My two latest mods are a Fuel Moto Jackpot Stainless Steel Head Pipes and a Wood Performance “Knight Prowler” TW6-6 Camshafts. It’s still a little to chilly (70ish) in the desert southwest to accurately report on the heat reduction capabilities of the Jackpot Head pipes but I can report with complete certainty that the combination of the Jackpot Head Pipes along with the Wood TW6-6 Cams produce an awesome performance increase for the Tri-Glide!

I never considered my 2009 TG to be a dog; I always felt that for what it is and it’s size and weight, that the performance was adequately respectable. IMO, these two mods have transformed my “adequately respectable” trike into a powerful 3-wheel Cheetah! The new head pipes even make it sound more powerful and are considerably louder with a nice deep rumble sound. I realize that sound/noise is very subjective and I can understand why some may think these pipes are too loud but to my ears, they have a pleasant tone. The back pressure “popping sound” from my existing Vance & Hines Oval Slip-ons at deceleration is gone and now replaced with a nice little burbling sound. I suspect that is due to the straighter unrestricted exhaust flow design of the Jackpot Head Pipe.

The low end torque on the Wood TW6-6 cam is fantastic; as a matter of fact, the TW6-6 provides a noticeable power increase throughout all of the gears. I was unable to detect any bad manners from this cam; it has a nice little lope at idle but definitely not bone rattling, nor will it vibrate any parts off your bike; just enough pulse to let you know it’s there. During the 139.6 mile trip that I rode my TG after the installation of these mods, I have not experienced any bog or hesitation upon rapid acceleration nor have I experienced any detonation problems with the cam; this was a real concern of mine due to the fact that we only have 91 octane w/ethanol available in my area.

A 140 miles probably isn’t enough to completely evaluate the performance under all types of riding conditions and terrains but I was anxious to give my first impressions because I know that several forum members are sitting on the fence trying to decide what if anything to do. I’m a bit reluctant to even mention this because I realize that 70ish degree temps aren’t an accurate indicator of how these mod’s will perform in warmer (hot) weather but the highest engine oil temp on this 139.6, 3 hour non-stop loop ride was 230 degrees @ an IOAT of just under 80 degrees with the fairing lovers closed and the Big Sky Oil Cooler Fan and LeNale Cylinder Fan OFF. Therefore I’m cautiously optimistic that these mod’s may…just may give me the heat reduction I’m seeking! One very positive indicator that these head pipes do not retain heat like the stock one’s is that upon parking the bike; that loud heat contraction ticking sound from the pipes is now gone; there is a little but nowhere as loud or as long as with the stock head pipes.

Our 100 degree heat season should be arriving in the desert southwest in about another month; so I will be in a better position to evaluate on the heat reduction performance of these mods at that time!

Footnote:
As pleased as I am with my two Fuel Moto mods (so far) I have to say that I’m a little disappointed in Fuel Moto! You would think that after spending close to a thousand dollars with them; they could see it in their heart to afford to through in 2-75 cent bung plugs or at minimum, at least tell the customer that the plugs are not included with the head pipes. Living in a small rural community, it was impossible to find any 12mm X 1.25 pitch thread plugs; I had to travel 35 miles to another town just to locate some appropriate size bolts that I could put in the unused bungs…unnecessary aggravation! Just my take on a company that prides itself on customer service; hopefully my commentary will help them learn from this incident and they will take measures to prevent future customers from being unnecessarily inconvenienced!

In all fairness to Fuel Moto and in an effort to end this post on a positive note; Jamie was most helpful in promptly downloading a revised MAP for my PC-V for which I’m very appreciative!

 

Jimer; Thank you for the update on your mods. I can't wait to hear more on your tests. Also I would be curries of the changes in your gas mileage., hopefully for the better. Thank's for alerting us on the lack of the plugs for the Jackpot headers. Hopefully I'll be able to get a couple (or buy) from Jamie when I order my headers. Here where I live I can't just jump into a car and drive 35 miles to pickup a set of plugs. I'd have to fly 900 miles to see a different store or go the internet.

Thank You

 

Great report. I figured it was going to give you a pleasent surprise when you put the cams in and took it for a ride. I think you should have a pretty good handle on the heat with these latest changes. The added overlap of the cam is going to be a big help.

 

Alaskan; I purposely topped off the fuel tank before starting this test ride and refueled at the conclusion but like a dummy , I lost the gas receipt so I don’t know exactly how many gallons I burned out on my 139.6 mile test ride. Based upon my fuel gauge; which I don’t think is the most accurate instrument on an Ultra, I’m not very optimistic that my fuel mileage has improved and very possibly has gone down because the I have the AFR set pretty rich. Not that I enjoy spending extra dollars at the fuel pump but if that is what it takes to cool this beast down, then so be it! The only problem is that I will have to stop more often for gas and in this area; sometimes gas stations can be few and far apart. I suspect that could be a real problem for you up in Alaska but on the bright side; because you don’t have to deal with as much heat as I do, you may not have to run as rich!

I complain about having to travel 35 miles to the next town and you have to fly 900 miles to the next town; thanks for putting things in perspective for me….I guess all things are relative!

 

Thanks Mike; you’re right ; I was pleasantly surprised and so far it looks like it looks like I’m going to be one very happy camper, at least with the performance; time will tell about the heat reduction!

 

Great report and I also feel you have the heat problem under control, don't know of anything else you can do if this don't get you some respectable numbers. May get a little more drop from some colder plugs if you have not already tried that. Of course you know you get the same fire from the colder plus they just disapate a little more heat from the head area!

I also like one stop shopping! Did you get the cams from Fuel Moto and did you get the Torrington inner bearings with the order! I will probably get the adjustable pushrods to keep from tearing anymore down than I have to. Did you use the S&S adjustable pushrod kit, Fuel Moto parts or did you go back with your OEM pushrods? I assume you got the PC-5 from Fuel Motto with the MAPS pre loaded?

This is the combination I was looking at after the warranty ran out but have decided I'm not going to wait! Just to be sure, that is a drop in cam set with the ability to use stock valve springs and no head work?

Good luck with the build, it sounds promising!

 

I'm a newby when it comes to O2 sensors, bungs, etc. I have the Fuelmoto headpipes awaiting installation on my '10 TG at a later date. I thought the existing connections would transfer from my old headpipes pipes to the new; meaning sensors, plugs, whatever. Can someone fill me in here? I hate to do a tear-down and leave my trike jacked-up while I run out and find missing parts. Please advise! Thanks.

 

The Fuelmoto pipe has both bungs for the 2009 sensors (18mm near the heads) and bungs for the 2010 sensors (12mm at the cat). This was done so their pipe fits both year models. You 'll need to put plugs (18mm bolts) in the 2009 bung holes you're not goint to use. Be sure to cut the bolt shank off as short as possible cause you don't want the shanks sticking into the pipe to restrict exhaust flow. Also I would recommend putting anti-seize compound on the O2 sensor threads (readily available at any auto supply store).

 

good decision to wake that engine up. as said many times before, the engine is severely choked up out of the factory which results in excess heat and crappy performance. nothing like a pipes, cams and A/C to open it up a bit and let her breathe.

i hope this gives you the temps you are looking for.

grimm

 

I wish you guys would quit talking about these pipes, extra power, and tuning. I can see eventually its going to cost me a bunch more. I already have almost as much in this as my house cost.