Stage 1 poll
Cruiser
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 124
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Stage 1 poll
My dh just did the stage on on my bike.. I love it,no more carb farts and it is so much smoother running. I also got rid of the ham can on the side and got a kureykan high five air cleaner, it is so much nicer looking. I too have the cycleshack slipons. You wont regret doing it.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,114
Likes: 29
From: Vancouver B.C. Canada
RE: Stage 1 poll
Simple, the bigger the jet, the greater the fuel flow, some people might get better gas mileage after stage 1 depending on their riding habit. I do not understand how people get 55mpg, even I ride highway for 150 miles and fill, I get around 45mpg which is the max I can get. It could be just me, I shift at higher speed.
ORIGINAL: jterp
Why would stage I have a negative effect on gas mileage? Better flowing intake and exhaust should increase gas mileage.
Why would stage I have a negative effect on gas mileage? Better flowing intake and exhaust should increase gas mileage.
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
RE: Stage 1 poll
You will find a lot of different mileage numbers (mpg) posted by riders here. You're riding style will have much more impact on the mileage you get than whether or not you do a stage 1 upgrade. If Iride aggressively in local "in town" traffic I will not get but about 40mpg. On the other hand, if I ride in an easy going manner in the same conditions I consistantly average 48mpg. Highway crusing at 70 is typically 52-54 mpg.
Will a non stage 1 bike get better mileage? More often than not yes, by a couple of mpg's. Why?, because the bikes as they come from HD are set to run leaner than what is optimum for the engine. This means the bike will not perform as well as it is capable of doing and will usually result in the engine running at higher temperatures.
You should think of it this way, Stage 1 is NOT a high performance upgrade. Stage 1 does nothing more that undo EPA restrictions that forced the MoCo to choke (strangle) the engine. It lets the engine breath the way it was designed to do.
Will a non stage 1 bike get better mileage? More often than not yes, by a couple of mpg's. Why?, because the bikes as they come from HD are set to run leaner than what is optimum for the engine. This means the bike will not perform as well as it is capable of doing and will usually result in the engine running at higher temperatures.
You should think of it this way, Stage 1 is NOT a high performance upgrade. Stage 1 does nothing more that undo EPA restrictions that forced the MoCo to choke (strangle) the engine. It lets the engine breath the way it was designed to do.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 4,525
Likes: 8
From: Wheeling, WV
RE: Stage 1 poll
There's no choice for "Completely bypassed Stage 1 to 1200+ kit with Hi Flow AC & Exhaust, &etc" or "Never paid attention to MPG before conversion". So I can't vote. [8D]
Club Member
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 16,320
Likes: 306
From: Boynton Beach, FloriDuh
RE: Stage 1 poll
Another caution. There are a lot of DIY (shade tree) wrenches here that offer opinions and have differing experiences. Proper stage 1 tuning envolves move than purchasing a set of jets off the internet and installing them. I know, I bought a set from the popular vendor most often mentioned here and the primary (high) jet supplied was to large and my mileage took a big hit. I suspect some of those complaining about significantly less mileage after doing stage 1 probably did the same.Proper jet sizing is very much influenced by the exhaust type & brand of high flow A/C and filter installed.
Stage 1 tuning, done correctly, is well worth it.
Stage 1 tuning, done correctly, is well worth it.
Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2006
Posts: 154
Likes: 0
From: Kennesaw, Ga.
RE: Stage 1 poll
I haven't had any problems but only performed my stage 1 two weeks ago so I can't compare MPG yet. I was getting 53MPG before. I had the dealer Dyno tune the bike a few days after I did it and it came back slightly leaner than where I had it.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2006
Posts: 6,478
Likes: 12
From: Nashville, TN
RE: Stage 1 poll
No problems. My gas mileage did drop, but only slightly. Around 1 mpg. VERY small price to pay for the increase in performance.
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