Good afternoon...newbie, here. Got a couple of questions, and wondering if I did something stupid. Won't be a "first" if I did...

I have an '08 Deluxe, and I plan on putting exhaust and Stage 1 A/C and SERT on the motorcycle. Can't do it all at once, but have been reading about the SERTs being phased out and replaced with another more expensive option...so today, at the 1,000 mile service, I got one of the remaining SERTs at my Harley store and had it installed. Mind you my bike is stone stock at this point in time...which means when I get the exhaust, and complete the setup, I'll have to have the SERT recalibrated...such is life.

My questions are...will I notice ANY difference at all riding the bike with the SERT and stock A/C and exhaust? Have I done anything that will harm the bike, or the coming exhaust hi-flow A/C additions? How stupid was I to do this..(no, don't answer that one...).

Also, I have been talking to folks about Screamin' Eagle slip ons, Rush slipons, V&H True Duals (fishtips)...some say the SEs are a waste of money, some say the Rush are too loud, some have the same criticism for the V&H. I know I am going to do what I want in the end, but when you changed your exhaust, what was it you were looking for, and in what setup did you find it?

Thanks, y'all...I know I am the one buying and riding, and will make the choice, but you folks with more experience probably put a lot more thought into this quandry when you faced it, and it's those things I may not be thinking of I'd like to mine from your collective minds...thanks!!!

 

My wife has the SERT, Ness Big Sucker and Rush Slip On's on her Deluxe. We really only noticed a performance difference (meaning quicker) after the dyno at 1,000 miles.

The Rush's on her bike sound really nice.

 

I have a 07 Heritage with V&H Big Shot Staggereds, SE Stage I Air Cleaner and the SERT. If they tuned your stock bike with the SERT it should help with the lean condition all stock bikes are faced with from the factory, it also may or may not help with the engines heat issue as well since the SERT should haverichened it up a little. Thats a pretty expensive tuner+ dyno for a stock bike but like you said, pipes & air kit later. You can do a lot more tuning with aSERT when it comes to engine upgrades like cams, bigger displacement, ect., ect.

I went with the SERT because I got 25 percent off of it's price when I bought my bike +I was told it would tune my bike dead on & could use it later on down the road for major engine upgrades. I know starting in 07 HD toned down thereSE pipes & slip ons, not very loud at all & I am not real sure if they boost your performance that much, then again I don't think a slip on muffler is going to do that anyway. My uncle just put on a set of Rush slip ons with 2" diam. baffles on his road king, sound pretty good but not as loud as my V&H big shot staggered. If you are going to do a SE Stage 1 air kit you would want to do a new full set of pipes to get the most out of the air kit & you already have the SERT. SE Air Kit= More air coming in, SERTtunes motor for the more air and addds extra gas, larger pipes lets bike breathe.

You are not going to damage a stock bike by using the SERT on it, they are to dyno tune the bike with the SERT according to the bikes configuration, you now just have to pay for a 2nd tune when you go with air kit & pipes.

Later,
Dan

 

I think you made a good decision, to get the sert...... now your all set to modify and upgrade to anything, far as pipes, engine, stage I... The sert is made to be tuned to any upgrade for your bike.

If you go with slip on pipes or a whole new exhaust.... you will needStage I for sure, so tally that into the cost,,
Far as Rush Pipes. Well, They are a dam good pipe for the Ching, ching$$$to keep you current stockexhaust and not kill the budget,They are neighbor friendly as long as your not hittin the trottle and gearing up to rip down the street at 5am... so go slow, and get out quietly....!!!
I'm very happy with them!!! and are Quiet on highway travel.... Youwill still have your dentures...............

I would like them louder, (personal choice)
but my dealer recommended 2.0 inch baffles, vs. 2.25. Not clear why??


I agree they are not nearly as loud as V&Hines, whole exhaust systems!!! very true.... Slip ons from brand A to Brand B are going to be minium difference in loud and performance...

Next step: First: Get your Stage I-

Second:
Do your homework and Read up on exhaust systems and pipes...... Its a whole new world, and alot of options.
Thats something of personal choice and riding style...... Do you hate your neighbors?? or do you find a good sounding pipe and don't forget to ask the question of performance. 2-1's are great.... I miss my 2-1 reinhart.
SE' are EPA now.... F --- That...

 

first of all if you own a computer you can download a new SERT map into you own bike and not have to worry about payingthe dealer to do it for you.

secondly, I got the Rush slip-on's with the 2.25" baffles in them, I don't agree with the above statement that slip-on's from brand A or B aren't much louder than stock.
my Rush slip-on's with the 2.25" bafflesare as loud as my friends V&H big shot staggard exhaust. we had them side by side and compared them. it was exactly the sound I was looking for!
I think the 2.0" baffles would not have been loud enough for me.
all of the restriction in the stock exhaust is in the mufflers, so installing a good set of slip-on's will give you a nice improvement.

the SE slip-on's don't sound much louder than the stock mufflers, so in my opinion they are a waste of money.

 

When I bought my 07 Fatboy, it already had the stage I kit and the SE pro performance pipes. They sounded horrible, almost as quiet as the stock pipes.

The advantage that I had is the bike already had the pipes and all I had to do was change out the stock baffles to Big City Thunder baffles. (I love riding it just to hear it) Now, here is the kicker, by the time you spend the money on putting the SE slip ons on the bike, you'll have to change the baffles to get it to sound like a Harley.

If I were in your position with the stock pipes, I would probably look into a set of Rineharts. Spend the money wisely from the getgo. Get something that will satisfy all your needs.

As for right now, in your position, I agree with Deuce, the biggest bang for the buck are the Rush Slip-ons, and get the 2.25.

If you're gonna ride a Harley, make it sound like One.

 

With rush you have many choices of baffles for the sound you like. I traded my 2.25 for the 1.75 as this is what i wanted. You need also to decide the look you want. many who get the V&H also get the baffles. I did on my sportster. They just came out with D&D and Reinhart slip ons and if i had lots of money i would try the Reinhart.

 

OOOk. well newbee here too. I just bought an 03 Duece and all I know is it has Rienhardt pipes and thats it. It has 3000 miles on the clock and I love this thing, but I dont have a clue as to whats been done to/with it. It seems like its running way to rich, smells like gas, puff of black and dont get more than 125 miles on tank of fuel. HELP!! What would be recomended for electronic tuner, reflash or complete tuner system?
OOOOOOOOOOOHHHH so many friggn questions.

 

+1 on the SE slip-on's. I got those. kept them on for a week, then went with VH BR 2-1.

they are fully EPA compliant which, of course, means noise level barely past stock. If you like the CURRENT HD stock sound, but just want a little more GGGRRRRRRR, then the SE's will work fine.

BUT, if you want to capture the way an HD used to sound, the way it should sound :-), you will need a whole new exhaust. I chose mine:
1. most powerful exhaust(non-racing) that VH sells-their words, not mine.
2. unique look. people ask me all the time if it is a custom exhaust
3. gives me the low rumble and great "potato" sound that HD's have lost over the years.

The SERT is a great option, and getting it on your stock setup is great as others have said, you can rich up the mixture right now to get the bike running cooler...

 

Will you notice any difference? It really depends on what the dealer did when they "installed" the SERT. I used quotes here because you don't really install the SERT. The SERT is simply an interface device that allows the tuning software to communicate with the bike's ECU. The SERT is designed to marry itself to the bike the first time it is used. So your SERT is for your bike alone. No one else can use it. Perhaps that is what they did when you say they installed it.

Since your bike is otherwise stock I would assume they didn't change the original map. However, it is possible they went ahead and loaded the stage 1 map which changes the air/fuel ratios to accommodate higher flowing intake and exhaust. Not sure that you would reap any noticeable performance benefit from a stage 1 map with stock AC and exhaust but you may.

Have you done any harm? Absolutely not. The SERT, when employed properly, will provide performance enhancement as well as significant ability to adjust the ECU to accommodate and maximize the benefit of just about any combination of engine modifications.

Exhaust discussion can go on for a long time. For me, I started with Cycle shack slip-ons. They provided a performance boost because of increased flow as well as good sound; for about $120. Slip-ons generally offer the best bang for the buck. Eventually I bought a full exhaust set. I married acceptable performance along with the looks I wanted. Form combined with function. As far as sound...loud is in the ear of the beholder.

On one bike I have a SERT, Forcewinder AC and Hooker Troublemaker Radius exhaust. The Hookers look almost identical to the VH Big Radius except the tips are a couple inches higher. That's important as I lean over pretty far and have a history of scraping exhaust, the kickstand, foot pegs, and frame.

On another bike I have a Revtech DFO tuner, SE AC, and VH Big Radius exhaust. Unlike the SERT, the DFO mounts to the bike full time. It is less expensive and much simpler to operate. It simplifies tuning but at the expense of more limited adjustment capability. The DFO adjustments are reduced to those you would use to tune a carbed bike. This bike will likely never have more than stage 1 upgrades so the DFO is more than capable of tuning the setup.

You certainly aren't stupid. Going with the SERT first is a good way to go. The upside of getting the tuner up front is that you can tune to whatever AC/exhaust configuration you decide on.