1000% this! And the MOST IMPORTANT mod is getting the Factory Service Manual if you are going to touch your bike.

One word of caution, I don't torque screws. Lots of people over torque them (following the factory torque settings) and cause sometime expensive problems which the dealer will not cover under warranty (you broke it). Hand tight with just a little more turn is good enough. If you are worried about the screw coming out, use blue locktite. Torque nuts and bolts though, not the allen or torx head screws (on the engine).

Of note, I put on the rear fender edge led lights. Looks really good, stands out in the dark (My commute to work in the morning is in the dark). VERY easy to do yourself. Cleaning the inside of the rear fender is very important as people have noted. I did not have to jack up the bike or remove anything to do the job (my hands were able to get between the tire and fender with no issue).

 

Enjoy your 48, I love mine.
I went with the Vance&Hines Short Shots, Daytona Tuner and S&S intake the combo works great for me.
For comfort I bought Air Shocks from a Touring Bike and the Harley Spring Solo Seat. I am in the process of installing Progressive Fork Springs.
You might want to check out "Wachukos" thread in the Forums section,
he did an Amazing job on his 48, He is my Hero. You should do a search on this Forum other members have also done great Mods on their 48s.
Barrier

 

Awesome input.

Question: I'm pretty good at Googling stuff, but having a tough time finding service manuals, at least the HD branded ones. Is that something specific I can obtain from a dealer without a call ahead and they'll have it in stock? Or does it need to be HD brand or not?

 

Any dealer can supply one, although they may have to order one in. Give yours a call. On-line dealers like Kutter also sell them. Buy the correct fsm for your model year, not aftermarket.

 

That's the one thing you don't need to skimp on. Buy the harley one, it'll go so much more in depth than any other aftermarket one. Aftermarket ones will try to cover a wide range of years whereas the harley one will cover your specific model and year. It's $60 but if you figure one oil change will take about an hour of shop time at $85/hour the book just paid for itself in one visit.

On the note of mods, like I said waiting and riding is the best thing. The first thing I changed were the pipes. After two rides I knew it didn't sound like a bike should. Everything else changed after I had put about 8k on the bike. Now at 13k I've got 91hp monster, and she's just the way I like her

 

Again, thanks to everyone with the helpful input.

Upon getting the bike, I promptly added the fender edge light and engine guard. Nothing like adding some safety measures to start.

After riding the bike a bit more, I can already tell I'd like to have my feet closer to the ground when stopped. Feels like I'm nearly standing up with my legs almost completely extended. Doesn't allow much forgiveness. Looked into lower seats, but they seem to also bring you closer to the handlebars. I'm comfortable with that distance.

I guess I'm torn between trying to find a lowered seat that keeps the shoulder/handlebar distance nearly the same or dropping the suspension some (either a lowering block, which I'm not inclined to do or shorter suspension.) The stock suspension has already been dialed to 1 above the smallest setting so there isn't much wiggle room there.

 

You don't NEED to get closer to the ground! I can only put my toes down on my Buell and Glide, but the ground clearance and ride comfort of decent suspension are more important than the time I spend stationary. Cheaper to ride and get used to it!

 

I picked up my 2014 Sportster 48 last month as well. I have just about 350 miles on it so far and I too live in New England. The first thing I replaced (modded) was the seat. That stock PoS seat had to go. I didn't realize how bad it was on the test ride, but after picking up the bike from the dealer and riding it home (30+ miles), I knew I had to get rid of it quickly. The very next day I had a Mustang FastBack seat on order.

After riding around for a few weeks, I realized I didn't like the forward controls that came with the bike. I have a cousin with a Iron 883 and Mid controls, but those mid controls are a little too far back for my taste. I noticed the Further Forward Mid controls on Harley's site for the 2014 48. I called the local shop to see if they had a black set in stock, and sure enough they did. They offered me a 20% discount if I were to buy that weekend, and pulled the trigger on them that very day.

So now, I have a great seat and the foot controls I want. I've been riding around for the past few weeks with these two new changes and I'm starting to think the stock exhaust on the bike maybe a little to tame. It's great and all, but it just needs some character. But with winter right around the corner, it doesn't make sense for me to buy anything right now other than a batter tender.

Next week, I plan to get some more miles on the bike, get it serviced (oil and drive train fluid replaced) put it on the battery tender and call it quits for the winter.

Come very early spring the plan it to get the Stage 1 performance upgrade. That is the RSD Slant Exhaust (Carbon Ops), RSD Slant Intake (Carbon Ops) and the FuelMoto Power Commander V with their base map.

Aside from those heavy hitters, I don't think I'll mess with much else. Maybe the push-pop cash cap from Harley in black and maybe a better LED headlight, but that will be well into next summer.

 

As others have said, it is always best to ride your bike and figure out what modifications you need to do to make it more comfortable for you.

After the comfort mods are done, then people usually go to performance. When it comes to Air Cleaners, only a few companies are making true performance air cleaners.

DK Custom Products
NRHS
and Hammer

I don't know of any others.

Pushing blow-by back into the air cleaner is counter productive to performance. What comes out of the breathers is primarily exhaust and oil.

It is also hot. Engines perform better with cool dry air and gas...not hot oily air and gas.

Additionally the exhaust gas has a lower oxygen content, displacing oxygen on each combustion stroke. Another performance robber.

Oil will build up carbon deposits on the pistons, leading to pinging/tuning problems down the road.

It's just a bad idea...the only upside is you make the EPA happy.

We offer a wide variety of different products for Sportsters. You can see what all we have to offer on our website at this LINK.

 

pm me if you decided to sell the stock tank.