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General Topics/Tech TipsDiscussion on break in periods, rider comfort, seats and pad suggestions. Tech tips as they become available will be posted here.
You need to determine your goals for that bike? What bike are you talking about? Do you want a drag bike? A sleeper canyon carver? A touring torque monster?
Step 1 Buy the most obnoxiously loud exhaust available
Step 2 Get the tallest handlebars your arms can reach
LOL damn I'm more of a bikini beach setup kind of guy and I dont know if the sound a Harley makes will ever be obnoxious. Maybe they're not meant for me
You need to determine your goals for that bike? What bike are you talking about? Do you want a drag bike? A sleeper canyon carver? A touring torque monster?
It's been recommended by many to learn on a sporty. Once I've gotten the hang of things, I like the 90's soft tails. Im looking to have a a nice looking/sounding harley for casual rides/cruises. That may change once I'm officially on a bike but for now not looking for any sort of drag/racing bike .
Basic modifications for performance to a stock Evo or Twin Cam motor are incremental. The first step is replacing the OEM intake and exhaust with free flowing replacements of which there are many. The next step could be a BB kit or adding cams to the first step, or both. Of course, if carbureted, tuning the carb and a programmble ignition should be part of the either upgrade. If a later model with EFI, a dyno tune should be part of the upgrade. Next step beyond that would be porting the heads.
Upgrading performance in steps is expensive and often results in two steps up and one back. The best approach to performance upgrades is to establish a budget, price out the desired upgrades which many times will exceed the budget. This is where most mistakes are made. The owner wants to upgrade, can't afford the complete upgrade plan but has to "do something", does what he/she can within the budget, finishes the upgrade and gets smoked by his buddy that saved and waited for funds to be available for the complet upgrade.
Basic modifications for performance to a stock Evo or Twin Cam motor are incremental. The first step is replacing the OEM intake and exhaust with free flowing replacements of which there are many. The next step could be a BB kit or adding cams to the first step, or both. Of course, if carbureted, tuning the carb and a programmble ignition should be part of the either upgrade. If a later model with EFI, a dyno tune should be part of the upgrade. Next step beyond that would be porting the heads.
Upgrading performance in steps is expensive and often results in two steps up and one back. The best approach to performance upgrades is to establish a budget, price out the desired upgrades which many times will exceed the budget. This is where most mistakes are made. The owner wants to upgrade, can't afford the complete upgrade plan but has to "do something", does what he/she can within the budget, finishes the upgrade and gets smoked by his buddy that saved and waited for funds to be available for the complet upgrade.
Anything other than stage one you should consider cams, heads, bore, to save on labor. With fuel injection it's an investment to tune too
For me seat is pretty high on list. First purchase is factory manual.
I like jacking up head lights with halogen, and LED options too. Need to figure what previous owner did first
Ride it, and you'll figure it out by next winter or maybe winter after that
If the bike has a spring plate (AKA grenade plate) in the clutch it would be a good idea to get rid of it, if they come apart (and many have) they do serious damage to the clutch basket, plates, etc.
Last edited by 08xl1200r; Apr 9, 2024 at 10:03 PM.
If the bike has a spring plate (AKA grenade plate) in the clutch it would be a good idea to get rid of it, if they come apart (and many have) they do serious damage to the clutch basket, plates, etc.
If I knew what that was it might be a debateable topic.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
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.
Common upgrades/modifications
