OK, I did some research on this already & have read past threads on it.
But new products are coming out all the time & more folks have joined the forum that might have experience with it.

My husband has a bone stock 2007 Ultra that absolutely cooks in the summertime.
He's put a set of Kuryakyn saddle shields on it & they help some but would like to do some stuff to reduce the heat actually coming off the engine.

What have you guys done so far that's really worked well?

 

Stage 1 which includes muffler change, K&N air cleaner kit, Power Commander PC111usb.

 

Agree with the stage 1 kit. Problem is and always will be the stock setup. It's almost like Harley sets it up so that you have to make the changes. Something is just not right with that but this comes from a buddy with an 07 Ultra:

Hey I got your mail last week and I went to that link and read what everybody was saying about engine heat with the 07's. I got my bike back about three weeks ago and rode it for the first time this past weekend. Denise and I went out for a 200 mile ride on our anniversary and it ran well. Not sure if you know, but I put the V&H Monster Ovals on it with the true dual headers, the Stage 1 kit, the race tuner and had it on the dyno too. I had changed over to syns in the entire engine last year. The bike definitely ran stronger and ran much much cooler than before. The heat was no different than it was on my Heritage or Road King. There was no popping when you went down a hill or backed off the throttle. I wasn't going to have it dynoed but Carroll talked me into that and I'm glad I did that. It is a totally different bike than before. I can honestly say I like my bike.

 

I went with the Stage 1, and SERT then Rush 2 inch slip on's and Dyno'd. Cooled the bike down a great deal. I didn't care much for the increase in exhaust noise so a few weeks later I removed the Rush mufflers and went back to the stock ones.

Bike runs fine but seems a little hotter than with the Rush. HD tech re-dyno'd the bike and said it was just a little lean and was really no need to change the SERT.

 

I have an 07 RK that does not run hot. It does have a Stage 1. If it has not already been done, you need to remove the lowers.

 

Background: Beginning with the new 96 cu inch motors, HD had a heap of new EPA laws that they had to comply with. To meet the EPA standards HD has these motors running very lean. A bi-product of "lean" is HEAT. This is why so many of us get our bikes to Stage 1 (which is a whole other story), but basically the engine can breath better (intake & exhaust), and the onboard computer gets enhanced or tricked to run a richer fuel mixture. The engine heat goes down at least 20 degrees (some say more).

Another key ingredient to help reduce heat is to switch over to all synthetic oils (engine, tranny, and primary). Synthetic oil reduces friction (thus heat).

HD Dealers will mod your bike to stage 1, or many options for "do-it-yourself". You're not hurting warranty or your engine. Probably just the opposite (helping the life of the motor).

 

True Duals will certainly reduce heat issue. Which means you will need to change the air cleaner and plug in a fuel management system and upgrade your mufflers. Slip-ons, fuel management and better air flow alone won't be enough, I had this already and it was better in every aspect except the heat issue. Put the True Duals on...problem solved!

 

Not sure if I agree with this 100%. I agree that it feels cooler but I don't know think it actually lowers the temp of the engine. I tried it last summer on my Road Glide and it felt cooler but I am not convinced that it will lower the temp. Any one with a temp gauge to verify???

 

SERT
SE/AC
Rinehart true duals
Syn3 all 3 holes..
Heat SIGNIFICANTLY reduced

 

Here's a freebie that worked for me twice.
I had vented lowers on my 06 EG Standard , loved the look , heat was kinda bad on days over 75 degrees.
I removed the lowers and removed the movable pieces "vent doors" Harley calls them.
Once off the bike , you remove 4 screws and the vertical bolt , 2 funny washers , and the rubber spacer.
Put the bolt-washer-spacer-washer-nut combo back together and store them.
Put the 4 screws back in the top cap and reinstall the fairings.
You will notice a huge difference in the amount of air going by your legs and a big reduction in right side exhaust heat while riding.
The reason I mentioned twice is that I did the same thing on our 09 Ultra and it made a bigger difference than the 06 for heat reduction.
I remove them from about mid May to early September up north here.
Cheap and effective.
Mick