I am not trying to defend the MOCO here, but in fairness they would like for the new bikes to run better with more horsepower but they are stymied by the EPA. The government sets the standards for air emmisions on internal combustion engines every year. You either build an engine that passes their standards or you are not allowed to ship any motorcycles. It is as simple as that. All these back door approaches to making it run cooler and better by doing this and that are illegal as hell in the strictest sense of the law. Air cooled is about done with. Antifreeze is just around the corner. Then we will see some serious horsepower come out of a Harley engine.

 

Wasn't going to chime in on this thread but, what the hell. To the OP: Like has been said the MOCO has to put in cams that meet emissions but, performance is sacrificed. There are plenty of ways to wake up the power that is lurking in your motor and has been said "how much money do you want to spend". The touring models are heavy bikes and when loaded down with 2 riders and gear it can make a difference in how the bike performs.

I come from a background in racing and performance has always been a part of my makeup. I learned long ago that by increasing power the bike handles easier / quicker ( more responsive). When looking at the HP / WT ratio of a stock bike it is easy to see what happens when it is loaded down. By increasing the power you make the bike more responsive. I am not looking for a drag touring bike and most that do modifications also probably feel this way. When I crack the throttle in 6th gear with the bike loaded for touring, it will pass a vehicle very quickly, without downshifting. To me, the ability to maneuver a bike heavily loaded as though it were stripped of weight greatly enhances the experience. So for me, building a motor to increase power is really all about the riding experience and has nothing to do with bragging rights or who has the most power. I just like my bikes to perform well.

 

Bought my 2010 Ultra Limited in March of this year and have changed the headers to Power Duals and added the Thunder Max. Big performance difference. But I am sold on the 103 verses the 96.

 

By comparison...
I remember buying a 'new' '56 Chevy sedan back in the day.
It came with an anemic 265 cid V/8. To get any 'power' out of it, the purchase of a Corvette intake manifold, carb, heads & dual exhaust was required!! It was called a 'Power Pac'. Doesn't appear as much has change over the years!!
These ol' V-twins do what they were designed to do (given gov't constrants) and what the vast majority of buyers want them to do. For those who aren't satisfied with that...there is the 'aftermarket'!

 

If HD can make a CVO 110 pass emissions with a 255 cam I don't see why they can't do the same with a 103.

 

I'm sure they can.... but then there would not be enough performance diffrence to justify the cost $$ diffrence between the CVO "Screaming Eagle" & the Limited!!

 

21k mi. on an '07 RKC with stage1 ,26k mi. on an '08 EGC with true duals,Heavy Breather,SERT,dyno-tune.Just installed a Fat Cat,Heavy Breather and SEST on my new Limited 700 mi. ago.IMO the '08 ran great for a stock '96,76hp,89 ft lbs.Wasn't real impressed with the Limited before the Fat Cat,heavy breather and SEST.Big difference in low end torque already,can't afford cams right now but looking forward to 'em,and absolutely love 6th gear now!The '08 was running very cool after the dyno tune.The Limited a little warmer with the canned map but only 1700 mi. on it.I'm going to go ahead and get it dyno-tune next week for the summer,cams this winter.As far as handling there's no comparrison.As far as comfort the Limited's definately stiffer on rough roads and the seat leaves a little to be desired but doable.

 

The only thing that I am lookin at is there is only 2K price difference between the Ultra Limited and the standard Ultra....I like the 103, gonna put the heavy breather kit, true duals or slip ons, havent decided yet, and a tuner....for me, Im good.....we do distance rides quite often, sorta wanna keep the reliability....

So the question for me is....is the extra 2 grand in price of stock bikes worth it?

 

I just did the fullsac headpipe, mufflers,a/c and tts with fullsac map. much improved performance. trying to hold out on cams. Mike

 

For the extras that you get on a limited - ABS, Oil Cooler, Heated Grips, Tour Pack Rack, Tour Pack Power Point, ACRsm yes the two grand is worth it. If you base the decisionon the 103 alone, no it is not. It is basically the same engine with a few more cubes, same cams, intake, exhaust as a 96". But, the engine is a good starting point for future mods. I bought the limited for the paint and extras, not the engine as mine is now 107"