I was hoping to be able to make it 2 years before making heat-reducing mods (slip-ons, Stage 1 A/C, tuner) to my new TG to save the warranty but the more I read here the more depressed I am about the probability of making it. I've only got 300 miles on the TG and most of that was put on during a ~60* cool snap here in GA which of course isn't representative at all of summer heat. So I'm trying to get an idea of what to expect when it gets hot here.

My only point of comparison is one of the two bikes I traded for the TG, a 2011 Dyna Superglide 96 incher. It was surprisingly hotter to me than my 2003 Fatboy, which wasn't hot at all, but although pretty hot on my leg with shorts on I could tolerate it. So, question is will the TG likely be noticeably hotter than the Dyna was? I could never get a straight answer to anybody, but I do not believe it had a cat in the headpipe and I had Rush slipons installed. Anyone with any knowledge here would be helpful.

BTW I opened up the vents on the TG lowers and that helped some, but I don't want to remove them altogether.

As another stopgap measure, would a set of XIEDs help any with no other mods? Well, wait: what about a set of slipons, Stage 1 A/C and XIEDs? Would that help much since it would still leave the cat in the headpipe?

To be honest, waiting on the warranty to runout also gives me some time to stash away some funding for the mods after paying for the TG!

 

I had a FatBoy, it wasn't hot. I had a 96" Dyna SuperGlide, it wasn't hot. I had a 96" Ultra Classic, it was HOT! I have an 88" Road King, not hot at all. I also have a 2012 103" TG, like you I don't know how hot it will be. I have less than 600 miles on it and have not yet ridden it in hot weather. I have Cobra Tri Oval slip-ons on it now, no XIEDs or A/C change out. I have noticed a bit of excess heat on my right leg, but like I said, it isn't hot yet.
My friend has a 2011 Ultra, it is pretty hot. We removed the cat from the head pipe junction, it cooled it down some. I will wait until mine is out of warranty before doing that. At that time I will remove the cat, change the A/C and add some sort of fuel management, probably FuelMoto (have it on my Road King). Not knocking them, but I have tried the XIEDs in the past (96" Ultra) and that didn't make any noticable difference.
Good luck with your changes. I'm not even going to put a trailer hitch on mine until it is out of warranty.

 

You know, that's my inclination as well. Perhaps a set of the American Custom slipons for the time being and let it go until the warranty expires. My experience with the 2011 Superglide tells me that the stock computer has enough capacity to "learn" the slipons with no other mods, and I'm sure HD won't cancel the warranty over slipons.

 

I got my 2012 TG last August, still hot here in the 100s then. I've owned two HDs. A 2009 Ultra, 96, no cat. And my 2012 TriGlide. The 2009 was very hot on the right side, it was uncomfortable to have my leg on the air cleaner (this is with jeans). My 2012 TG with a bigger engine isn't as hot.

I've read all about the heat with the TG, but haven't noticed it yet and that is riding in 100 degrees. So I run stock.

Now going back to my 2006 Roadstar, 1600cc, it was hot on the right side too, but not like my 2009 Ultra was.

 

You only have 600 miles, ride it a while. Is it too hot now?? Exhaust gas is 1450* even when it is snowing. Oil temps vary from about 230* (normal) to 300+ if you get stuck in traffic. Even the best oil coolers are only good for 20* drop. Throwing a ton of money at your scoot won't really do you that much good.

I remember a bunch of years ago when we dropped $3,000 in custom paint for the Sportie and Softail. ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE after dropping that much money the bikes were faster, got better gas mileage, tires lasted a lot longer, you name it!

 

I'd ride it more before I would form an opinion. In the case of my 2010 I put the 1,000 miles on it and then took a 1,600 mile trip and came home pissed at how hot the bugger was, it isn't hot anymore.

 

Im pretty with M3 on this, I started with mods almost right away .
I didnt care much about the warrenty and wanted the TG to run the way I felt it should. The mods I do are for ridability not for speed or high performance, besides I love wrenching on my HDs.
Lots of good info here about getting it cooler, Or if the heat dont bother you or you just cant beleive they run hot leave it alone like some here do, its all your choice, whatever your comfortable with.
As far as the pre '07 bikes they were befor Cats and EPA cams and didnt run as lean.
My wifes '10 XXX TG ran cooler and way better after the mods I did, its everything combined that makes the big difference .
This year it has been bumped up to a 107" with the FuelMoto kit and feels like a lighter bike with the extra power, wife loves it ,and so far MPG has stayed 35+ with adjustments to to the tuner . 70+mph seems to be the mpg killer break point with both the 103" and 107" on wifes TG.
Tried a set of XIEDs on my '07 RK and didnt notice any difference in the heat I felt but by looking at the plugs I could see it was running a bit richer so maybe a little help is better than none.

 

I have a 09 TG that came without the cats and the only problem I had was the oil was too HOT. It would run over 300 degrees oil temps and I am using synthetic. Those type of temps don't lend to engine life longevity and it was also a little hot for creature comfort.

M3 purchased an 2010 TG and I helped him get his 1,000 miles on it so that he could get his 1,000 mile check up.One evening ( about 70 degrees outside ) I tool it for a 100 mile ride on mainly 4 lane highway. I couldn't wait to get home, it was burning up my right calf.

As others have said ride it for awhile and form your own opinion.

 

Wife and I just rode from the Santa Clarita Valley, California to Bullhead City, Arizona. We left at 1:30 pm and arrived around 9pm. The temps varied between 78* in western California to the high 80's and low 90's in Eastern California and Arizona. We started at 1400 feet above sea level (home) climbed over 5000 foot Cajon Pass, back to near sea level near Death Valley. Both bikes have catalytic converters. Both bikes have slip-on mufflers and SE air boxes. Both were re-flashed at the dealer when the intake and exhaust were changed. No tuners or other modifications were done. I have removed the lower fairings on my trike, and will do the same for the summer on hers. That's it. Oil temps spiked at 300* when we were stuck in traffic on I-40 in Linwood, about 1/2 way. If I had shut down that wouldn't have happened. When traffic started flowing again, we ran a constant 70mph (speed limit). Oil temp dropped back to 230* and held there until we reached our home in Arizona. Just about the same thing when we rode to Las Vegas, Nevada last year. Removing the lowers does allow a lot more air flow around your legs. I bought 'mustache bars' (Linby)to replace the lowers and act as highway pegs.

We live on the desert in California, and have a 'vacation' house in Western Arizona. We ride in 100*+ weather for most of the summer. We don't usually get stuck in traffic, we aren't city dwellers, nor do we use the trikes to commute. They are fun toys for fun riding.

If you read Wizard's excellent "ABC" of heat thread, you will see a maximum heat drop (as I recall) of 40* at the heads. Going from 350* to 310* ain't going to stop you from getting burned, moving your leg will. Under 50 bucks for floor board relocaters, and removing the lowers is free. Unless you re-route the rear exhaust header it runs parallel to your leg (right) it will cook you. Again, reducing the heat 30 or 40* won't do much, moving your leg will. In my case, moving my feet 2" forward and 1" out makes one hell of a difference. Also, hugging the tank with your knees puts your leg close to the pipe again

We are leaving the trikes relatively stock. We have done the heavy engine work, custom paint etc on previous bikes. Liked it then, just too old to appreciate the extra power, or the headaches that sometimes come with the power mods. If it is your hobby, go for it, but don't get talked into things you may not need, and can't afford. As I said before, when I wanted to go really fast on 1 wheel I rode my Ducate. When I wanted to cruise the Grand Canyon, run to the beach for lunch, took the E-Glide. Now that both are gone, the Tri's are perfect for this fat old man.

 

Screwball,
I'm not being sarcastic, but you are more than welcome to bring the better half and visit us in SW Florida. Out West, you have a dry heat and here it is a humid heat. One time sitting at a stoplight sweating your ***** off at 95 degrees and I guaranteee you will change your mind about cooling mods. Look at my sig and with those mods and the TTS tune I've never see over 230. With the nice non humid weather now I hardly see 190-210. That is what saves engines and makes for better longivity.

Buddy....