Hey all,

I'm currently on a 2014 Fat Bob FXDF. Picked it up last month with only 2k miles on it. Didn't do my homework on release variations for 2014/2015, but i believe the bike is stock throughout. Only part i'm questioning is the screaming eagle pipes. Not sure if these are slip-ons or stock. (see photo attached)

I wasn't able to come to a conclusion on brand / line / style of the Air Cleaner best suited for my bike, my intentions and my personal taste. I've now done the diligence and read almost every forum thread regarding this topic on HD forums and am still a bit "lost".

Lets get a few things off my chest prior to the comments rolling in:

-The stock a/c "football" cover that some folks complained about rubbing their knee or being in the way does NOT bother me. yes, it forces my right leg out a tad more and rubs but to each his own on this matter. In other words, the protruding cover doesn't bother me so when looking to upgrade that comes last on priority.

-I'm looking to achieve a higher end stage 1 strategy right now in attempt to "prepare" for future work. i.e. diving into the engine more with stage 2 work over the next year or two.

-Primary focus right now is letting this bike breathe better, inevitably increasing some HP along the way, while dealing with minimal issues such as oil leaks at the back plate or too much (if any) oil and micro debris coming from the filter medium.

-I've tried to understand the advantages / disadvantages between the two primary styles: your Heavy Breather cone style with a tunnel ram affect or your more traditional circular intake with different filters and flow strategies.

-Done my homework and am planning to go VH Big radius 2-2 black, either the VH FP3 or the PowerVision tuner and need to get this AC matter solidified. Will be doing suspension overhaul this winter coming up. Gotta get my intake, exhuast, fuel management done first seeing how these fat bobs purr like a kitten (in a bad way). Need some power and roar.

-From what i've read: most common on HD forums is the AN Big Sucker or the SE Heavy Breather. Only few and far between have dared to go custom or deviate from the most popular choices. I've read pros and cons for each. Also read quite a few folks going the DK custom route.

Thoughts / Knowledge please? Thanks all. -V

 

Welcome to the forum! Nice scoot!

Check out this report on our A/C Systems. Lots of useful information and dyno results. The plus of an Outlaw HiFlow A/C is that you are venting the blow by externally rather than back into your intake, which results in better performance and increased engine longevity.

Differences Between Outlaw HiFlow Air Cleaner Systems

Here's a dyno to give you an idea of the power increase you might expect to see-



For the sound and tone, check out the Thunder Torque Inserts™.

These will deepen the tone of your exhaust a bit, giving it a "throatier" rumble, that old "loping" Harley sound.

Check out this sound clip-


They also give a gain in low and mid range torque. These are offered in a pair, or a single insert for the 2-1 exhaust.

Best 30 bucks spent when comparing results per dollar spent. See the TTIs HERE.

Here's a report LINK on Harley exhaust. In this report, we explain how the TTIs benefit your bike.

 

 

I run a DK 587 plain Jane AC with V&H 3" slip-ons. on my 14 Fat Bob. When I had the bike dynoed, I was also running the Vied management system. The bike showed 75 hp with 93 ft lbs torque. Since then, I installed the V&H FP3 and ran the auto tune feature. Haven't had the bike put on the dyno since I changed to the V&H FP3. One of these days I need to have the bike put on the dyno again to see if there had been any increase in both HP and TQ.

 

Good questions, hang around and keep surfing the forums archives,, you'll start to see the same q&a and when the same answers come up repeatably,, they tend to mean something.
I'll help a little,, when it comes to "ram affect",, it doesn't exist. The heavy breather cone styles are just for looks,, the engine sucks air faster then can be "rammed" until your doing about 115mph,, a moot point when most folks don't hit the drag strip and usually just want the fun of 0-60 in 2.2
At issue is the factory set-up blocking the engine from taking full advantage of free breathing,, and it's all about EPA.
The "box" the filter is in restricts the filter from full access to free air,, when you change to a system that has the filter element fully exposed well, it simply can't get better, know what I mean?
Once the engine has full access to air,, it's already maxed out. The only thing better is larger surface area filters or no filter at all.
p.s. I should add wait your 30days then keep an eye on the classifieds. Being Harley owners we're always changing thing just to enjoy a particular look we might want,, then change next year. Many times air systems and exhaust come up for pennies on the dollar

 

I use the Heavy Breather style strictly for the knee clearance. I actually prefer Bird Catchers for appearance but they tend to have such small filter area (or none) that they must hurt breathing. Never seen a good dyno comparison, so I just trust my gut.

 

Perfect, that's the kind of information I was searching for. I knew there had to be some sort of mechanical "nuance" that separated the retailed trendy / most popular ACs from those that function and perform the best--not just at the intake manifold, but overall effect on the engine and longevity. Thanks everyone for your input and assistance. Much love!

 

Awesome stuff, guys. I appreciate the insight. Seems to be the underlying theme when modifying any vehicles that are "compliant" with our state and national laws. Probably why i cut the cat. converter out of my truck and straight piped that b****.

Again, super helpful. Thanks!

 

Hell yeah, exactly the kind of response I was hoping for. Ya'll are awesome. Thanks for sharing all the information and i'll be in need of some further assistance as soon as pay day comes.

 

Great! Thank you for the kind words. Feel free to call or email with any questions you may have, always happy to help!