Cowboy Harley-Davidson finished its work on my Breakout, installing both the Stage 4 Racing Kit and the D&D Low Cat exhaust, as scheduled by Saturday 3-08, but really wet and slippery weather prevented me from picking it up (who wants to get a brand new high-power bike filthy AND risk a slideout? ). But the rain finally stopped and I was able to pick it up last evening!

Now it's running a break-in tune that is conservatively rich and not well matched to the D&D Low Cat exhaust (Low Cat versus Fat Cat because the wider frame of the Breakout and its low ride height both forced D&D to reroute and tilt up the exhaust a bit, to keep the exhaust away from the oil lines and away from the road). And, the Stage 4 Racing kit is a higher rpm type kit (peak torque at 4000 rpm, rev limit at 6200), and that makes it only marginally "usable" during a proper break-in. So, there was no way I could get a feel yet of what it is really going to be like with a proper tune and full use of its "real" rpm range.

But I can say already:

- When it gets started, everyone looks

- The appearance of the D&D exhaust versus the stock exhaust is way better than I even anticipated. It is the right look for the Breakout (I got home too late to take photos, but will soon as I can)

- The Low Cat exahust really nicely exposes more of the chrome Turbine wheel

- The idle definitely has a racy lope, which you can also clearly see in the idle rpm in the digital rpm display within the speedo unit

- The D&D Low Cat provides a sound level that is noticeably higher to the rider, but interestingly, my wife, who followed me home in the Mustang, swears she "couldn't really hear it", and she is really sensitive to loud noise because of her job in the cash register area of a grocery store) so apparently it is not obnoxious to nearby drivers. It MAY sound louder to the rider simply because it is a short system overall, with a side exit.

- The sound under moderate acceleration (up to 3500 rpm or so) is "exciting". Very "racy"

- The sound on rapid throttle blips for downshifting is just plain awesome. The nicest I have ever heard. Very, very "crisp", and intense enough that even an oblivious drone in any adjacent car would be startled. This is, no kidding, the best downshift-blip exhaust sound I have ever heard, and I have owned 39 bikes before this one! It appears to be the result of the engine's willingness to rev and the D&D exhaust system acoustics.

Now I just need to restrain myself for about 500 miles . . .

Jim G

 

No pics, dyno numbers, dyno sheet? Nothin? Com on dude you can't just leave us hanging

 

As I said above:

- Photos coming soon as I can take them in daylight!

- You cannot dyno an engine that ahs just been totally "rebuilt" - this is a brand new bike (68 miles on it when the Stage 4 Racing kit arrived for dealer installation), with now a brand new top end (new forged pistons, new ported heads, new valve springs, new pushrods, new 259 cams, etc). It needs at least a 500 mile break-in before it can be dynoed. The rev limit for break-in is about 3500 rpm, and there cannot be any prolonged loads or situaitons that provoke overheating (e.g. cannot get stuck in a traffic jam, so no commuting to to/from work until break-in is done).

A Stage 4 Racing kit (not the "street legal" kit) puts about 115 hp to the rear wheel, and about 115 ft lb of torque to the wheel, but that's with the stock exhaust apaprently. The D&D Low Cat exhaust should make a notable difference, depending on how well it meshes with the engine's working rpm range.

Jim G

 

definitely picked a unique one... dont see many breakouts with d&d. next time im in austin, i'll buy you a beer. would love to see it.

 

What did it set you back in parts/labor?

 

I can do this too HC.

 

The math was a bit hard to follow since Corboy proposed doing the Stage 4 Racing kit after we had written up a new bike deal that included only the D&D exhaust, performance air intake, Super Tuner, and dyno tune portion of what we ultimately did instead.

As near as I can figure, the true NET cost of adding the Stage 1 Racing kit was an additional $2900. That includes parts and labor, if that seems low for this it's because Cowboy credited me with the labor and parts that WOULD have been consumed in the original deal, that were replaced by parts and labor related to the Stage 4 Racing kit.

I don't consider $2900/(115-80) = $83/rwhp or $72.50 per crank horsepower a performance bargain, BUT:

- Cowboy did give me a substantial discount over what HD would have them charge per HD pricing, and

- I like the concept of a well tested HD solution

- I like giving Cowboy my business, since they are a huge part of the "Harley Experience" that I have been experiencing ever since about 2003, and they knock themselves out, every one of their team, to provide that kind of experience to every one of their customers.

- I like the "one machine, one man" concept for work done on my bike. The same technician that did the wheel mods (from stock to Turbine wheels, with associated rotors, sprocket/pulley, etc), Brian, did the Stage 4 Racing kit. I intend to ask for Brian specifically for all work done on my bike, so that I know it was done by someone I know and can trust, and so that he gets the credit for the successful outcomes.

Jim G

 

Call or PM ahead and let's see when we can connect up. Some really nice almost deserted roads are literally right outside my driveway (Hamilton Pool Road, Fitzhugh Road westward, etc)

Jim G
Cellular 612-270-7645

 

The photos I’ve been asked for . . .

Below are the photos I have been asked for, showing:

- The Breakout in varying lighting conditions. Note how the apparent color and apparent texture change as the lighting changes. Note how even at night you cannot possibly “not see” the bike

- The D&D exhaust, including a profile shot of the bike, and a close-up of the oil line clearances

- The new combination instrument I installed this evening, with: analog tachometer, digital speedometer, and a “real” multi-segment fuel gauge, in addition to the “stock” capabilities: gear indicator, clock, 2 trip meters, digital rpm, etc.



















Jim G

 

No SE heads or no headwork? I never heard of a stage 4 with stock heads. High compression pistons? Increase the stroke from...to..? I hope you enjoy your new sled. Its very rewarding when all your plans, money and hard work comes together.

EDIT: If it were my bike those reflectors would already be gone too.