a catalytic converter is a federal law, removing it from your car, truck, bike, whatever is illegal, and will 100% void your warranty. there are plenty of legal options if one chooses to go that way. this is not an HD thing it's EPA.

 

I think I might just give the fan a try and maybe some header wrap. If I can't make a significant difference in the heat issue, I don't thing the cost of the Stage 1 is really worth it. I'm happy with the sound and power.

Thanks guys

 

He wasn't asking about legality, he was asking about warranty. Tampering with any emission control is a Federal offense, and I believe most people are well aware of this. OP wants to attempt to get away with something he knows HD wouldn't approve of, and could void his warranty. That's all we're discussing here.

 

I've had the cool flow fan for a couple years on my 17 ultra limited. No, it doesn't make some drastic difference FOR ME. Where I do praise it's worth is while sitting at a stop light. It just blows the heat down to the ground. Otherwise, it's not running as you're riding. I can't remember the exact speed, but it only comes on once you're under a certain speed.............say 35ish. I just can't remember right now. It absolutely works well in those instances. I consider it a 'parade fan' .......meant to help you out while sitting and/or barely moving.

Having said that, I still thought my bike was too hot and then had my stock header decatted. Some would say I wasted my money on a dyno afterwards, but I had it done and re-tuned with that crappy HD tuner and all I can say is ............the heat went away. Did I gain any more power, etc. .............NO! I say NO because the parameters weren't the same (different tuner, city, temperature, etc) and the numbers were around the same.

So for me.........No way I could ride with that cat. Removing it changed these dramatically for me. The sound was even a 'little' bit better. It wasn't harsh. It was worth it to me.

I'm not going to get into the warranty discussion or EPA stuff.............just sharing what I did and how happy I was and am

Fast forward............I now have Power Vision and the same decat header with Torque Cam and I smile everytime I twist the throttle.

 

ya but some keep saying could, it 100% will, no question about it.

 

I have the cool flow fan on my 2018 CVO limited and it made a huge different. Had mine installed within the first 60 days so it would be covered by the warranty and ESP. FYI In auto mode it turns itself on and off automatically. It's whisper quite too. Other than the heat being gone, you won't know it's there.

Edit: what SFCMO says is true. It does shut itself off over 30 or 35. But when moving over that speed I don't feel the heat anyway.

 

for sure the best, and only real way to get rid of all that heat once and for all, the only other option is to get the mufflers with the cat in them and replace the head pipe with the high flow one, and move all that heat to the rear and away from the riders.

 

Some dealers will stand behind warranty work for non warrantied bikes, some wont.

The points they he was asking about was HD specific with regards to decatting the headers and if doing so would require a re-tune. I was just pointing out the limitations of the SEST tuner and that he could probably get by without re tuning since the SEST has a smart tune feature and you can only go so far in adjustments with it anyway.

Either way, like strych9 said....either live within the warranty contract, or say screw it and do what you want. Cant have it both ways.

 

You are wrong. The dealer has to report it in order for the MoCo to void the warranty. I happen to know an '18 RGS owner that decatted his stock header and has had his bike to the dealer for warranty work. They haven't said a word about it, and HD is none the wiser.

There is no instant warranty voiding going on...some dealers are either naive or STILL looking the other way for stuff like this. Here in the great state of Nebraska, we have no EPA emission testing, so it's fairly easy to get away with things. Hence, COULD is still the operative word.

 

so....a Trike is a whole different monster, because the air behind your right thigh does not circulate, my wife got second degree burns & blisters on her trike.

the trick is to Mod the stock air Box:
https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...r-housing.html

we did the Air box mod, and the bike was AWESOME to ride, nice & cool with air flow behind the right leg.


then, we spent ~$1000 and did the Stage 1, removed the CAT, with a HD Air cleaner, HD pipes, HD tuner (SEPST?)
and the bike is HOTTER with the Stage 1, than it was with the Modified Air box, because now, the round style air cleaner blocks the air from flowing around the inside of your right leg,
and the rear trike fender blocks the air flow out of that area.

does the bike RUN better? yes!
does it still cause blisters on the rear of your thigh? almost it's very uncomfortable with the big round air cleaner.
i even bought a longer bolt & spaced out the Evo style cover, and it's still HOT behind your thigh.


DK customs will jump in here, and he has done a TON of Mods on Trikes, some are $459 each (oil filter re-locate & oil cooler),
you should definitely try the modified air box before you try those, just to enjoy riding the bike.