Performance Upgrades on 96"
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 76
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From: London Ontario
Performance Upgrades on 96"
I have about 700 miles on my 08 SG which is now waiting for winter storage. I called the dealer today and spoke to my favorite parts man to see if my shop manual has arrived, it had not. He informed me that they have a "winter special" to upgrade to the 103" for $2,500 installed, remember Im in Canada so we pay more for less here.
I already havethe following installed; SEAC, V&H Ovals and SERT. I was going to have it dyno tuned in sthe spring after some more riding to get it to run at its best withe the existing add ons. I love power and feel the existing power is pretty goodbut would like to have some more. So I sit debating whether I should go for the 103 kit and add some true duals. Im wondering what king of power increase can be expected. I also wonder if reliability will be compromised. Since the bike is new they have also offered to cover the bike under the full warranty with the 103 kit so that is a bonus.
So for those that have upgraded from the 96 to the 103, how do you like it and was it worth the cost. Thanks in advance for any thoughts.
Road Captain
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 654
Likes: 0
From: Manchester, England.
RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
If you have the money available, do what you like...least you can tell everyone you have a 103 not a 96..
Afterall I am sure the power you have is enough anyhow, really, truly, all this **** is in the mind.
If you want it, buy it.
Afterall I am sure the power you have is enough anyhow, really, truly, all this **** is in the mind.
If you want it, buy it.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 358
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From: Hammonton, NJ
RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
There are plenty of discussions going on at this site answering your exact question. I just bought cams from Head-Quarters and plan on installing them this weekend. For about $500 I figured I would see if that satisfies my need for torque for a year or two. Definatley reach out to Head-Quarters as they are also in Canada and I am not sure if that helps you. You will get much more bang for your buck with them then wtih SE parts. Warranty is the only thing that could be an issue to consider.
Tourer
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 358
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From: Hammonton, NJ
RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
By the way true duals will actually decrease your performance down low. If you want the best performance go with a 2 into 1. Personally I went with slip ons as they are not as good as 2:1 but are better than 2:2
Intermediate
Joined: Dec 2007
Posts: 46
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From:
RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
Pkenyon1 you are so right! It's all in the mind.......and the pocketbook. We could go as fast and as far as we need to with stock bikes really.But if you have the money to play with, don't deprive yourself.....
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Joined: May 2007
Posts: 76
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From: London Ontario
RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
Im not really interested in telling anyone I have a 103 versus a 96. I want more passing power two up, I want to be able to get out of traffic more quickly as I think it is a safer way to ride. Im was interested to hear from others who may have upgraded to see what they felt the difference in power versus stock was.
Road Master
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 1,149
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RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
I did the Cams First but that only teased me enough that i will be going to a 103 myself real soon.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,615
Likes: 50
From: Baton Rouge, LA
RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
Jamie at Fuel Moto tells me the 103 upgrade isn't worth the money, making only a few extra HP. True Duals will reduce your power on a stock-cammed engine, especially down low, and if you go with the 103 and TD's you may end up with little to show for the cost.
The 96" can produce some surprisingly nice numbers in stock form, given the right slip-ons, AC, and fuel controller. You already have SERT and V&H slip-ons, so you may be limited on what you can do other than give it a good dyno tune. Fuel Moto has some trick baffles for Rush mufflers and a PCIII that produce nice numbers out of a stock 96, and you can read more here:
http://fuelmotousa.com/rush_fuelmoto
I wrote up my results here: https://www.hdforums.com/m_2534631/tm.htm
That doesn't help you much with SERT and V&H already installed, but maybe something similar could be done with the V&H set-up. I'm not familiar with them, but if the baffles are replaceable you might consider a similar mod. Also, think twice about buying an aftermarket cam, as those that work well in TC88's may not do so in the 96. Fuel Moto tells me that he has seen almost no cam mods on the many 96" bikes he's dyno tuned at his facility, and he thinks the reason is that the stock cams perform well and cam manufacturers have been slow developing 96"-specific aftermarket cams for this engine. For this reason I've decided against a cam upgrade for now, and since installing Fuel Moto's baffle kit I don't see a reason to do so. It's an awesome kit, and only $99 if already have Rush mufflers, $50 extra if you buy the mufflers from him too. I increased my TQ peak from 87 to 94 and HP from 74 to 78 by simply installing his baffle kit and PCIII map. This is compared to an already good combo with Rush 1.75's and a good PCIII map.
The 96" can produce some surprisingly nice numbers in stock form, given the right slip-ons, AC, and fuel controller. You already have SERT and V&H slip-ons, so you may be limited on what you can do other than give it a good dyno tune. Fuel Moto has some trick baffles for Rush mufflers and a PCIII that produce nice numbers out of a stock 96, and you can read more here:
http://fuelmotousa.com/rush_fuelmoto
I wrote up my results here: https://www.hdforums.com/m_2534631/tm.htm
That doesn't help you much with SERT and V&H already installed, but maybe something similar could be done with the V&H set-up. I'm not familiar with them, but if the baffles are replaceable you might consider a similar mod. Also, think twice about buying an aftermarket cam, as those that work well in TC88's may not do so in the 96. Fuel Moto tells me that he has seen almost no cam mods on the many 96" bikes he's dyno tuned at his facility, and he thinks the reason is that the stock cams perform well and cam manufacturers have been slow developing 96"-specific aftermarket cams for this engine. For this reason I've decided against a cam upgrade for now, and since installing Fuel Moto's baffle kit I don't see a reason to do so. It's an awesome kit, and only $99 if already have Rush mufflers, $50 extra if you buy the mufflers from him too. I increased my TQ peak from 87 to 94 and HP from 74 to 78 by simply installing his baffle kit and PCIII map. This is compared to an already good combo with Rush 1.75's and a good PCIII map.
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Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 11,615
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From: Baton Rouge, LA
RE: Performance Upgrades on 96"
ORIGINAL: IceHeritage
I did the Cams First but that only teased me enough that i will be going to a 103 myself real soon.
I did the Cams First but that only teased me enough that i will be going to a 103 myself real soon.