With wind buffeting?

Anybody had this done? What kind of softail?

How much did it help with the wind coming up from under the tank?

And how much, in real word terms, does it help cool the engine?

And did you like the way your bike looked after you had it done?

Can't make up my mind...

Thanks

 

with wind buffeting? no..

i don't have a thermometer on my bike so i dont know whether it helped with temperatures like advertised..

it looked good.. i really did like the look of my fatboy lo with it on.. but in the end i went with the 107" bigbore kit, and i was losing 1/3-1/2 gallon of fuel with just the 1.5" lift, and i wanted that fuel back, so i removed it.

 

I have noticed any gain or reduction in buffeting. As far as temps go, well with out a temp gauge I can tell you the truth on that one. I does seem to keep the front jug cooler. I feel that EITMS activates less. Biggest plus to me is the look of the lifted tank.

 

Good questions, but I think you'll find the answers are all over the place. Would like to see some definitive evidence of the bike running cooler, but have yet to see anyone show the difference in temps before and after the tank lift. As for the wind buffeting, I have heard some folks say it helps with the buffeting and some say it doesn't. Only way to find out for sure if it works for you is to actually try it. Most folks seem to do it for the looks. I don't like the fact that it will change the angle of your tank badge.

 

I have the 1.5 and love it in my lo. I think it looks so much better on. Do it

 

Buffeting- Many experience a reduction or elimination of buffeting when using a tank lift. Some do not. There are many variables...how tall, what kind of helmet, what other options are on the bike, just to name a few.

On my '12 a 1.5" tank lift helped with the buffeting, but a 2" did better. But someone else on my bike, maybe sits different, or wears a different helmet...they may get more or less buffeting.

The only thing that is an absolute- there is far less air coming over the top front of the tank to hit the rider in the chest.

Here is a good thread on the subject-

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/dyna-...lift-this.html


Heat Temps- Everyone rides differently, every engine is set up differently, ambient temps are different. We get reports ranging from "can't tell a difference" to "oil temp gauge is consistently 10-15* lower".

We did extensive testing years ago. We ran the same 25 mile stretch of interstate, at the same throttle, on the same day, with ambient temps the same, and the bikes heat soaked the same. We did this on 3 different Twin Cams (all Stage 1), with and without 2" and 2.5" lifts. (we did not test the 1.5" or 3")

We used an IR gun on the front and rear cylinder, right behind the spark plug. We also used an oil temp dipstick.

There was no discernible difference between the 2" and the 2.5" tank lifts.

With the tank lifts the cylinder head temps ranged from 8* to 23* lower than without the tank lift. The oil temps were 11* to 18* lower than without the tank lift.

Looks are in the eye of the beholder.

Respect to Sgt_Jim, but it is a physical impossibility to lose 1/3-1/2 gallon capacity with a 1.5" tank lift. A 5 gallon tank will lose less than 1/4 gallon capacity with a 2" lift.

It is possible for the low fuel light to come on 1/3-1/2 gallon earlier...but that does not mean that the gas is not in the tank and usable.

Below is a picture of a gas pump where I had just filled up my 6 gallon tank. This tank has a 1.5" tank lift on it. The bike was NOT sputtering, it was still running fine. As you can see I put a bit over 6 gallons in it.




Here's a couple pics of my Heritage with a 2" tank lift.






Here are a bunch more Softails with Tank Lifts.

 

Here is my tank lift.

 

It's mainly a cosmetic mod. The softails with the stretch tanks like the Deuce and Rocker are made for a lift and I personally think they look a little off without one. I have the 3" on the pic in my sig.

 

I put DK's 2" lift on my rocker. Very nicely built, discreet and reasonably priced. 20 minute to install, did not need the new crossover tube, but it was included so you did not get stuck. It makes my bike look better and I think it may help a smiggen with the cooling since it is more open to the air up front which should work back to some degree...For me it was well worth doing. With the 2" on my bike, there was no interference with the handlebars, etc., from reading on here, some folks have noted that as you go up higher it start to hit stuff...LOL. Stay warm...looks like we just ran out of warm air till april...oh, well, maint., mods and snowmobiles for a while...

 

My experience with it tells me differently. When I roll in to a gas station with the engine sputtering because it's about out of fuel, and I only put in 4.6 gallons, I'd say I lost more than 1/4 of a gallon.... keeping in mind of course that at the time the rear of my bike was also lowered, so whether that made a difference or not, i dont know