Thingfish goes Stage 2...
 

Well....It is done. I picked up my Heritage 114 from the dealer yesterday afternoon with the SE stage 1 and 2 done....

Street Canons
Street Tuner
447 Torque cam

35 mile ride home, and a 50 mile loop this morning before Halloween prep interrupted the testing...

I think my impression will develop a lot this week with daily riding. That said, here's how it's starting out.

Firing up the bike the first time. Little deeper than stock, but not remarkably different. The lope is there, but the gear whine is matching the exhaust pulse so they are both loping together...more fun than stock, but not exactly everything we've come to think of as a classic stage difference on a previous gen Harley. This may have a lot to do with the Street Canons vs ANY other pipe I've ever put on. Anyone familiar with a typical catless pipe after just a stage 1 knows the difference is "oh wow" on the first turn of the motor...this is not that. This is a bit better/deeper than stock plus lope bonuses.

Riding down the road..nice. Definitely louder once past idle and builds to a meatier rumble at all speeds with a real bark when cracked. The torque difference is noticeable. Not "oh my god" huge, but nicely hooked up. Honestly when stock it had all the torque it needed in any gear at any rpm as a solo rider...this is just plain more. It's like when someone says "I'll give you 100%", and the next guy says "I'll give you 110%"...the common point being made is usually that past 100% it's just BS...well, I've learned that 110% does feel like more sometimes. Thanks 110% guy.

Roll on in the upper speeds did not seem to change much, although I did look down and expect to see 90 and instead I saw 100. That was fine with me. I tried to settle in and ride "normally" for the sake of comparison, but it was just too easy to keep playing with it. I think DanBO18 described this phase well on his Breakout.

So first impression is sound is better, lope is fun (although not exactly classic sounding), overall power is a nice bump. It is a mild cam after all so it's still fairly civilized, but for a warranty/EPA mod I'd say I'm happy personally. I already had silicone baffle strands coming out of my exhaust so I'm sure these canons are going to break in sound wise quite a bit. Either that or I'll be dealing with pipe replacement due to rattling parts inside the muffler that seems to be common with the touring guys canons on the M8 forum.

What's left to say?

I don't know what a stage 1 alone would have been like, but typically a cam makes your exhaust sound deeper and louder so I'm assuming that's in effect here too. I think they run so well stock now that the stage 1 alone is not the same fix/boost we all remember from Twin Cams. That said, it ran so well stock a lot of people might be fine with just the right slip on. I have the "more" version now and I like it, but it has not redefined what I love about this bike.

The cam did seem to slightly increase the felt pulse of the motor at speed. Personally I like it, but anyone sensitive to vibration or who feels like their M8 Softail already vibrates enough might want to just start with a Stage 1 and see if you're satisfied.

I'd also have been curious what the HP cam would have felt like since the torque on these bikes is already very solid across the range. But that's curiosity for ya...always there. It's not enough to doubt my choice...just ya know...curious.

Overall, this bike was perfect for me straight off the floor everywhere except Idle (tame, plus gear whine), and a bit of sound presence below 40 mph. This mod improved all of that about 10% - 15% in that range and about 40% above that. It certainly has more teeth everywhere. It does not recreate the music of an Evo, or a Twin Cam with an open pipe at idle and the gear whine is not going anywhere unless HD redesigns the gear drive, but that is still a trade I'm willing to live with for the things I do like. The wine really does become almost unnoticeable when riding...that or I just tune it out.

I'll be interested to hear other mufflers when they come out and I'd like to hear a catless set (like Gee or Puttnutt's SEII pipes they threw on for a minute) on a 114 in person. In my case however I wasn't looking for a fire breather...That's my FXR and Dyna...this Heritage is my "balance" ride...touring as well as putting around. This mod split the difference well for me.

Here are some videos...the first one is just so you can hear the start up, but the second one has better rev action. I don't make a habit of revving my bike parked in neutral so I hope it gives a taste for those curious. The iphone camera of course doesn't do it justice...blah blah blah...ONE thing it picks up to a fault is the motor noise...in person it doesn't sound anywhere near that noisy.

ALSO, yes my bike has some "gasp" stickers. Sorry, my son gets to contribute to my bikes and not every choice is an improvement, but I feel good every time I see them at least.

Hope you enjoy...more impressions to come.

Sounds good, and nice looking bike too.

Sounds good and thanks for the review! I hope to have mine done in a few weeks.

Great to hear about your upgrade Thingfish. I’m glad to read a review from a more experienced Harley owner. While it was just right for me, I know it won’t be enough for a lot of guys. And I know you can get more bang for the buck as long as one is willing to toss the warrantee out the window.

It’s got more power, but not mad power like adding more cubes. It doesn’t sound stock anymore, but neighbors won’t complain about it either. Not the right pipes if you hate your neighbors. Ha!

did they dyno it or are you rolling canned?

Awesome! Very nice and detailed review Thingfish. I'm glad you like it, but for some reason the TQ difference felt like more of a kick in the pants for me. I have much less experience with Harleys and have not ridden my 114 as much as you have, so maybe that is why I am so damn enthusiastic. Still, I am happy with the upgrade and love riding my bike even more now. ...I've got a fever and the only prescription is more cowbell.

Very nice write up, thank you for the sound clips

Sounds great. I am leaning towards the Vines and Hines shorties. I want to get rid of the cat.

Brilliant work as usual fish. Thanks again for taking the time and review your upgrades. I been hanging out waiting to hear the results of your Stage II. Well done! Top Bloke!

excellent review and thanks for sharing..great information for people considering this upgrade..really like the improved exhaust sound..when I took that same bike for a test ride I kept thinking..damn this is nice, what more does anyone really need from an engine especially in the lighter soft tail..and getting more like you did has to feel like icing on the cake. congrats and I'm sure you'll be brushing your teeth more often to clean all the bugs out of your wide open smile!