Been away from HD for a few years and recently came home with a new 14 Fat Boy. Wanting to add some slip-ons for a LITTLE better sound. Do I need a stage 1 if I just do slip-ons? I know I do if I do a new Air filter. the reason I ask is I may slip some pipes on in the near term and then come back and do a Stage 1 when I do my 1000 oil change. After that I will do my own wrenching. Also, whats the going rate on a stage 1 these days? I have looked at the New V/H tuner that you can do from your phone but don't want any warranty issues.
Thanks!

 

A stage 1, in my opinion, is always needed. The bike will gain a few ponies, a little torque and it will run a little cooler too. I also feel, think, that if one goes that far just do a cam with it too if you can afford too. I'm a HUGE fan of performance and I don't necessarily mean blowing the motor out, I mean having what you already have running at peak performance. A cam has it's advantages but one of the biggest, to me, is it gives the bike the power to get yourself out of a mess should the need ever arise. Keep us posted, I like following a person who just got a new bike or on the trek with a used bike to enhance it's performance. I like watching what people go with and the results and this is a great site to do that with. Good luck!

 

Factory fuel trims ought to be able to compensate for any extra breathing due to slip ons... You shouldn't need to get a new map.

 

No need for re-MAP with just slip ons. You will need it with a High Flow Air Filter set up. I have heard good words about the V/H Tuner you mentioned, in fact my Indy HD mechanic has one on his Street Glide and loves it.


A riding buddy of mine has a 2011 Street Glide with V?H slip ons and a free flowing A/C set up and he does not have a tuner. His bike seems to run good and he says he will add a tuner when he gets rid of the CAT.

 

is the "stage One" still just a download? or is a SERT required? As I remember back in 07-08, I just got a download on my 07 Night Train. Then on my 2008 EG Classic the dealer talked me into a SERT and a dyno. I really couldn't tell any difference on a stock engine. For the way I ride I just want a tad better (not loud) sound and a cooler running bike...Just a "download" if possible. Any comments/sugestions appreciated!

 

My two cents:

I agree. I had a dealer quote me $2500 for a stage 1, when I can do it myself for closer to $1100-$1200. **** if I'm going to pay nearly an extra $1500 for labor and a dyno tune, to net what I am assuming is going to be basically negligible increases. I got an FP3 and reflashed it myself and it seems to be running cooler, slightly but gas milage, no decel pop, and it seems to have a little more grunt. Good enough for me.

 

LMAO talk about the "stealership"... Any exhaust you choose will be fine with your stock setup unless you choose an extremely short exhaust like the Santee L.A.F. exhaust. The biggest thing is when you start letting your engine breath more with a high flow intake like harley's big sucker or anything comparable. Remember there is 3 components to your engine running correctly.. fuel air and spark. More air means more fuel so you will need something that will allow you to tune the air/fuel ratio. In my opinion SERT is great if you wanna pay twice as much for something you can get without the Harley name on it... In my experience the power commander is just as good for doing the small stuff like exhaust, intake, and cams. There are a lot of guys out there that say back pressure from exhaust is a huge component, which yes it is when you get into big cubic inch bikes and high performance, but for your setup (just exhaust with no other mods) you wont notice any difference if you get a tuner or not... especially if its just slip ons...

 

I do my own wrenching and have installed PCV, Cobra tuners, etc. along with pipes, air cleaners and the such. Bike has 100 miles on it and I don't want to screw up the warranty. I guess that's the big issue here. If it wasn't for the warranty I would have already called jamie @ Fuelmoto and it would be done! I don't mind living with a 150.00 download and installing an air cleaner and pipes if that can still be done.