Well the time has come to jump off the fence I am sitting on. I will be taking the new RK in for the 1000 mile service in a couple of weeks and need to make decision about having the dealer do the A/C upgrade and ECM recal. The 103 pulls like crazy and is running great but we all appreciate a little extra kick in the butt. My reason for hesitating is that I have read some comments here on the forum that raise some concerns.

(Some of the negative comments I read had to do with things like popping on deceleration, rough idle, roughness or jumpy at slow speeds, etc.)

I have already installed slip-ons; my Pythons look and sound great. For you guys that have done Stage 1 A/C and download:

* How do you like the change?
* How does your bike run at slow speed/RPM?
* High speed/RPM?
* How does it idle after the upgrade?
* Did you notice a difference in performance?
* Probably most important: would you spend the money to do it again?

The practical person in me can see a good answer in the first paragraph! But it is somewhat a question of convenience. The bike will be in the shop for the 1K service, if it is going to happen at all, it seems like good timing.

Thank you for the input!

 

I can't help but ask, did you notice a difference in performance or gas mileage when you simply added the slip-ons without a stage 1?

 

RK,
No need to get in a hurry just because you are at a service interval. You can do all of this yourself, and along with the personal satisfaction and results, do a much better job with better tools than the dealer can offer.
Air cleaner installs are simple to do. Then you can decide what kind of fuel management you might want to consider: PCV, Power Vision, Thundermax, Xieds, etc.
Suggest you do a few searches, sit back, and research the options. Nobody has a gun to your head, so take your time.

 

Remember, it adjusts for correct VE due to intake and slip ons. While still EPA compliant, it will run properly and noticeably better than without. XiEDs adjusts the closed loop which the recalibration can not due to EPA. It enrichens the AFR to 13.9 - 14.0 which helps response and driveability. The recalibration and XiEDs are a perfect match for intake and exhaust. If you plan on more engine mods such as a cam then a tune would be a better choice.

 

I don't have a great deal of data yet but the MPG just before the slip-ons was 40.9 and 43.5 on the tank following the install. That could simply be where and how I rode. I do believe that the bike pulls header after the install, particularly in 6th gear.

 

Good advice Joe, than you!

 

Good info and thanks for the answers! I'm not considering more engine invasive mods at this point, but in the future -- who knows?

 

Just do it. Let your bike breathe

 

I did the Fuel Moto stage one with 4" Jackpots, FM air cleaner, and Powervision recently on my 2011 RK. I was on the fence also for a year because I was very pleased with the performance stock.


* How do you like the change? Like it. It makes for a nice all around improvement in performance, but although the Jackpots have a nice deep tone and not terribly loud I kind of miss the quieter stock bike, especially on all day rides.

* How does your bike run at slow speed/RPM? Very well. No different from stock

* High speed/RPM? Bike has more guts when passing and feels stronger higher in the rpm range.

* How does it idle after the upgrade? Same as stock

* Did you notice a difference in performance? Yes, noticeable improvement, but not a night and day difference.

* Probably most important: would you spend the money to do it again? No. I like the improved performance, but find the extra exhaust volume tiring during a long day in the saddle. I am not unhappy by any means, but knowing what I know today, I would have left it stock.

Since you have already added Pythons and like the sound my advice is to complete the Stage 1. You will enjoy the added performance.

 

A couple of things:

First of all, there's no good reason to let the dealer do your Stage 1 upgrade. I recently upgraded to Fuel Moto Jackpot's, Fuel Moto Stage 1 air cleaner and Nightrider FL-XiED-10 kit. It could not have been any easier - and if I can do it, anybody can do it!

Secondly, there ARE tangible benefits for doing a Stage 1 upgrade. Yes, you'll get a bit of a boost in performance, but you'll also get a cooler running motor and cooler exhaust temps, less engine surging and pinging and improved throttle response.

Based upon my own observations, the XiED option for fuel management outweighs the HD download, in terms of cost/benefit, and is easily reversible.

My SG runs great, IMHO. It does have some minor popping on decels, but it popped before the upgrade, too. It doesn't bother me and I'm not worried about it. If you do some research, you'll find that popping on decel is normal, and not the sign of poor tuning. In fact, if you want to eliminate popping, you actually have to de-tune your motor!