Hey guys,
Just joined the forum and let me start by saying this website is awesome! I appreciate everyone's input.

I'm brand new to the Harley world, just bought an '08 FatBoy with 7,000 miles on it.

I want to put on pipes (Rinehart or V&H) as well as some type of air cleaner.

I understand I need to "re-map" or re-program my bike using some sort of power commander but with so many choices out there what do I go with?

I also wanted to know about baffles? What are they? And should I remove them, replace them with different ones...?

Last thing, by putting on an exhaust and air cleaner will I be losing MPG? Anyone know? And/or will I lost torque? I thought I've read a couple articles where people said they had.

Thanks for any and all input!
Ryan

 

Hey Ryan....Air cleaner and Slip ons might drop your MPG a bit but the big drop will be when you put a Fuel Management system like Power Commander...If you go that route, go with Fuel Moto with PCIII or 5...i have the III and they support it with maps if you have issues...What it does it richens the air fuel mixture...makes MPG got south obviously but improves performance....Baffles..you may or may not be able to replace them...depends on the pipes you have...there are some MFG that have different baffles slike Supertrapp and Vance & Hines ...or you may be able to but power cones i think is what they are...I have Screaming eagle Slip on (touring ) on mine and i like it like that.

 

Here's the baffles that came with my Vance & Hines: Not much there really. Sounded great, but a bit too loud for the amount of city riding I do, so I put in the quite baffles. Still plenty loud, but more deep growl too.

 

PowerCommanders will improve how your engine runs by giving it the proper air/fuel ratio evenly throughout the rpm range. Sometimes this means more fuel in areas and sometimes less fuel so your mpg doesn't always drop/increase by that you may notice but you will notice how much better the engine runs.

 

First off taking a stock bike and putting a better performing a/c and exhaust on will not take hp, or tq away. The stock garbage is made to meet emissions, and so is the stock tune. If you put on a performance a/c and exhaust, you will be making your bike run in a lean state, and the ECM can not learn/change enough to meet the demands, so your engine will run hotter, and will not last very long at all.
That is why you need to get a new tune downloaded, or buy some sort of piggyback fuel management system or something that will allow you to change the tune yourself, I use TTS.
Once you have a properly tuned bike with an aftermarket a/c, and pipes, you will not see a drop in fuel mileage at all. It will get better. The engine is working easier and is producing more power. its efficiency has gone up.
unless you bag the crap out of it at every stop light.

 

Many people have had success with a PCIII or V on their Fatboys, but I did not. Do lots of research before ordering and known exactly what needs to be done. Space is extremely tight under the seat where the ECM sits. In my case, to install the PC-V, I would of had to move the ECM up onto the fender and secure it with Velcro in order to get enough room to fit the PC-V under the seat. I was uncomfortable doing this, so I sold my PC-V at great loss and went with a SERT.

And one last piece of advice; once you start modifying your bike, you will become addicted. Keep your wallet in a safe place )

 

Performance exhaust and intake will help your bike breath better, which in turn will improve overall performance. Lots of good tuners out there like the ones mentioned; the H-D SE Supertuner is also a good choice and the one I use. I would choose the one that your mechanic is most skilled at using when he runs your bike on the dyno.

You might also consider using the XIEDs from Nightrider; no tuner would be necessary and they perform as advertised. Here's a link; lots of good info. Good luck!
http://www.nightrider.com/

 

Hey guys,
Just joined the forum and let me start by saying this website is awesome! I appreciate everyone's input.

I'm brand new to the Harley world, just bought an '08 FatBoy with 7,000 miles on it.

I want to put on pipes (Rinehart or V&H) as well as some type of air cleaner.

I understand I need to "re-map" or re-program my bike using some sort of power commander but with so many choices out there what do I go with?
U'll need to read more to learn about them, Some just plug and play, Some need Ur computer to adjust, some auto adjust, and some U dyno tune.. Like most things in life usually the more it cost the better it is..

I also wanted to know about baffles? What are they? And should I remove them, replace them with different ones...?
I wouldn't, each baffle that comes with the pipes is R&D'ed for the best Perf.
https://www.google.com/search?hl=en&...OqqK2wWsgJ3DCw


Last thing, by putting on an exhaust and air cleaner will I be losing MPG? Anyone know? And/or will I lost torque? I thought I've read a couple articles where people said they had.
If done correct, U should see a gain in performance, and fuel mileage.


Thanks for any and all input!
Ryan


There are thousands of threads on how/why to make Ur motor run better.
Instead of me typing all of them, I'll post some links so U can read through them learn and make a wise choice for Ur needs.

Of course U have to take all this info with a grain of salt,, Most members in here will tell U that what they have is the BEST..

There really is no BEST of anything.. just a lot of stuff that's good and U have to deciede what U want/like.. or fits Ur needs and buget.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/elect...-be-tuned.html

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/touri...ml#post7571001

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/gener...other-fms.html

https://www.google.com/search?source...=Google+Search


Best advice I can give U is don't be in a hurry,, take U time, go somewhere where their are a lot of bikes. IE< dealer on sat. bikes shows. then U can see and hear all the different pipes and pick out what U like.

As far as tuners. U need to know what U'r going to do to ur bike.

Stg1 only... or add cams also. With cams U'll need one of the better tuner.

If U can figure out what Ur going to do. It will save U money in the long run if U do it all at once... I've see/read a lot of members make mods at first only to find they don't like them or wont do what they want later and have to buy more stuff to get their motor running the way they want it to...

And lastly,,, learn how to do a Google search.. Almost anything U want to learn, U can find doing a google seach.
Research and Info is the secret of helping U pick the right mods and learning about Ur bike..




.

 

You guys are awesome! I appreciate all of the information and advice. I only hope to gain experience and return the favor in the future. For now...my research continues in finding the perfect set-up for a great running and sounding bike.

 

One more thing.

Is it feasible to change out the exhaust, air cleaner and re-map my engine using some sort of ECM module myself?

It seems it's mostly bolt on but would hate to encounter a problem by doing it myself. Just trying' to save some $$$