Just purchased a 2009 Electra Glide Classic. I am contemplating a Stage 1 upgrade. The stealer recommends SE Air Filter Kit, SE Race Tuner and slip ons - probably Super Trapp.

I am not looking for much louder pipes. Stealer claims the bike with breath better and I will get as much as 10% increase in torque and HP.

Any thoughts?

 

the dealer (or stealer as you accurately put it) ALWAYS says you'll get a 10% increase. Most people have a different opinion. However, i do know that the stage 1 does help your engine breathe much better. The upgrade is recommended because Harley is forced by emissions regulations to regulate strictly the air flow.

 

Makes a difference for sure... 10% that is questionable lol but if your going to open up the breathing you need to do the exhaust also you will feel it.

 

There is a problem with your stock 2009 Electric Glide Classic? What kind of riding do you do?

I find the stock '07 Ultra good enough for my riding style. I don't race. If I need to get around someone or onto the freeway quickly, I down-shift, bring the bike up to 4500 RPM and max the power/torque. I have never had a problem with being run over by anyone or not getting around someone. I cruise mainly at 65-70 mph in 6th gear (I don't think a Stage 1 kit will make me cruise faster at 65-70 mph.... or I am constrained by lower speed limits and don't see a Stage 1 giving me anything there either.

Just saying...

That said, the Dealer is going to try to sell you something through them with a good profit margin. Plenty of people here do "stage 1" upgrades and everyone swears by what they did as being the best route to go.

Exhaust - go with what you think sounds the best to you. If you are looking for an over all increase in HP and/or Torque, a 2 into 1 will give you the best bang.

A/C - Any high-flow AC setup will do the same thing. Comes down to how much you want to spend and if you want to pay for a name of some type.

SERT, etc - Lot's of variables here. Are you knowledgable in this area? Do you understand tuning? Are you comfortable enough to use a laptop and go into the programs and tweak or do you want to just download a pre-canned program? Again, everyone will have a different opinion. Go with what you think you can handle.

Just my observations and opinions. Decide why you are doing it, how much you are willing to spend and go from there.

 

if you are interested get the TTS it is a far superior tuner then the sest. you will have access to the stg 1 down load as well as the tuning capabilities for future mods.
plenty of other air cleaner options out there look around.
G

 

Pipes not so much
A good intake is a real starter. There is your 10-12%.
Just that little thing.
HD has to worry about intake noise for goodness sake(EPA). Cramps the engine a lot.

 

one of the best replies I've seen on this subject. Personally, I want a little louder than stock sound from my 06 ultra and if I do that I'll do the "standard" breather kit too just for that little extra. But If I can't, stock will suit me just fine.

 

I had the dealer install a stage 1 at 1000 miles.
SE A/C,SE slipons,SE Race Tuner with map.No dyno.
I road it for 30000 miles before going to a 95".There was a noticeable difference over stock with the stage one.
The race tuner was pricey but glad it was installed already when I did the 95".Had the bike dynoed then.

 

stage 1 with a good dyno tune is prol your best bang for the buck as far as performance increase and making the bike run cooler. i ordered my parts online and did the work myself (other than dyno tune) and saved almost $2000 over having the dealer supply the parts and install. stock numbers are 66hp and 80ft/lbs so i got better than a 10% increase.

 

I changed out pipes and air cleaner on my 2008 FXDC. I used 2" Rush Slip-ons and the Arlen Ness Big Sucker Stage I kit. I am using the TTS Mastertune and have fine tuned the volumetric efficiencies before and after the install. I have not yet done a dyno tune for the areas of the map outside the closed loop area of operation, so my numbers are only good up to about 5000 rpm and 40-60% throttle (which should give nearly full throttle air flow to the engine).

I found some significant differences in the VE values when comparing before and after. The change was most significant on my rear cylinder, which had an AVERAGE change of 8.0% in each map value. The front cylinder VE values changed an average of 3.8%. Combined, the engine VE values went up 6%. The 60% throttle columns went up 6.8%, which should translate closely to the increase at full throttle. And at higher RPM the Stage I makes a bigger difference - at 60% throttle, at 5000 RPM the VE values went up 7.5% and 9.5% for an average of 8.5%.

I doubt that these increases are exactly parallel to increases in torque and power. I would guess that the increased air flow leads to higher compression resulting in more than 6% increases in torque and power. But, since I didn't dyno the bike before or after I have no way to know what those number are.

I interpret the numbers to mean that my engine is pumping about 6% more air through the engine (at any given RPM), and up to 6.8% at full throttle, due to the modifications. By going through the Vtune process, I've set up the ECM to feed about 6% more fuel too, to maintain the correct air to fuel ratio.

Personally, I think seat of the pants measurements are difficult because the other senses get in the way. I did my changes in steps, by installing the pipes about a month before installing the air cleaner. The volumetric efficiencies actually dropped slightly due to pipes alone, but there were a few cells that went up. But, the increased sound of the bike actually made it feel faster to me.

I'm considering a cam change next, and I'll run the same evaluation. It will probably be a couple months though.

I can also add that I started with the TTS tuner before making any changes to the bike. I was able to lower the operating temperature of the cylinders more than 100 degrees and eliminate surging and pinging in hot weather just by straightening out the air to fuel ratios. The stock bike ran much better after tinkering with the TTS.