Stopping back in on this thread for a quick update after having put a couple hundred miles on now after the build...

The short version for folks not all that into reading... Holy ****, this thing kicks ***.

Now... for the rest of you...

When they dyno tune was going on at Fuel Moto's shop, I was sitting around talking to Bob when he was between phone calls. I said to him, at one point, jesus, I never even realized my bike would even rev that high. He said oh yeah, they're fine being taken to higher RPMs than most realize. He also told me, in fact, that I should deliberately run it to higher RPM's than I thought I should, as it's better for these motors to rev than lug. Being overly gentle with them is actually not good for them.

So, with the warm weather last weekend, and having his words echoing through my mind, I pulled out of the end of my driveway and got on it pretty good. (I live in a very rural area on a country highway, very little traffic) and to be completely honest, I was initially disappointed. I was thinking to myself, man, I was thinking it'd have a lot more than this... Then, as I grabbed the clutch to shift into 4th gear, I looked down, and holy ****! The speedometer was pegged at 120. I hit 4th and let way off the throttle and let the reality of what just happened sink in a bit.

The power this thing makes now is so smooth and effortless It's truly deceiving. I was expecting violent, obnoxious, try to throw me out of the seat power. But, It's a steady, strong, even... "jesus I'm going over a hundred miles an hour" power. Now, where I really notice the "BOOM" is when I'm cruising along at a nice 70 miles an hour or so and I grab the throttle. It's insane how fast this thing will turn 70mph into 110mph. It's almost as if the bike is saying "c'mon man, at least try to make it worth my while." Also worth noting, I used to shift into 5th right around 60ish or so and cruise there on the highway. Now, there's no sense at all even bothering with 5th gear below 70 - 75 or so.

Finally, my motor had always, since I owned the bike, clattered like marbles in a coffee can, and the true duals with the Vance and Hines mufflers were loud, so highway cruising was a noisy affair. No longer. The motor is as quiet as any air cooled Harley motor could possibly be. All the clatter is gone. And flashing lights and a siren would go off on any lie detector test if I was to proclaim that the 2 into 1 exhaust is quiet... to be quite honest, if I grab a handful of throttle, It's thunderous... oddly enough though, while just cruising down the road at a steady clip, it truly is quiet. Along the lines of a pleasant, even relaxing "gurgle".

When all is said and done, I couldn't possibly be any happier. My bike is more relaxing, and more fun, and just all around a better ride than it was before Fuel Moto got a hold of it. I am completely happy and satisfied with the money I spent. Now, if I could just make myself remember to push the stupid compression releases before I hit the starter button, everything would be a perfect utopia in bikerland.

 

As someone else said, Bob at RC cycles is an awesome tuner, very well known in the industry. As far as shops go, I'm not familiar with the area. I know that Dave Mackie Engineering puts together some really nice kits and his stuff works.. Do a search, good luck.

Joe

P.S. Dave Mackie is in Ventura, California

 

Living proof that customer service matters. Thanks for the writeup.

 

Ventura is too far away, like a 6 hour drive. But in regards to the story above, i would have to agree. I was expecting to get thrown back in my seat like a sport bike. But that was not the case, but i too looked down and say holy **** when i was at 100mph in a blink of an eye. And also on the freeway when you flick the wick, man, it takes off awesome. I am happy, but now i want more. A coworker just told me to go all in at first. I wish i would have, i now want a trip to fuel moto for something bigger. But i am happy for now. Bike is awesome, i don't think mine is quieter, i feel like i can hear the lifters push rods and everything now. But i can't say enough how awesome their jackpot 2 into 1 is, sounds, great, i love it, i even referred it to my friend and recommended fuel moto, so he ordered today.

 

Thanks for the write up. Sounds so exciting.


I've a 2013 CVO Ultra that just doesn't rock my world. Well, I was riding from California to Fuel Moto back in April to have them to their 113 build. I made it 1 day! Slept that night in Needles and someone tried to steal the bike and snapped the ignition rod. Long story short, I was stranded in Kingman for 6 days and had to cancel my Fuel Moto build. I've been somewhat depressed since then.


Well, I decided to ship the bike to Jamie and get the build done without me. The bike should arrive there today;-) I can't wait to see what comes back.


I'll tell you though, they were incredible to deal with when I had to cancel the original trip. Never an issue with getting my deposit back. That's part of why I have been so bummed out. It's exciting to get something done to the bike by a company that is so passionate about their work, their product, about Harley-Davidson Motorcycle's and most importantly....about the customer experience.


I look forward to my own Fuel Moto Build Review once I get her back.

 

HnH, this is a great thread and I'm a huge believer in FM.
I have to question this, though.
I know, and you proved, true duals will be down on power.
I have an 05 88tc with true duals and SE Mufflers.
Here is the build page from FM and at the bottom, they clearly list stock heads (I understand you have modified heads) and true duals with a tune and 98ci kit.
Look at the HP and Torque from an 88 to 98 engine with true duals.

I'm curious to why they couldn't get you similar numbers? I'm asking because I have a similar setup and I like dual exhaust, plan on visiting FM sometime soon but would like to keep my duals, like you.

Look at the second dyno chart:

http://www.fuelmotousa.com/p-28614-98-big-bore-kit.html

 

You are comparing two very different systems. The OP was originally running V&H true duals with fishtail mufflers and the chart you are referring to above has Rinehart true duals. The Rinehart duals are significantly different in nearly every regard, they are generally the exception as far as true duals are concerned and perform well in many applications.

 

Scavenger hunt baby.... Great write-up.

 

I wish FM were here in Australia. All I can say is you folks are so fortunate to have access to FM directly.

 

Jamie,
I apologize about the different type of duals and missing that.
I appreciate the response and clarity!
Thank you!