What would you rather have and why
Tourer
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 466
Likes: 0
From: Ontario, Canada
Mine has the H-D Stage 1 stuff, incl. SE11's. It has a bit more hp, good response and a lot better sound coming from the mufflers. Mileage...never checked, don't know or care, bike is running fine and I refill at 1/2 tank regardless.
Cruiser
Joined: Sep 2008
Posts: 206
Likes: 0
From: Southern California
I did the pc-v, dyno jackpots, and a/c from fuelmoto. Took a 250 mile cruise on Tuesday and averaged 43mpg for the day. The power difference is noticeable and definitely more fun to feel and hear than the stock configuration was for me. I'll load the fuel mileage map and a toggle switch as soon as I get my hands on a laptop. I think it'll be nice to be able to flip a switch for long cruises on the super slabs and pick up a few extra mpg.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 5,878
Likes: 17
From: The Desert SouthWest
My last bike was a 95" stage II with PCIII etc and I had lousy mileage in the upper 20's sometimes at best. I did figure out how to get it up to about 35 mpg but that still sucks when you routinely log 140 miles a day and gas was $4.89 for premium.
Now with my new '09 RK I'm leaving it stock. I'm just a cruiser and commuting long distance is 95% of what I do so MPG's are most important to me. I'm getting 42 mpg with this bike and am tickled pink with that. We're heading into what most likely will be a depression and I don't trust that gas prices will stay this low and may spike back up to $5 or more a gallon in the future. The bike is just fine as-is and I'm very pleased with this '09.
Yes the majority of the guys here who do the stage I or even a stage II modification seem to get decent mileage in upper 30's or low 40's but from what I've seen here in many posts there's a not-insignificant percentage of guys who find their MPG's tank badly into the very low 30's and they have a devil of a time trying to get it back up (if they ever can) despite dyno tuning, etc.
Now with my new '09 RK I'm leaving it stock. I'm just a cruiser and commuting long distance is 95% of what I do so MPG's are most important to me. I'm getting 42 mpg with this bike and am tickled pink with that. We're heading into what most likely will be a depression and I don't trust that gas prices will stay this low and may spike back up to $5 or more a gallon in the future. The bike is just fine as-is and I'm very pleased with this '09.
Yes the majority of the guys here who do the stage I or even a stage II modification seem to get decent mileage in upper 30's or low 40's but from what I've seen here in many posts there's a not-insignificant percentage of guys who find their MPG's tank badly into the very low 30's and they have a devil of a time trying to get it back up (if they ever can) despite dyno tuning, etc.
Last edited by Arizona; Mar 14, 2009 at 12:40 PM.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 4,530
Likes: 607
From: Raleigh NC
stage 1. air cleaner, slip ons, download... not loud at all... loud enough to be heard, without being rude, 45mpg most tanks, and 50+ when I want to.
Different strokes for different folks... it's all about what's important to YOU....
But then again, I bought my bike to ride....
ymmv
Different strokes for different folks... it's all about what's important to YOU....
But then again, I bought my bike to ride....
ymmv
Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 702
Likes: 1
From: U.S.S.A.
Fairly close to what I have (Stage 1, V&H Ovals, stock headers) and get around 42 mpg (got 48 stock). Sounds great -- any more and I wouldn't hear the stereo and I'd invite unwanted attention from 5-0.
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Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 2,034
Likes: 45
From: Michigan
My 06 has rush slip ons now and a pciii usb and an s/e air cleaner and its been dynoed.. If i remember correctly it had like 75 hp and 76ft lbs of torque and pulls all the way thru the range from 0 to full throttle. It doesnt fall off anywhere.. It does have an annoying sputter at low speed once in a while but the thing gets 39 combined city and hi way mpg.
Good enuff for me...
Good enuff for me...
Road Warrior
Joined: Nov 2007
Posts: 1,800
Likes: 307
From: Houston, Texas
I tuned my bike for power in the 60%, 80% and 100% throttle postions, and I tuned it for effeciency in the 40% and below throttle postions under 2500 RPM's, for power above 2500 RPM's for passing and roll on performance. Last year was the first year I ever had as a dyno tuner where customers were wanting fuel economy over performance, so I had to re-think the whole tuning process to please my customers. I stated playing around with my bike and I basicall came up with a set up that will give them the best of both worlds, feul economy and performance.
It's all in how it's tuned. I get 44 mpg consistently with Rinehart True Duals and stage 1 air intake and I didn't even ask to have it tuned for mileage. If you have the right guy tuning it that knows what he's doing, he can do wonders to the bike in performance, fuel mileage, or a combination of both. You just have to tell him what you want and your riding style.
I think you can have both if it's done right.