+1 on the different stories.

Is installing a K&N filter to otherwise stock intake the same as Stage 1 or intake upgrade?

I had a FuelPak on a '08 Nightster w/ Shortshots and K&N filter and could not get the damn thing to right quite right...ever. Despite several tech support calls to V&H. They were great to work with by the way. But I would've traded several really nice people for just one complete ******* that could tell me how to get that bike running right!
Ditched the FuelPak for XiEDs and eliminated 90% of issues.

 

Let me ask these few of questions now;

1. What air breather would you all recommend, keep in mind that this is my main mode of transportation. I mean when it rains, we get wet and the bike sits in the rain until I get home.

2. What tuner do you guys like best, Power Commander, HD Tuner, Vance and Hines fuel pack???

3. What combo do you think is the best?

 

Here is my experience. I have an '07 Wide Glide. I don't buy into that whole "stage 1" stuff. I see it a way for the dealer to separate you from more of your cash.

I wanted pipes for the sound. I installed Reinhart 2 into 2 with the stock breather. On the first ride after installing the pipes, I noticed a pronounced loss of performance and the engine sounded lean. I went to the dealer and had them do the download. On the way home I noticed that the performance was back. And the engine sounds great. No backfiring on decel.

I rode with this set up for a couple of years until this Christmas.

My wife bought me a S&S breather kit since they now make them for an injected bike. The old school S&S is the only breather I really like.

I installed this breather with no other modifications and the bike still runs great.

Mark

 

You mention the back fire......although I have some, it's really not much and you have to do something like down shift to like 2nd or 3rd doing 50 mph......I never really thought anything about the backfireing because my last bike, a suzuki SV 650 with yosh full race exhaust, k&n filter and power commander back fired a lot. I mean A LOT! At night you could see the fire coming out of the pipe when it back fired. So my experience with that bike back firing a lot and my current HD not so much I never really thought of it.

How much was the s&s breather kit?? And is it protected from the rain?? Like i keep mentioning, I ride in the rain a lot.....don't like it, don't want to, it's just it seems to always rain on a day my wife needs the truck!

 

keep the pipes on it and it if rides like sh*t, tune it.

i'll be installing my v&h big radius 2 -> 2 pipes this weekend with all factory gadgets and will not be tuning it until later.. if it runs like **** i'll pull the pipes and tune it later.

 

also, if you bought it from the dealer you have a warranty. your a$$ is covered.

 

Do not worry about the warranty. You can add anything to your bike, and if the bike fails, the dealer would have to prove it was the part added that caused the failure. That being said, if the dealer put the part on the bike, seems like they would be hard pressed to prove that "your" modification caused the failure. Unless they told you that the part you were requesting would void the warranty, you are all set.

On another note, without adding more air to the engine via the addition of a high-flow a/c, I am under the impression that you don't need to do anything to the bike. Not only have I heard that here on the forum from some of the long time posters, but I was told the same thing at my dealership.

Finally, I am also new to this forum, and what I have learned here, is that just like in life, if you put your concern "out there" you will get a ton of opinions, one way and the other. The main thing is that regardless of the individuals actual opinion, the person took the time to offer one, so basically their intentions are good. My suggestion is that you find a service technician, dealership, or experienced friend that you feel you can trust, and stick to one. The key here is to have an open mind when seeking an opinion. In other words, it does no good to enter into a situation with a set opinion of your own and keep seeking out opinions until you find the one that matches the one you came in with.

 

I am not a mechanic, just an old dairy farmer, but I have been around motors for all of my 58 years. My understanding is- these bikes are running pretty lean from the factory. If you still have the o2 sensors in the ECM should keep you ok. The exhaust flow will not change much because the intake is not taking in more air than stock. If you changed just the intake I would be more concerned. Both intake and exhaust then its a no brainer. For a little peace of mind you could put a set of xieds in for about a hundred bucks and they will simply richen up the mixture. I had Rush slipons on my Fatbob with the xieds and they worked good. When I went stage1 Heavy breather and Big radius 2x2 I took the xieds off and went to a PC-v works good. Take care Mike.

 

The Closed Loop EFI system can correct for the pipes and probably a better breather.

 

i take it you didn't keep the take-off exhaust? if you did, and you're concerned about the aftermarket then throw the stock system on and be done with it.