When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I intend to keep my bike's engine stock. When I ordered it I told the dealer that I wanted to hear the exhaust note. Nothing too loud, I just did'nt want it to sound like a lawn tractor. That led to the basic Stage 1. SE II slip-ons, SE air cleaner, and H-D download (with switch to 25 degree injectors). I can tell you that I am perfectly happy with the way it runs. Even when riding with a passenger and luggage, I find that the power is adequate. If I had a need for speed, I would buy a sport bike ( and save a few bucks) which will blow away any H-D, regardless of engine mods. My top priority is reliablility. The more you trick up the engine, the less reliable it usually becomes. My wife and I just returned from a trip down to Virginia in which we racked up about 1,700 miles. All of it trouble free.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.