After a nice summer of just enjoying the old lump, moving house, getting a garage to keep the thing warm and dry and snug in .... I'm planning on giving the old girl some love.

It's a 2009 883, so no carb....just fuel injection and a sneaky black box. I'm in North London, and basically not very close to a Harley Dealer to just 'flash' my ECU

So, the big question for me, is how do folks handle this. I have seen simple plug in units...sitting in series with the stock wiring, which from what I gather, just richens up the mixture. I don't think they have any adjustment...just throw in a chunk more fuel.
I have also seen some other plug in boxes that can be programmed....though how thats done...or how that's calculated, I don;t know. PResumably...if you stick a known pipe and air filter on...they have a stock map that has worked with this setup. All well and good if you stick to known choices....but I probably won't.

One of my pet hates with the Sporty is the 'heatshield' on the exhausts. I have had to deal with rusty clamps, muck and dirt under the shields causing corrosion pockets, and I just think it looks silly! I want a nice simple plain pipe. I like the blueing.

 

Many will jump on this but for a simple stage-1, (pipes, air cleaner & tuner) the one I use is the Vance and Hines Fuelpak 3. It seems to be the easiest plug & play unit out there that can be programmed with your smartphone. And yes, it’s that simple; tell it what pipes + higher performing air cleaner and it’ll give you a premade map. You can also fine-tune by having it learn your riding type. I have not done this as I’m pleased (for the moment) with my bikes performance.

 

In the UK the DynoJet Power Vision attracts a stupidly high markup compared to the prices paid in America. If prices were similar I would recommend it straight away. I would also recommend it if you are planning on getting more bikes in the future.

The lowest cost DIY tuner for just a stage 1 is the FP3 here in the UK. There is plug in units that fool the ECM and other piggy back solutions but I don't think they offer anywhere near the flexibility of the PV or FP3.

PV is very powerful. It is a professional unit. FP3 can get the job done but it can be very laborious using a phone to enter data. Both come with starting maps for a lot of different hardware solutions so that makes the initial flash very quick and easy.

You have Warr's in Battersea or Eltham and Lind in Watford or Newmarket to go the HD route or use their services.

You might also want to give Hilltop Motorcycles a call to discuss their solution - Hilltop Motorcycles Ltd 01455 610721

 

thanks for the input

So...DIY, FP3 would be the way to go, as really...I doubt I am going to want to go much further. I am not trying to turn the bike into a fire breathing monster ( i have got past that stage...my old bones and slowing reflexes ) but want to get rid of the slightly asthmatic feel the stock bike has. Crisper pickup, thats the aim for me. Plus I want it to sound a little meatier.

£350 for an FP3 ..... as opposed to £450 for a power vision.

I know the 'plug' concept to fool the ECU is basically just going to move the fuelling curve up a set amount, and hope that this works. Which for the majority...given the existing ECU's ability to handle a range of external conditions, probably works OK. But if you get a flatspot, or a midrange misfire...not a lot you can do! It is what it is.

Time to count the pennies and see what I have left for the pipe and filter! But....well...no point in spending hundreds on a fancy pipe if I can;t make it run well.

 

If you haven't bought the pipes or air cleaner yet then get the FP3 now. V&H offer a tune for a stock Sportster that will introduce a little more fuel and will address the usual factory lean setting.

It will make the engine run cooler and the exhaust note more mellow.

As for rusty clamps, I put some of the aluminium anti seize grease on mine and they have not rusted. I took one off the other day for the first time in maybe 18 months and still no sign of rust.

The pipe smokes for a bit on first running but it soon stops.

 

I haven't bought pipe or filter.... I figured it would be a silly move until I knew how I was going to get the bike to run properly. Wouldn't half feel a plonker if I spent all my cash on a shiny pipe...only to find there was no cash left to get it tuned right and the pipe ended up sat in a box until I could save up the cash! Money is a little tight as I am currently out of work....so the money I had put aside for this is all there is.

My clamps had already started to go when I got hte bike. As had the exhaust nuts on the studs. Those got a dollop of grease after I cleaned up the threads....and yeah....that smoked for a bit, but the layer of carbonised grease helps protect the studs. I can see why people fit stainless studs......

I try to do things in the 'right' order, rather than buy the pretty shiny things first!

 

I have installed Nightrider XiED enrichment leads on my 2011 XL883N to enrichen the fiueling, they are a plug and play and take less than five minutes to install. They simply plug into the O2 sensors circuit.

The leads trick the ECM into thinking that the motor is running too lean, so the ECM pumps more fuel into the mixture. Nightrider claim that the XiED's give better throttle response and the motor runs cooler. I've had mine installed since 2012 and they've certainly made a difference.





I have a velocity stack air intake and Python 2.5" slash cut slip-on mufflers installed.

I bought my XiED les=ads from Jersey Harley-Davidson.

 

I have seen this sort of thing advertised, and was curious how well they work. They must just add a fixed amount more fuel, rather than adjusting a map across the whole rev range differently.

I have run into the 'lean to be green' issue on other bikes as well, so can imagine trying to get an older design air cooled lump to meet emission standards must mean some fairly serious compromises. For me...as I live and ride mostly in town/city streets, part throttle and low end pickup are critical. Hesitations and flat spots there ruin the experience, and are hard to ignore. Out on the open road, fussy fuelling is easier to compensate for in riding style. How do these Xieds feel on pickup and roll on from 40?

 

If your bike has hesitations and flat spots due to incorrect fuelling then the XiED device may fix it by increasing the amount of fuel across the board but then you are likely to have the engine running much richer than it should at other throttle openings.

I am not sure where you got your pricing from but here is the official UK pricing from DynoJet - Default Category (dynojet.co.uk)

 

I do a lot of town and city riding which can cause the stock motors fueling to create a lot of heat in the motor, before installing the XiED leads my motor used to get so hot that I could smell it, my thighs also got hot and uncomfortable. That doesn't happen anymore, no matter how much stopping and starting that I do.

Here are the manufacturers claims about the XiED fuel enrichment devises.

They ensure that the richer 13.8:1to 12.5:1 AFR's are also adjusted in heavy / full throttle operation.
They eliminate the stock low speed hesitation and the motor runs 20 to 30 degrees cooler.
Enrich the air / fuel ratio in closed loop from 14.6:1 to 13.8:1, 8% in closed loop mode.
The benefits of XiED's are :- Lower engine and exhaust temperature. Improved throttle response. Reduced surging. Reduced Pinging.

The XiED's are ideal for the stock set up or just high flow air filter or just freer breathing exhaust or full Stage/ 1 upgrade.

A cooler engine runs better and lasts longer, too much heat can seriously damage an air cooled motor.

Here is a video about the XiED and ViED fuel enrichment devices.


The XiED's cost £97.18 VAT free from Jersey Harley-Davidson. They are a viable alternative to other fuel management systems.

You won't notice a great difference straight way after installation, the ECM and XiED;s take time to learn to work with each other, after a few weeks you'll certainly notice the advantages that the XiED's give.