This is the best advice here

 

In answer to your question, the cheapest I have seen, or prices seem to start at around 500 and go up. That is with Stage 1 air cleaner, SE slip ons, ECM flash, and labor. I would say that is about the most power gain per dollar you will ever get, and well worth the 500. However, I am betting you will see someting else, ie. exhaust system, PCIII, big bore kit, head porting, etc, etc. My bike is in continual flux, and that is after 3 years. If you wait until someting bigger, badder, or better comes along, it is like traveling that road where you just gotta see whats over the next hill and you never get there. I believe the best route would be to get it done while new (it carries the factory 2 year warranty). Just run dino oil until the first oil change and then switch to synthetic. I can say this if I could go back about 3 years. I would have bought a CVO model and be done with it. At least you have a chance of getting more of your money back at resale. Everything you do to it from here on is money thrown away. Your bike will not increase in value any more if you install VH big radius 2 into 1 exhaust (what I really want,) SERT, spike air cleaner (I'll take one of those too,) seat, handlebars, lights, etc.etc. believe me it is a disease and it never ends. Hell, it's only money and if you don't spend it the wife will.

 

I would wait till you look at lots of different bikes and see what personality you want it to have. Mine has the stage 1 air filter, KN, and VH bigshots. I did the download. If had waited I would of done the sert instead of the download. Since in the future I plan to upgrade to a stage II the download is just wasted money.

 

Steve, you should be able to find some slipon mufflers that will fit to your stock header pipe setup on your new bob. I wouldn't bother putting on a high-flow a/c if you aren't going to let the extra air you are bringing in to be let out properly by a free-er flowing exhaust. If you change the a/c, you will potentially be leaning the bike out more than it already is so you'll need some sort of ecm adjustment to compensate. With that in mind, if you are going to be making more changes later, you'll need the ecm adjusted again so I'd recommend putting on a tuner or a fuel manager (fuelpak) so you don't keep dropping $150 at your stealer for each ecm download.

Stage 1 basically means a high-flow a/c upgrade and a high-flow exhaust upgrade. However, to manage it for an EFI bike, you need to adjust the ECM as well which means you also need to pay for a download (usually $150 per) or add on a tuner or fuel manager to get the correct air/fuel mixture to compensate for the additional air you can now bring in and out of the bike.

I went the opposite approach to yours and changed the exhaust first to upgrade the sound. I wasn't looking for additional performance, just better sound. I started with 06 Screamin Eagle II pro slipon mufflers and later changed to Vance and Hines Straightshots HS slipon mufflers. Changing the exhaust potentially leans out the bike more over stock as well but not as much as changing the a/c. I eventually got "nervous" about that fact and decided to add a fuelpak to be sure I wasn't running the bike too lean. However, the fuelpak isn't tested or coded for a stock a/c so I needed to upgrade the a/c as well.

If I had to do it over again, I would do the full stage 1 at once or nothing at all until I was ready. To give you an idea on cost, I'll put what I bought and paid below with the retail prices beside it. You'll find that you can hunt for better prices over the net or, sometimes, even at your dealer or other bike store. You'll also find that, if you can turn a wrench at all, you can install these types of things yourself and save some money. However, some dealers will only stand behind the warranty for certain types of issues if they installed the aftermarket parts for you.

Flynavy and I have just been through this so feel free to hit us up with questions if you have any.

Vance and Hines Straightshots HS slipons - $

 

Ok since we are on the subject!

What if any difference is there in the Arlen Ness Big Sucker Stage I?

Quality and componet wise. Inotice you have it 2007fxdc. And i can get it for$99 bucks on fuelmoto instead of the $150 bucks for the Screaming eagle kit that in my opinion looks exactly thesame other than the name???

 

Skully, here is what I understand about the two but have no facts to back it up. So, everyone else please don't flame me if I get it wrong.

Both kits are comparable as far as air-flow goes. However, my understanding is that the filter element included in the Arlen Ness kit is made by K&N (doesn't get any better as far as filters go) and the one in the screamin eagle kit is not but is similar. May not make a difference in the world but I know K&N's rep. is the best. With that said, I bought on price and convenience. The guy on ebay I was buying my V&H fuelpak from was also selling the Arlen Ness Stage 1 kit. So, I bought both, saved a little on shipping, and got them both together in the same box and didn't have to wait for one while holding the other to do my install. Honestly, if the guy was selling the SE kit instead of the Ness kit, I would have bought it instead for the same reasons.

So, direct to your question or purpose, the Ness kit, in my opinion, is at least as good if not, arguably, better than the SE kit. So, you can't go wrong with it for the price. I don't know what kind of bike you have, but if it's chromed out and/or you like chrome, make sure you get the Ness Stage 1 chrome a/c instead of the standard one. It looks much better if the rest of your bike is "shiny". Got mine on ebay for $116 but that's not exactly a steal.

 

Steve, here are pix of the Stage 1 items on my bike - priced above. Not included in pricing is the $25 HD Chrome Flames a/c insert I bolted onto the outside of the Big Sucker.

Not sure what happened but when I pulled the bike out of the shop, all the chrome got condensation so that's why it looks like it does in a couple of the pix.

Pipes
[IMG]local://upfiles/41150/924390272C7D48DD8E2169258EDD2FF1.jpg[/IMG]

A/C
[IMG]local://upfiles/41150/025C9434310346F696642AF71F0F2FF2.jpg[/IMG]

Fuelpak
[IMG]local://upfiles/41150/C2F8E0D20F05441796D8B2908AF3396F.jpg[/IMG]

Bike with all installed
[IMG]local://upfiles/41150/81C018327190449EAB553B0D897752E5.jpg[/IMG]

 

There is only one down load from the dealer for 07 stage 1 and it does not cover any after market slip on's... Just the new SE mufflers and the HD High Flow A/C.. And it will still be real Lean, all the other Stage 1 down loads are for 06 and earlier Twin Cam 88's... If you do a High Flow A/C and High Flow Exhaust H.D. dosent have a down load that will work... You'll need a after market tuner or the sert which will cover anything you want to do... The sert comes with plenty of 07 Non Street Legal Maps so you do not have to go back to the dealer again...The Initial Install for the sert is 1/2 hour or 45.00... And they will install the correct map the first time for your set up at that time.. Have the dealer install it for the first time for the 45.00 and it wont affect the H.D. Warranty if they do the Install..I had a fuel pack on the Dyno last week and the bike seemed to run pretty good not to much Popping on decell but on the Dyno it's (A/F) was all over the place.. Lean then Rich then Lean then rich... Part of the plug was dark the other half white and the front and rear was way diffrent...You cant balance thefront and rear Cylinders... Seat of the pants was not bad but not a keeper... If you do it all from the get goHigh Flow A/C High Flow Slip On's and the right down load (and it wont be the stage 1) Sert, or PCIII, Thunder Max,Your good to go.. Other wise don'tburn it up for just some more noise....

 

My bike is an 06. Had pipes,the SE intake and the Stage I download done before I picked up the bike. It ran pretty good,but still bucked and snorted and farted like a mule and still ran very hot. Bought a PC III and installed it and it ran much better right out of the box from Fuelmoto but was running a bit rich, had it dyno tuned and perfect.

Guess my point is that there is no reason to pay the dealer for the stage one download cause it still won't run right,spend the money you save on a PC III or SERT.

Good Luck

Tom

 

2007fxdc, my bike is the same as yours its a 2007 FXDC superglide. Now any concerns with water moister in air intake by running yours open with out the original HD cover?

I like that look and have seen it with the skull logo cover and it looks tough.