My bike is a 1998 Electra Glide Ultra Custom FLHTCUI 95th Aniv. I purchased this beauty (completely stock and unmolested) a few years ago and was told at the time that it had factory Screamin' Eagle upgrade. I never thought much about it and could not determine what stages of Screamin' Eagle that it might have.

While reading another thread here in the forums about EFI there was mention in the thread that the injectors on the Screamin' Eagle were red in color. Sure enough, my bike has red injectors. Other indicators of the Screamin' Eagle are the gas cap cover, which has the wing-spread eagle, and the side mirrors have the wing-spread eagle on them.

What are the signs for which I should look to indicate stage 2, stage 3, or stage 4 on this old 1998 Evo FLHTCUI?

 

On anything I've read on Screaming Eagle upgrades, always included different mufflers. So you could check that. Stage ! was usually carb breather, lower restriction, ( maybe some jettting/mixture screw changes ) and more open exhaust. I don't know what changes where available for the early EFI system. Stage 2. 3 and so on usually involved cam's, compression increase, displacement etc. Not easy to tell unless you take the engine apart. Riding the bike will tell you if it has had any internal upgrades.

Anything like mirrors and gas caps are easily changed and not always an indication of much. Sorry not much help.

 

In my notes relating to my bike, I have recorded that this machine has a Screamin' Eagle stage 3. This is my first Harley-Davidson and this information meant nothing to me at the time that I purchased it.

I am definitely sure that it has the stage 1 because of the red injectors. Any further stages I do not know. From what I can glean from the internet, the stage 3 should have Screamin' Eagle marked on the heads, but I do not know what those marking might be in 1998.

If I contact Harley-Davidson Motor Company and inquire about the VIN, would they research my bike and tell me exactly what options that this bike had whenever it was sent to the dealership?

 

If any of that stuff has not been changed, your bike is not "completely stock." I am not sure if the motor company will give you a build sheet, but at this point, does it really matter? Your bike has survived 25 years on this earth. Check the fluids and tires, fill her with gas, and hit the highways!

 

I do not understand the reasoning. If the bike came from the factory with the Screamin' Eagle performance upgrade, it would be "stock" but not "standard".

There is absolutely "no way" that I can just ride my bike blissfully in ignorance. There will come the day that the engine will require attention and I do not want to go into an indy shop and have a mechanic begin working on the bike and end up with a complete pile of crap. That would be the end of the bike. However, if the mechanic knew in advance what machine he was dealing with, the results would be much better.

The reason that I am now researching the Screamin' Eagle at this time is because my idle at cold start is about 800 rpm and after warmup the idle is 400 rpm. To me, this is wonderful, but from everything that I have read the rpm is too low. I have been referred to an indy mechanic who has the knowledge and skills to tune the Magnetti-Marelli EFI and I want to know as much as possible going into the shop.

At any rate, learning about my hobby vastly increases my enjoyment and appreciation of that hobby. A lot of people live in fantasy and illusion with their hobby. I cannot do that.

But your suggestion is well taken and I will consider it.

 

Yep 800 & 400 is definitely too low. On some early EFI's they had a procedure to set the idle/fast idle. I know the early BMW's had an adjustment procedure but not sure if the Marelli had that ability. You might want to do a search on this site and others to see what information you can find. At it's age the Marelli system may be a challenge, as parts etc are not easy to find. It sounds to me like the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS or whatever it was on the early HD EFI systems ) is not sending the right resistance to the ECM.

Your indy mechanic when he gets the EFI working right, will likely be able to tell you if the internals of the engine were upgraded, just by the way it idles. I would think most aftermarket cams would provide a different idle. You could also have a Dyno run done to see what it says. You'll never know for sure what's inside, unless you take it apart. Also I would think if it had any serious engine upgrades it would have been put back to carb as I wouldn't think the Marelli system was that adaptable, nor do I know of any aftermarket electronic fuel systems that would work with the Marelli system. But I know nothing about the Marelli system as my 98 Electra Glide is carbed. Much easier to deal with.

There is likely lots of info on the early EFI system that Harley used, you'll just have to do some research, but in the end I hope your mechanic can get it sorted for you.

 

No EVO ever left the factory with SE engine components, so contacting the factory is a waste of time/energy. The installing dealer may be helpful, if they kept records. The screamin eagle EVO heads look like this:


HD offered a stage 2 kit (29934-97B) with 25536-97 (EV3) Cam and the 27135-97 (red) injectors, using a dealer flashed cartridge to update the ECM.
The stage 3 kit was a 10:1 piston set with the EV57 cam, same injectors, and a flash cartridge.

 

SE heads were expensive . Many just had their heads worked on.
The bike is a standard bike and work done on it is just mods . It is not now nor will ever be a SE factory bike.
Simple way to tell is VIN number. If it was delivered from factory as a SE it will show in the VIN. if the dealership or anyone else added SE parts it will not show in the VIN.
It was common to do Cam ,exhaust,AC and some head work on the EVO
The rush on EVO bikes made it hard for HD to keep up with aftermarket parts. So Others like S&S stepped up and supplied a lot of after market upgrades and often lower cost.

 

The information given by several of you is extremely enlightening. I was totally unaware that Harley-Davidson offered performance parts but did not install those on bikes from the factory.
I have read somewhere in another post that the Screamin' Eagle is marked on the heads of the HD parts. Whenever my bike is back home I will see if I can find any markings on the heads.

 

Ya know, I owe you an apology. My ignorance caused me to blow off the good information that you so generously provided. Please excuse me for not appreciating your post.