What's the best air cleaner for an 09 SG. I have Reinhart slipons so I don't know if it will change performance any but I may get full exhaust at some point so I wanna get the right AC. Any suggestions would be great!

 

You got many to chose from, but you need to start with how each appears, how it performs, and if it has issues.

Many decent performing A/C's will fit under stock ham can cover. If you want to retain stock look, but gain real performance, then go with the Screaming Eage unit. If you want a more sporty look along with decent performance upgrade and extra knee room, then go with the HD Screaming Eagle Heavy Breather.

Either way, I've discovered that HD makes the very best performance air cleaners. They always fit properly, are designed better, will last the life of your bike. They don't cause oil ingestion or leaks, plus they are at the top of the heap with performance gains. They also recharge using standard K&N soap/oil available from autozone.

HD offers two excellent Screaming Eagle units to fit your bike. One looks stock and the other looks hot.....I've got a spare 3909 and an arlen ness unit that I'll toss in the trash when I clean my shop.

I would avoid the K&N 3909. I've tried it and it was a pain to keep the backing bolts tight and not suck/leak oil

 

The SE kit but ditch the SE paper filter for a K&N. Cover with almost anything or leave it exposed.

 

Cover with anything, what do you mean?

 

I really have to disagree with you here. Almost any reputable manufactuar of an after market AC will fit just just as good as, if not better than the HD parts. Also there are better set ups to deal with head breather pressure such as the Arlen Ness big sucker. The SE backer plate has a set of rubber tubes that come off the breather bolts and direct any extra oil into the intake manafold. The big sucker has the same set up without the rubber tubes, their backer plate has the tubes cast into the plate making it more sturdy and less likely to fail. The SE unit works just fine but there are better designed out there and to think that HD produces the best parts for everything is just absurd. My last bike had a K&N 3909 filter that I ran exposed in all sorts of weather and it held up great. 20K miles with an exposed element and never a problem.

 

I run the K&N 3909. Use Red Locktite and don't overfill the engine oil. Work's great.

 

I was originally going to go with the big sucker by Arlen Ness but then was told by someone who sells both the big sucker and the SE AC that the big sucker is made in china and low quality... many people he sold them to had problems with the backplate fitting up correctly, and that the backplate was kinda flimsy compared to the SE AC. Now that being said, I was told that the performance between the two are about identical.

 

I just got my Big Sucker in the mail today. Theres absolutely nothing flimsy about the backplate. It's very solid. More so than many HD parts I've held in my hand. I'm not sure about fit. I'm going to install it in a few and will report back with fitment. Maybe even pictures of the install.

 

Well, the Big Sucker is installed. Easily done in 15 to 20 minutes. Fitment was not the greatest. But it did fit without any modifications. I would recommend installing the 3 studs into the throttle body before putting the back plate on. This will make it much easier aligning everything and decrease the likelihood of stripping one of the studs. I'm just waiting on my new football to get here so I can cut it for an open element.