I have read through all of the post about the vented lowers and still have a couple of questions. I ride in Central TX and it is HOT here 90% of the time,do the lowers cause the engine to run hotter?In light of the above referencing the heat do the vents allow enough air to get through to keep your legs cool?
I ride a 100'th anniversary Ultra purchased slightly broke in, had 2300 miles on it,that had the lowers removed and all attempts to contact the original owner went ignored. Now I am thinking I want to replace them but the heat questions and $$$ are slowing me down. If the heat would not be an issue, where is the best place to order?

 

I have a 08 Ultra and the first thing I did was pull the lowers off and I live in Chicago!!!! Fact of the matter is the 07's and 08's are running alot hotter and leaner due to the new fuel injection system. Your bike 03 Ultra should run fine with the lowers on but to answer your question yes the air flow to the engine will be more restricted but nothing that will cause damage. You will definitely feel a difference with em on. the bike came with them when it was new and Harley designed them to be used. You can buy the lowers from any HD dealer.

 

I live in South Texas and keep them on all year round (07 Ultra).No probs......

 

You are right you can use them all year round. But after reading all these threads about heat on the 07's and 08's I became paranoid.

 

There easy to take off, I run them in the winter only.

 

your sig says you have a SERT, a good tuner will tune the heat out of the bike. When I started on the forum (2006) the 2006s were all hot. One of my first mods was a PC III, pipes and at the 1000mile mark a dyno. Running close to 13.7 to 1, and the bike is not hot. I put the vented lowers on and leave them on year round. Northern VA in the summer is humid and hot, I just open the vents. The winters are cold and I just close the vents. The lowers really help riding in the rain.

 

If you are going to take the Lowers Off in the Summer I recommend Harleys storage bag for the lowers. It is a real nice bag, Very soft, won't scratch your paint. I also installed the "Quick Disconnect" Kit from Harley to make taking the lowers off and on easy. I think you should take them off in the summer and put them on in the winter. That is what I do.

Scott

 

Just a thought....Do you think the lowers would actually help cool the engine. (Take a deep breath and relax everyone, let me make a point). Would the lowers actually act as a fairing and funnel additional air over the engine to aid in cooling?

What are your thoughts.

Alittle off subject, but cruising through some search items and came across some of our mmbers "Biker Chicks" there are some pretty nice looking ladies that appreciate our HDs...wow!

 

Your Louisiana neighbor; ride with my lowers on year round; maybe, just maybe, runs about 5-10 degrees warmerthan my brother's SG (no lowers); it is NOT a problem. To order, use the HD online catalog to get the color specific part number, then order from Zanotti's: http://www.zanottimotor.com/index.html Hope this helps.

 

I don't know if they help coolor not but one of the techs at my local dealership laughs at the guys that pull them to cool things down. He says they are designed to funnel air onto the motor andswears they work.