After having so many questions I have asked answered favourably on this forum and via Googling, I am starting to get pretty serious about a deal with my HD dealer to trade my 2-wheeled HD in on a Road Glide 3. I've been offered a pretty decent deal, except for the cost of a Stage 1 mod (the exhaust, the air intake, and the Bluetooth tuner).

I did my Stage 1 on my Breakout myself. The Breakout has the Heavy breather as OEM equipment. I bought the Bluetooth tuner, and a pair of used but perfect decatted Screamin' Eagle mufflers for a total of just a few hundred dollars, and did the muffler swap (easy) myself, as well as installing theBluetooth tuner tune and doing the Bluetooth "Smart Tune" myself. I got GREAT results, as I took the time to fill in a LOT of the squares in the Smart Tune's RPM versus throttle chart - way more time than an HD technician could take.

The dealership's rough estimate for a Stage 1 on the Road Glide 3 was $2000 to $3000 Canadian = $1440 to $2160 US, depending upon which exhaust I select. I get that with a shop rate of $140 Canadian = $100 US per hour,the labour does add up, even though it is not sophisticated labour (unless the trike is a lot harder to change mufflers on than the 2-wheel models).

I do NOT want a loud exhaust, but merely a slightly loudER than stock exhaust, so I can HEAR the engine when riding (My hearing is impaired enough at age 73 to require hearing aids, which I cannot wear while riding). I also want the same improvement in throttle crispness as I got with the Stage 1 on the Breakout (The difference was impressive). I am NOT looking to move the torque curve higher to get more peak horsepower, because it is rather the low and mid rpm range I use the vast majority of the time. I ride at 80 to 100 kph = 50 to 60 mph on the highway most of the time because I enjoy county roads and the scenery, and really never cruise at more than 110 kph = 68 mph at most (Our highways around here have strictly enforced speed limits with nasty fines, and the HIGHEST speed limits are 110 kph = 68 mph).

Can some of you here on the trike subforum give me some guidance as to what is involved in doing the Stage 1 on a trike?

i know I need to buy a new Bluetooth tuner, as the one I have is married to the Breakout's VIN.

If I select HD Screamin' Eagle mufflers that fit the trike (I assume they exist?), how much will they likely cost me, either new or nice condition used?

Can I assume the change of air breather is not complicated?

Is there anything difficult about changing the mufflers on a Road Glide 3 versus a 2-wheeled HD?

Jim G

 

Changing the mufflers is more annoying than on a 2-wheeler. The easiest way to get at the rearmost bolts is to unbolt the trunk (no need to remove it) and jack the trunk up a bit.
Changing the A/C is pretty easy.
What do you mean by "bluetooth tuner"?
Either the H-D tuner or any aftermarket tuner will need to be married to the trike.
An aftermarket will void your warranty.

 

Forget the Stage 1 on a RG3 with the 114 cu inch motor, plenty of power without it.

The only way you move the torque curve is with Cams, Stage 1 does not do it.

My 2019 Tri Glide has the 114 cu inch motor and is heaver than the RG3, it has plenty of get up and go. Lots of power 2 up with the trunk and tour pak full.

Get it, ride it a few 1,000 miles then see what you think. You will be surprised.

Stage 1 is not going to get you much of anything with regards for power - maybe a little more noise but that can be detrimental when cursing.

You will never have the throttle crispness of a 2 wheeler with a Trike, they are heavier and the final drive is driving 2 wheels. Still it will be quick enough but not like a 2 wheeler.

The OEM mufflers start sounding good at about 5,000 miles as the packing gets burnt in and they become more mellow.

At 50 - 60 mph you will be in 5th gear most of the time. I normally ride in 4th gear at 50 mph and shift into 5th around 55 mph as that puts the engine at about 3K rpm and the engine is happy there.

Best way I hear the engine is when wearing ear plugs, they eliminate most of the upper engine clatter/wind noise and you can feel/hear the exhaust tone.

 

Thanks, davekp! By "Bluetooth tuner" I mean the genuine HD tuner that replaced the old Super Tuner. The Bluetooth tuner is actually just a very small plastic roughly 1" cube that pliugs into the diagnostic port on the bike, and works with an iPhone or Android app to download Stage 1,2,3, or 4 tunes that are appropriate for your bike (You specify your bike by feeding in the VIN), and load the one you want, via Bluetooth instead of a physical connection, all from your phone or other device. Then, if you have a PC computer (NOT a Mac) you can also further modify each tune you load. You can also modify ANY tune, without a computer, just using your phone, by executing what the tuner calls a "Smart Tune", to optimize that tune to your specific bike and your riding style. There are online HD instrucitons on how to do all the above. And yes, the tuner gets married to your VIN.

On the mufflers:

1. So, they simply unbolt similar to the 2-wheeler mufflers, but you need to "loosen" the trunk to enable better access?

2. Does the trike needed to jacked up to get under there to do the mufflers, or is there some access path from the rear?

3. Are trike mufflers unique to the Trike, or can certain models of freer flowing HD 2-wheeler mufflers be used?

4. Is (are) the cat(s) in the header or in the mufflers?

5. Is the entry hole into each muffler identical diameter size, or different like on the big twin 2-wheelers? (i.e. is there a "left" muffler and a "right" muffler)

6. If I want SOME more exhaust noise, but not really LOUD, and low frequency rumble versus annoying high frequencie, what HD muffler models work? I could not find any Screamin' Eaglr mufflers on the HD parts & accessories website that are shown as suitable for the trike.

Jim G

 

CoolBreeze: I am not looking for much more power. But I found that the Stage 1 on my Breakout 117 really made the throttle response sharper, the engine ran notably smoother, and there was a tangible increase in power. THOSE are what I am looking for. No need for a Stage 2,3, or 4 for me.

I also would prefer to know what to do NOW, not after putting on a few thousand kilometers, as my new trike purchase gets me a good percentage discount on every part or accessory I buy within a month. I want to get that discount.

Jim G

 

Fair enough if that is your line of thinking.

And once you get your new trike purchase, will you be looking for a lift so you can wash it and service it without crawling on the floor?

 

Yes, but the trike is more difficult to find a good solution for. I'll need time to find a decent solution. Here's a photo of the RG3:




The Big blue lift from England could handle the 1160 lb weight, BUT my wife says "no way" for a $1330 CDN lift solution, and the Canadian Facebook page for the big blue lift says anyway the manufacturer has abandoned an effort to design a different version that could lift an HD trike, because he said the weight of the HD trikes are so far rearward as to make a central lift that can be positioned to balance the trike properly is basically impossible. I have no idea where the center of gravity on a trike is, as HD does not provide that information anywhere I have found, at least yet. And common sense suggests it is probably between the 2 rear wheels where any side-deployed lift can't reach it. Remember, a 2-wheeled Road Glide's center of gravity is approximately where the rear exhaust header makes the sharp turn to go horizontal. But the 2-wheeled Road Glade weighs "only" 380 kg = 836 lb, which means that everything to the rear of that center of gravity weighs 418 lb . But an RG3 weighs 1160 lb and has the exact same front end as the 2-wheeler, so the weight behind that turn in the header is 1160 - 418 = 742 lb! That's a LOT more than 418 lb - about 78% more! So, yeah, the center of gravity of the trike is likely somewhere where the wheels prevent side access.

And a full table lift wide enough to take a trike is even less palatable to me than one to take the Breakout. I just don't want to give up that huge amount of space. And I don't have and don't want an air compressor to run a table lift, etc, etc. Of course the counter argument to that is simply "park the trike on the lowered table lift" and leave the table lift in that trike parking spot permanently. I'm sure my wife would just love the instant conversion of the garage from a spacious and nicely finished garage into an "industrial" scene. And of course, a decent table lift is even more expensive than the Big Blue lift!

I know how to lift the FRONT end of the bike easily : Apply the parking brake to the rear wheels and also chock them. Place a conventional lift under the frametubes, and because the weight is biased so rearward, the front of the trike would come up rather easily to spin and wash the front wheel. The rear wheels are much easier to wash, since there is only ONE disc on each wheel, and it is on the INside of the wheel, so the entire visible portion of each rear wheel can be cleaned with great access. But, I'd still be all crunche dup on the floor to do it.

So, too early to know a cleaning and mod/repair solution yet. But I don't even have the trike yet, so not a time crisis.

Jim G

 

In my honest opinion I wouldn't waste my money on a HD tuner. My personal is a Power vision with tune from Fuelmoto. Not trying to influence your opinion but the HD tuner is EPA compliant for 50 states.
I don't know how mechanical you are for changing out the mufflers? I used a ratcheting box end to make it a little easier. I didn't raise the body. Loosening the muffler at the pipe first, then loosening each of the 2 bolts to allow the muffler to slip back helped me. Then I could remove the screws completely. Lifting the body sounds easier I just never did it.
I had Cobra slip ons made for the trike which improved the sound and did not tire me on a ride.
Mufflers were all I ever did to my FW and didn't feel the need for more. I only did the mufflers because I wanted just a bit more sound.
I have read that changing out the A/C doesn't make that much of a difference. Maybe there are others that know for sure.
Other changes like grips,seat were more important to me.
What ever you do and end up doing take your time and get to know the trike first, then make changes as you want to.

 

All of the M8 motors breathe as much as they need for the engine. so yeah, essentially they come from the factory with a Stage 1. Exhaust modifications get you better sound, and if not the right choice can actually impact low end torque. The best bang for the buck, especially on a heavier trike is a good torque cam complemented by exhaust, AC, tune. I’d suggest talking to the folks at Fuel Moto.

 

Not all Stage I's are created equal. Many say that the 114's won't have a significant benefit by doing a Stage I. This is true, IF you do a HD Stage I. However, we regularly see a crisper throttle response and a 7-12% increase in power when doing a True Stage I upgrade. They will run cooler, and more efficiently also.

Here are a couple of videos on the subject-




Regarding a tuner, I strongly recommend avoiding the SE Tuner, it is crippled by the EPA & CARB. While your 2024 M8 is not too lean from the factory, even when you add free flowing intake and exhaust, they do run better with an improved tune that you can get with Tte Power Vision or FP4 (details on each can be seen HERE), and they are much better performers than the HD tuner.

Mufflers are relatively easy to swap out. The space to work with on the rear hanger is quite small, but a low profile open end wrench will work...at worst, if you remove the body, they are very easy to get to.

Kevin