You described stage II perfectly. My impressions on my 107 with stage II are identical.

 

Great review! Stage 2 does really change the bike, and it's all under warranty.

 

Nice, I have been holding out on doing anything to mine, I did punch holes in the spark arrestors which did nothing except kill a few lbs of torque at 1500-2000 rpms.

When I did stage one to my 17 Ultra limited I was underwhelmed but grew to like the sound when cruising. I need to just hear a stage one in person on our bikes, afraid to pull the trigger on open pipes and be sorry it's too loud. I't be fun to drive our bikes back to back and really see the diff.

Still loving mine, just want to work out the sound and I want a cam at some point, need to look at some torque charts

Good to see your report!

Lexpert-

 

Great realistic review.

I am curious about how this cam compares to Andrews M450. So far I mostly see people using the screaming eagle cam. I also have seen a few gear driven cams for the M8.

I wish there was an easy and inexpensive way to capture exhaust sounds. I have run into the same issue of a video I made of my bike idling sounds absolutely nothing like my bike in real life. My Evo’s video sounded so bad that I began checking my bike out thoroughly because it sounded like pieces of the engine were disintegrating.

 

Same here. Very interested to hear how an Andrews cam goes. especially one designed to give a little lower torque up, which vtwins have by the bucketload in favor of a midrange gain. Your bound to hear first hand before we do fish so let us know.👍

 

Lex- I agree, I wish we could all trade bikes to try different configs...although each bike also has its own feel and tollerances that effect the overall result...

I'm enjoying the feel and sound of the Street Canons with the stage 2. They could be a little deeper toned but they may get there as they break in.

People with this mod may disagree, but the feel of it sort of reminds me of lowering the gearing by dropping a sprocket tooth. Obviously the rpms have not changed...75mph is still 2750rpms, but it feels like each gear is noticeably punchier but falls off earlier in the revs calling for a shift. As advertised it's moved the power band towards the low end and flattened out the upper range a bit. Before, each gear would continue building to about 4500. Now, it comes on stronger early and acceleration is quite a bit snappier, but it starts to peak around 3800 rpms approximately. Not a bad thing, just diffrent distribution of power. I generally like cruising between 2400 and 2800 rpms, with visits to the upper speeds which equals about 3300rpm is 92-ish...so there's plenty of driveable power. Some part of my brain is just used to being able to wind it up higher with continued returns...you can still wind it up, but most of the acceleration juice has given its best result already. I guess being a milder cam it's mostly just slicing a similar power pie differently, vs a more aggressive cam which can actually expand the overall power range rather than just shift it, but with more strain and wear on the motor.

Still very much enjoying the throttle response and sound. The stock idle was 840, it's now 940 but still sounds good as the lope is noticeable once the motor is fully warmed and settled.

Prot and kb I'm curious about other Cams as well. The SE power cam might have been interesting as the bike had enough torque before so if it didn't rob the low end of its power it might have been a fun rush at the top. On the other hand if it just moved the curve to the right I think I'd miss the original spec torque if the stock config.

I guess I think the stock cam really does give a perfect middle balance of torque and power across the broadest range. These SE Cams seem to be for those who prefer a little more oomph specifically on either end. It would be nice to have both...but that's probably Stage 3 or a significantly more aggressive cam...post warranty.

 

Have you heard the RCX Tormentor headers on the M8 touring bikes? They sound good and hopefully they will release something similar for the Softails.

I posted a video of it somewhere.

 

Today I did some fast higher-rev runs to see if I could tell what you’re saying about a 3800 acceleration peak. I guess I need more years riding to develop sensitivity because I just feel the bike keep pulling harder than it ever did before and not letting up. I really don’t see what you’re referring to. I tried it a few times and I guess I just don’t have the experience because I don’t doubt that you know what you’re talking about. But my bike accelerates faster as it crosses 4K and is absolutely thrilling as it keeps pulling very hard and accelerates very fast. It’s faster than it used to be, even at the higher revs. I look forward to getting that dyno one of these days to see it represented in a chart and maybe better understand it.

Afterward I pulled out of a gas station just before going home, and a very loud earlier model street glide was passing as I pulled out. You could hear that thing a mile away, and not just cuz he was cranking his tunes. I could tell he was very proud of how much noise he was making. I was not envious at all. It was obnoxious. I can see what you’re saying about room for a little bit more sound. But I prefer to err on this side, and as you mentioned, these might get louder over time.

I know that isn’t how the majority feels. More more more. And if this bike were for the track then I wouldn’t be done with power or sound yet. It’s not like I don’t get the appeal of fast and loud. But for this bike’s purpose I like right where it’s landed.

 

I'll look for that Prot. Thanks.

Thanks for adding your impression on this. Your bike may very well be pulling/performing differently than mine. I also may be over thinking what I'm feeling. I much prefer what your describing so I'm going to try to see how it feels tomorrow. I assume we're running the same tune, but motors are different from each other sometimes. Satisfaction is a rare and elusive bird sometimes. If you've got it, keep smiling. I'm hoping to get there...maybe tomorrow. I actually do like how it's riding, but no top end trade off would be nicer. It's not that it stops accelerating at 3800, it just seems to become more gradual.

As for the sound, I'm with you on the pipes. I think they are a perfect volume for what I want. The tone I'd rate an 8 out of 10 which is great honestly. My stock got deeper so I think theses will too.

Looking forward to tomorrow's ride...

 

Fish and a few of you other Guys, a big thanks for the excellent and well described impressions. I also think that the Street Cannons sound great, not too loud at all.


I think that is exactly the same route that will be taken with my 114 Heritage after saving up a few more Penny's after paying cash for my new bike.