace 'patina' (especially on a harley) and @adm confirmed my suspicion that the oil cooler 'frame' (as well as the cooler itself) and the voltage regulator can get battered by stones, with the chance of getting the thin oil cooler frame badly dinged. I've noticed one or two chin spoilers that'll protect the voltage regulator but nothing in keeping with the shape of the bike's frame. Actually the kuryakyn one fits nicely (tho I'm not entirely sold on the look) and it replaces the oil cooler frame but as a result it may make it difficult to protect the cooler itself using the DIY mesh method, and it won't protect the VR in any case. So I thought, what about ol' plastidip? Perhaps not a good idea for the VR which apparently already 'plagues' harley owners; I guess an occasional repaint may be the only resort there. But with the oil cooler, if you mesh up the frame first and then dip it maybe you could get a twofer of half-decent protection and a matte paint job? It'll take ages to get enough coats on but if it works..? I dunno just a thought.
Also, about my dream of a fatter bob, would the idea of getting a whole new fender machined to a modified spec be pure fantasy? Google isn't helping and watching Rick on American Chopper is all I know about custom fabrication - indulge me
These guys are in your backyard and should be able to help.
Thanks, I noticed those guys on youtube but thought I'd see what I could find at home first. I like their work and made a note of their stripe led turn signals (we Brits call them indicators but I won't fuss about that around here haha).
AFAICT the only steel fender they make for the '18+ Fat Bob is a 200mm one which looks sweet with integrated lights, but I doubt they'd make anything to a customer's spec. In any case their fenders come in at around double the cost I was quoted to modify the stocker and that's excluding a new custom seat. But thanks for the pointer, it's always helpful to compare options.
Is anybody using the Screamin' Eagle Heavy Breather Elite Air Cleaner Kit? I don't like the stock air cleaner on my 114 because it hits the side of my knee. I'm hoping this Elite intake moves it away from my knee. Will this give me what I'm looking for?
And does the Elite flow more or less air than the Heavy Breather Extreme? It looks like the Extreme would flow way more air, but the Harley website isn't the most forthcoming in comparing the two. I also think the Extreme may be in the way of my knee/leg more than the Elite.
Extreme is capable of way more potential airflow, but only if your engine pulls it. On a stock bike, or up to at least Stage II, it won't make any difference. The Ventilator supports up to around 120+ HP; the Extreme is for high-power big-bore kits and can support up to about 150+.
The Heavy Breather series will almost certainly interfere with your knee more than the stock Ventilator.
The Extreme filter is HUGE compared to the regular Heavy Breather.
The Extreme is supposed to be "dented" in the bend, to make for less knee intrusion.
Extreme is capable of way more potential airflow, but only if your engine pulls it. On a stock bike, or up to at least Stage II, it won't make any difference. The Ventilator supports up to around 120+ HP; the Extreme is for high-power big-bore kits and can support up to about 150+.
The Heavy Breather series will almost certainly interfere with your knee more than the stock Ventilator.
The Extreme filter is HUGE compared to the regular Heavy Breather.
The Extreme is supposed to be "dented" in the bend, to make for less knee intrusion.
What about the Elite? It looks so much more compact than the Extreme. The Elite is the one I'm really interested in.
The filter is a lot smaller on the Elite than on the Extreme, yes. But the actual tube is bigger and more intrusive on the Elite, than it is on the Extreme.
The Elite is a 90-degree pipe bend, maintaining the full diameter of the pipe. The Extreme isn't, it's flattened some to lessen the knee intrusion.
Air moves smoothly through the filter due to an interior bell-shape feature and then travels through a unique round to an oval transitioned tube to improve leg clearance while providing unobstructed air to the throttle body
Trust me, if the Elite resulted in more leg clearance than the stock Ventilator, I'd have had the Elite years ago. But after researching this, and hearing from people who'd made the switch, they all said that there's less leg clearance with the Elite than with the Ventilator.
Look on your own bike -- the Ventilator is centered over where the base of the Heavy Breather would mount. If your leg and knee are only covering the last 1/3 of the Ventilator, then maybe you'd be fine. But if your knee covers the center of the Ventilator, then the Heavy Breather is going to be in that exact same spot, and sticking out further because it's making a full 90 degree turn with that pipe.
The filter is a lot smaller on the Elite than on the Extreme, yes. But the actual tube is bigger and more intrusive on the Elite, than it is on the Extreme.
The Elite is a 90-degree pipe bend, maintaining the full diameter of the pipe. The Extreme isn't, it's flattened some to lessen the knee intrusion.
Trust me, if the Elite resulted in more leg clearance than the stock Ventilator, I'd have had the Elite years ago. But after researching this, and hearing from people who'd made the switch, they all said that there's less leg clearance with the Elite than with the Ventilator.
Look on your own bike -- the Ventilator is centered over where the base of the Heavy Breather would mount. If your leg and knee are only covering the last 1/3 of the Ventilator, then maybe you'd be fine. But if your knee covers the center of the Ventilator, then the Heavy Breather is going to be in that exact same spot, and sticking out further because it's making a full 90 degree turn with that pipe.
Thank you for your input! Which intake are you using? I definitely want one that's going to be thinner or smaller to give my leg more room.
The Ventilator is far and away the thinnest, least intrusive one I have found, so that's what I'm still using.
I honestly don't even notice it anymore.
Anything to do with the 5 gallon tank?
Before I swapped mine I wasn't able to bring my knee anywhere near the tank, after the swap,the ventilator was a minor nuisance because the wider tank is just about even with the ventilator.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
