I recently traded a 07' Ultra for a 08' RG. I had True duals, SE A/C and the Tmax Autotune on my 07'. My Road Glide seems to run much better with just V&H Ovals than my 07' did with all the upgrades I did to it. I think all MOCO did was increase the throttle body size on the 08's. Can I get that much more performance out of the 08' by doing any of these mods? The one reason I would want to do a fuel mod is the possible long term damage of high heat on these ultra lean engines. I would like to get some input on this. Thanks, T.

 

Right after posting this I saw the thread titled "Still Stock". I read the replys and agree with most that if the bike runs to my satifaction then I should leave it alone. However I still wonder about the long term on these high heat engines. I guess the jury will be out for a while til we see some serious miles racked up on the 96's. T.

 

In all reality do you think the MOCO would be sending their bikes down the line with the same fuel mapping if the EPA (and whatever other feds got their fingers in the pie) wasn't breathing down their neck?

Do you think the Feds give a rats *** about how your bike runs, or how long it will last, or how hot it gets under even normal conditions?

Do you think your 07' or 08' run a bit on the hot side.....even more than a bit....or even a bit too much on the hot side?

Do you think that a air cooled 45*V-twin should have combustion chamber temps approaching the point of melting holes in the tops of your pistons(I have read that combustion temps are around 375*F in some cases....and aluminum melts at 450*F)?

Do you think that by running a less restrictive intake tract and air cleaner, along with a less restrictive exhaust, and correct fuel mapping and dyno tuning to get the F/A ratio to a optimal point between say more HP/Tq & MPG will do damage to your engine or do you think it would improve longevity and reliability?

As far as I am concerned I can for the life of me not see how makingvery minor mods like intake and exhaust, w/correct fuel management, could possibly effect the long term reliability of my bikes in a negative way. Sure there is no free lunch when it comes to gaining performance.....the more Tq/Hp you extract from a engine the less reliable it becomes....but thats only if the engine was not hampered by performance robbing regulations where the engine needs to be effectively detuned (or not tuned for optimal overall performance) to pass muster with the Fed's. All we are doing by installing a few parts is freeing up some ponies that are already there.....and the extra stresses placed on the engine by doing this are negated by the reduced combustion chamber & overall engine temps that are also reduced by things like fully synthetic oil and oil coolers and such.

If the engine in question is kept in a peak state of tune, and the maintenance schedule is adhered to, you will see no appreciable reduction in either reliability or longevity by making the minor mods that 99% of us will do. Again....this is just IMHO....if you feel differently, and can back up what your saying with some basic logic....I would love to hear it.

 

If you google on Latus Harley Davidson, you will see dyno charts under the service icon. They have posted quite a few dyno charts that show stock '07 and '08 bikes, then other charts with Stage 1 upgrades and others with 103" kits installed. Each of the these successive upgrades increase HP and TQ. They also show a long list of muffler variations and how these effect performance. I just wentthe Stage 1 then 103" route myself on my '08 Ultra. The Stage 1 setup with SEAC, SE street performance mufflers and a SERT was a noticeable improvement over stock. The 103" build is a stronger performer than the Stage 1. I only have 18 miles on the 103" build since I just got the bike back yesterday and it was too chilly here to do much riding. I can tell an improvement in throttle response, however, even though I am still babying my scooter. To answer your question: yes, you will get that much improvement by doing the mentioned mods. I say this based on my experience using a SERT since the T-max autotune is not available yet for '08's.

There are lots of posts that state that properly installed and tuned upgrades don't seem to have any measurably negative effect on a bike's longevity. These posts agree with Biz44's line of thinking.

 

biz44, you said it exactly right! How could allowing an engine (ANY engine!) to breath better and run optimum fuel/air ratios to prevent overheating possibly be bad? I gotta think that a better performing engine will be less stressed and more durable than one that is strangled and baked by EPA restrictions.

I plan to have my new RG modded right off the bat with intake, exhaust and a fuel management system for the above reason. I also plan to run synthetic fluids at the first change.