I have a question I'm hoping someone can help me with.

A little background, I bought my 2008 Road King Classic last year and it's my first Harley so I've done a lot of reading and studying up on everything Harley. This site has been a great resource BTW.
Anyway about 2 weeks ago I noticed the bike was popping a lot on decal. A mechanic friend had told me that when that started happening out of the blue it was probably an exhaust leak. Well sure enough the rear header pipe had cracked where it splits to drop down to the right side. So after weighing my options knowing the Bike already had the Screamin Eagle intake and pipes I decide to go with some Cobra True Duals. Got them on today and rode it for a while and it seemed to run decent but as I had been advised by a few people I'm thinking it will run better with a Fuel Manager or Tuner.
Heres the dilemma, the old pipes did not have O2 sensors or even the ports to put them in. But every time I do a bike specific search the sites keep coming up with set ups for a closed loop 02 system. So I called a tech at Cobra and he told me that my Bike should have had O2 sensors. As I said the ports weren't there and I have not seen any wires or connections in the harness.
Does anyone know if they made any Road Kings without 02 Sensors in 2008?
The service manual does not clarify it. Personally I could care less whether they are there or not, my concern is that whatever tuner I get will be looking for them and not want to program properly. Keep in mind I do not want to spend a ton of cash on a tuner or dyno, I just want the bike to run good.

 

The factory service manual should show the correct spec for your bike. You can also check on-line here, which shows your bike did not have O2 sensors when new, assuming it is a genuine '08 model year. You can check that on the H-D website, by going to the Owners tab and posting your VIN, which will give you details of your bike as built.

As for adding a tuner, you should do some research and educate yourself on them. If you fit one do it right, so your bike runs well and properly. You'll be surprised just how wonderful a well tuned bike is to ride - and what a b1tch a badly tuned one is!

 

if there are no 02 sensors ...are you sure there is not a tuner on the bike already ???...like a PowerCommander ...etc ...seems the stock ECM would need 02 sensors to run even a stage 1 download ...etc... the PC-V will run without the sensors with the 02 sensor elimiators ...
http://www.power-commander-shop.com/...Eliminator.htm

 

Thanks for the input.

grbrown
I will continue the research, Thanks for the input about the owners sight. I signed up to that to get to the owners manual but didn't think about it for this purpose.
I've been looking hard at the Cobra fi2000r, the one with the manual tuning pots, for its simplicity and low cost. But I'm not sure yet.

springers4ever
Unless they used a unit that adjusts the ecm and doesn't stay with the bike there is no other attachments that I've been able to find.
That's why I was kind of confused, This is my first Harley but I've been wrenching on everything from tanks to bicycles for most of my life. And as you said if the 02 sensors had been removed the ECM would have to be reprogrammed somehow either through a tuner or whole new download. And there's the fact that the original pipes had no ports. The tech I talked to yesterday was pretty adamant that all 08 touring bikes had them.

 

Ok,
First, if one of the moderators or site techs could look into why the VIN decoder keeps saying it has no information for my VIN, 1HD1FR4178Y620169, it would be greatly appreciated.
Moving on,
After talking to the service manager at my local dealer it became clear that my 2008 Road king definitely came from the factory with O2 sensors. So I had the parts department look up the part number on the head pipe I took off the bike and it was from a 2006 touring model - mystery solved.
So, my next step is going to be having someone with a more experienced ear and knowledge of a properly running Road King help me assess my bike and figure out if my bike would benefit from a tuner.
Step 2, Keeping in mind that I'm not looking to make a Road King run like a VRod, But being the OCD perfectionist type that I am I want the bike to operate properly. In my mind this will lend to longevity and give me less headaches as I rack up the miles.
Here's my question,
What benefit does removing the oxygen sensors have? And can I get to my previously stated goal of a properly tuned machine by leaving them out? And lastly, what are some tried and tested ideas for tuning the bike to operate efficiently without them?
I know that the answers to my questions are highly susceptible to opinion, I'm just looking for some education and input from people who have the technical knowledge and experience to help me solve my little dilemma.

 

My 2005 RK doesn't have O2 sensors. I bought this model year specifically because of the updated rear swingarm mounting design, and that it was pre O2 sensor.
I did however have it plugged in to a HD computer to check exactly what tune was loaded into the ECU. The old way of updating an ECU was to download the new tune flash from a cartridge. The computer showed it had such a tune installed, and no aftermarket tuner is needed. The bike runs great, very cool, no popping to speak of, an occasional pop at low revs maybe, now and then.
I suggest you have a dealer interrogate the ECU to find out if it's been tuned, a Harley tune cartridge or otherwise will show up.

Funny how the old cartridge downloads were okay for any highflow air filter or pipe, and now it's all O2 sensors and model specific downloads etc etc.

 

Fuel moto is a sponsor and they send their device out ready to go once you give them your set-up.

 

Thanks. As soon as the 30+ Kansas wind gust slow down I was planning on that one. Service Manager said it would be no charge to take a look.

 

Been reading some good things about them. Definitely an option, although some of their stuff is up there in price range. Wanting to stay within the "momma won't freak" neighborhood.

 

08 models come with O2 sensors. Being that you dont have them currently on, means you have a fuel tuner running and have O2 sensors disabled. If you have a fuel tuner with O2 sensors enabled, the fuel tuner is useless because you are in closed loop. Have you looked under the seat or in the left side panel cover below the seat? Thats where you would typically find the tuner module.

If you want to keep your O2 sensors, get an ECM tuner.