been looking at the big sucker for my 2010 wide glide, i'm new to this stuff but leanring quick, was wondering what you folks thought of the big sucker vs. HD stage 1 kit. Also it looks like the Big Sucker doesnt use breather plugs..? What exactly do breatehr plugs do, and if you don't use them, what afects does this have on performace?

 

The big sucker has a hole in the plate under each breather bolt that dumps out on the surface of the backing plate. There is a lip on each side under the hole that leads to the mouth of the throttle body and is supposed to be sucked back in the intake. In my experience, the oil typically drips down the backing plate and flies back on the right side of the bike over time.

I just ditched mine for a Doherty Powerpacc with the powervents (wish I had paid more attention here before I bought the big sucker). When I removed the backing plate on the big sucker, I discovered it had actually broken around one of the bolt holes that mount it to the throttle body. I always use blue loctite and a torque wrench so being over-tight isn't a concern to me. The Doherty unit is just built much better.

In addition to quality, you can route the breather vents down and out of the bike instead of putting oil mist back into the throttle body which should help reduce carbon buildup. I did mine like Maineultraclassic did with a T fitting and routed the line down and out the back of the frame. No more oily mess after a hard day's ride, and if it slows the carbon build up that's just an added bonus.

 

appreciate the info RoadHawg, i'll check out the Doherty Powerpacc. thanks

 

Can you use the stock cover with the Doherty?

 

You bet. If you want to run an open element, the Doherty filter is a 6" (IIRC) and the round stage 1 (SE, Big Sucker, etc) is a 5.5" Just FYI...

 

I bought a Ness big sucker before and NEVER AGAIN. The hardware that came with it was complete junk. Bought a HD heavy breather and never looked back....

 

I really don't know what I have, one of my brothers had a box full of parts and I found this. It's 6" at the base and HD so I guess it's a SE BS.

 

Ness BS stage 1 for me. Works great!! Don't need no "doherty" neither... Just don't overfill your oil bag and you'll be fine every time. That's why your moco instructions say to put in less than 1/2 qt. to capacity and then add as needed.(simple enough?)