The owners manual only says that it's based on "the amount of fuel left in the tank". Duh.

However, it appears to be calculating MTE based on current MPG based on the behavior I've seen. I calculate MPG at every fill up and it's been within 1 mile of my calculations.

 

nothing can be finer thqn riding on my dyna

Bindy bars with highway pegs work good for me.I have 2 places to put feet on bars plus the mid control.Mid contros alo are a place to keep feet warmer and they kept dents out when high wind blew over bike.

03 fxd
Bindy and sissy bar
vance and hines straight shots
progressive shocks
memphis shades windshield
n&n air filter

 

This is a great thread. After countless problems with my 07 Sporty I'm going to try (credit permitting) to take advantage of Harley's offer to buy the bike back and trade up. Great to hear so many wonderful things about the Dyna - seems everything I'd ever heard before about the Dyna's being the best rides in the Harley line up is true.

One question though - since so many people here have new ones and are babying them, what's it like after the run-in period? Is the performance noticeably different to a Sporty and in what way? I know its 400cc bigger, but it's also 100lbs heavier, so what's the end result there? On my Sporty I found myself longing to do a stage 1 pretty much within a month of getting it, but never got round it it. Am I going to be longing to pay the taxes on the Dyna as well? Any thoughts on getting that done at the Dealer before I even pick the bike up?

 

If you look at the following HP and TQ graphs for the 1200 and TC96 you'll note that the TC96 makes its torque way down low. The 1200's torque peak is in the middle of the curve; the TC96 torque peak is almost at the bottom. What this translates into from a seat of the pants perspective on the Dyna is the bike is deceptively quick. On the Sportster, you wind her out and she goes. On the Dyna, you roll the throttle and she goes, no matter what gear. Two different ways of putting torque on the pavement, and they both work. Heads up, a bone stock XL1200 and a Super Glide are going to be very close in a 0-60 run or 1/4 mile run, but the edge is going to go to the 1200.

Past a 1/4 mile, the Super Glide is going to walk away from from the 1200. There is a post on here by a guy who was going through the gears on his Dyna trying to bounce off the 5500 rpm rev limiter in each. He backed off when he got to 90 in 3rd and still hadn't hit the rev limiter. He still had 3 gears to go!

 

Awesome reply Gary7 - thanks for the time you spent on that.

Anyone have any views on doing stage 1 on day 1?

 

Ride it and give yourself time to get used to the TC96. Why spend the money on a Stage I if the power and torque in stock form are all you need? (And honestly, I can't see where a Stage I is going to make that much of a difference for normal everyday riding.)

 

froogle, your best bet would be ride it stock for awhile to see how you like it. Then if you need more then go with the stage 1. That way you can feel the difference between the two. Gary7, a good set of pipes and a/c with a tune will net you about 10-14 hp&tq. And you will feel the difference. The dyno charts from HD are for reference only and aren't really accurate. My stage 1 = 76 hp & 93tq.

 

I should probably explain my reasoning. I've ridden for about 22 years, but mainly sports bikes. The Sportster was my first Harley and while I totally appreciate it's a completely different kind of bike I did find myself missing some 'punch'.

Also, I've got my eye on V&H Big Bore pipes - LOVE how they look and sound, so was thinking of getting the bike with those on. That of course means doing the air filter and a new map etc etc.

Now I could just be being stupid - do you guys really think it makes so little difference on the Dyna compared to the difference it makes to a sporty?

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but I'm just planning out the finances involved in the switch - it's a very hard sell with my wife to get 'permission' to cough up an extra grand in a year rather than just doing it now with the bike.

 

Welcome from Nawlins!!!