Colorado- Is this correct?
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 41
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From: Colorado
Colorado- Is this correct?
Took a long ride in the foothills here in Colorado on Saturday, highs in the 90's, even at higher altitudes. Performance in the hills was horrible, NO power, lots of "ping". Roll on the throttle- nothing but noise, no acceleration. When it cooled down everything returned to normal.
Dealer(Thunder Mtn) could only suggest the stage one upgrades(download, A/C , mufflers), checked bike for codes(none), and suggested using an octane booster. It's always filled with 91 octane, but they told me where to get 93, so that will go in next time. Bike is a completely stock 2011 RKC. Am I looking at the usual upgrades just to get nominal performance in the hills?
Dealer(Thunder Mtn) could only suggest the stage one upgrades(download, A/C , mufflers), checked bike for codes(none), and suggested using an octane booster. It's always filled with 91 octane, but they told me where to get 93, so that will go in next time. Bike is a completely stock 2011 RKC. Am I looking at the usual upgrades just to get nominal performance in the hills?
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 14,744
Likes: 402
From: Phoenix '53, '88, '09 Big Twins
so altitude does equal less power, just less oxygen in the air. fact of life you have to live with.
I think you are looking at a couple of conditions contributing to this:
altitude 9and hot air is thinner than cold air so that too)
octane ( use 93 or better- I bet that alone will help alot)
heat ( hi temps will contribute to pinging, in which case the timing may retard, affecting power)
On my bike ( 2009 EG Classic) even in stock form I had persistent ping at 2800~3200 rpms when pulling a 6% grade ( at about 5000 feet)
I solved this by using XIEDS, and when I swapped to a hi flow air cleaner and hi flow muffler ( no cat on the 09) my results stayed good.
I don't know your dealer, but the guys at RMHD are Pals of mine and you may want to ask their opinion.
as for tuners there are many opinions about the different devices available, I gotta say the nightrider.com XIEDs have really come through bang for buck.--- I stayed away from the other methods, because I know more people who have problems with them than good results, and the H-D download seems to be less than optimal.
I don't have huge performance requirements, I have other bikes if I wanna go fast, my 900 pound bagger ain't it.
mike
I think you are looking at a couple of conditions contributing to this:
altitude 9and hot air is thinner than cold air so that too)
octane ( use 93 or better- I bet that alone will help alot)
heat ( hi temps will contribute to pinging, in which case the timing may retard, affecting power)
On my bike ( 2009 EG Classic) even in stock form I had persistent ping at 2800~3200 rpms when pulling a 6% grade ( at about 5000 feet)
I solved this by using XIEDS, and when I swapped to a hi flow air cleaner and hi flow muffler ( no cat on the 09) my results stayed good.
I don't know your dealer, but the guys at RMHD are Pals of mine and you may want to ask their opinion.
as for tuners there are many opinions about the different devices available, I gotta say the nightrider.com XIEDs have really come through bang for buck.--- I stayed away from the other methods, because I know more people who have problems with them than good results, and the H-D download seems to be less than optimal.
I don't have huge performance requirements, I have other bikes if I wanna go fast, my 900 pound bagger ain't it.
mike
Last edited by mkguitar; Aug 2, 2011 at 12:51 PM.
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Joined: Feb 2011
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From: Home
I agree with the above. Loss of power is typical at higher altitudes. Less air and less air pressure. High flow air cleaner will help, but not cure the problem. I'd really suggest not lugging the motor, downshift. That should help with your pinging but not your gas mileage.
Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 26
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From: Pine, Colorado
My bike also knocked a lot. It wasn't any worse at higher altitudes than around Denver, but it would knock whether I was at a lower rpm trying to accelerate or shifted down a gear to get the rpm's up. I now have a stage 1 on it and it still has the same problem.
I was on a ride into Wyoming last weekend and it sounded like it was going to explode while I was riding on I-25. I stopped at the Harley dealer in Laramie and picked up some of the Harley octane booster. It made a world of difference. I liked that there was no more knock, no matter how hard I pushed it, but at $5 for the additive, that's like paying over a dollar per gallon more for gas.
On a side note, I didn't know they sold anything higher than 91 octane in Colorado. Where is the station that sells it? I would be open to trying it and see if it stops my knock.
Mike
I was on a ride into Wyoming last weekend and it sounded like it was going to explode while I was riding on I-25. I stopped at the Harley dealer in Laramie and picked up some of the Harley octane booster. It made a world of difference. I liked that there was no more knock, no matter how hard I pushed it, but at $5 for the additive, that's like paying over a dollar per gallon more for gas.
On a side note, I didn't know they sold anything higher than 91 octane in Colorado. Where is the station that sells it? I would be open to trying it and see if it stops my knock.
Mike
Road Captain
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 710
Likes: 7
From: Colorado
Naturally aspirated, 4-stroke engines lose roughly 3% horsepower for every 1000 ft in elevation gain. In Denver, we're running at 85% of the power that folks at sea level have. When you go into the high country, it just gets worse.
That's why the turbocharged engine was developed.
That's why the turbocharged engine was developed.
Thread Starter
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Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2011
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From: Colorado
They told me that the Kwik Korner in Berthoud CO has it. I just called to verify and they do. It's a long way from where you are though...
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Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2007
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From: Twin Cities, MN
Rode several passes over 10K feet last month in CO with my '99 carb (stage 1) and it ran fantastic. I did get one tank of bad gas which made a difference, but all the rest of the 91 octane gas was fine for me.
As Quad D suggested DOWNSHIFT!
I was riding with much newer (96" & 103"), well tuned fuel injected HD's and had no problems whatsoever keeping up with my 88" carb. A lot to do with that is not being afriand to run up the RPM's a little bit and downshift when needed.
As Quad D suggested DOWNSHIFT!
I was riding with much newer (96" & 103"), well tuned fuel injected HD's and had no problems whatsoever keeping up with my 88" carb. A lot to do with that is not being afriand to run up the RPM's a little bit and downshift when needed.
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Intermediate
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 26
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From: Pine, Colorado
Yeah, I tried that, it just made it worse. So far the octane booster is the only thing that made any difference. When I had the PCV on the bike, I backed the ignition tables down to 0, it helped but the knocking was still there.
Maybe I just got a "special" engine. It eats like a thoroughbred but runs like a mule
Maybe I just got a "special" engine. It eats like a thoroughbred but runs like a mule
Advanced
Joined: Mar 2011
Posts: 65
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From: Denver, Colorado
I have a 2011 Limited and live in Denver. That thing pinged like a sob. Fuel additive doesn't work. Had to install stage 1 to fix the problems. Sorry, that's the only way to permanently fix the ping and power problems.