Thank you for the reply regarding the Power Commander V. I'm painfully aware that would certainly cure my problems and allow me to run the after-market Rinehart pipes.
If one buys after-market pipes, does one have to buy a tuner as well? These pipes, when new, were $750.00. I cannot believe one would have to invest in a turner in order for their bike to respond well when they upgrade their exhaust which in my case, would be over $1000.00 ($750 Rineharts pipes plus $300 and up, for a tuner).
I'm sure this process is less costly on carbureted motors versus a fuel injection motor!

 

With the new pipes - having a supertuner installed and then having it dynod will give you the best performance hands down. Second to that would be the basic download or an aftermarket fuel management system like a power commander or V&H fuel pak those type of units fool the ECM by giving it false readings in order to adjust the air/fuel mixtures to compensate for the accessories you've added. Wont run quite as optimal as having a bike dynod though. Are you thinking about an aftermarket air intake as well? if it were me I would add the accessories i.e. air cleaner and pipes then take it in for the download. The extra money you would have spent on a supertuner and dyno runs could be spent on a fuel management system and an air intake system or possibly save up a little more and put some cams in that baby.

 

welcome

 

Welcome from NY! This forum is a great place. As others have mentioned, if you search the forum, chances are you're not alone with your question, issue, etc... It's a great place.

In my opinion, carbureted is more difficult to do upgrades with as compared to fuel injected. Case in point, I purchased a 2003 883 Sportster for my wife. From the factory, they are jetted lean for emissions and performance is lacking. I re-jetted it to get better performance out of the stock machine, and it worked. then, I changed the exhaust and had to re-jet the carb again. Then a few years later changed the breather and another carburetor re-jet. Each re-jet was $100+ and that was in addition to the cost of the exhaust or breather.

Now onto my fuel injected 2008 CVO Screaming Eagle Dyna. I expected to be more powerful better performing machine out of the box. It wasn't! Just as with the Sportster it was tuned very lean for emissions purposes and not set for performance. I installed a Power Commander V (PC-V) and WHAMMO, what a difference. Changed the stock SE pipes to V&H, no problem! Plugged the PC-V into my laptop, downloaded a new map and I was in business in seconds and it didn't cost me one red cent!

These are my thoughts and experiences, used to formulate my humble opinion. Since going to EFI, I do not miss carbs at all! Others will disagree, but it's all a matter of personal preference.

Good luck, welcome to the H-D family and to the H-D Forums! Ride hard and ride safe!

 

Thanks mhuffington & 118of1050, I'm beginning to understand the "beauty" of a tuner and how it would allow for optimal performance along with "ease" of future upgrades. Great comparison of EFI versus carbs when upgrading from stock to aftermarket parts.
I was hoping for a "less costly" solution to have a better sounding bike. "Out of the box" the V-rod exhaust sound is disappointing with a friend commenting "it sounds like a Goldwing" which is another reason I want the Rineharts back on(and maybe why the previous owner bought them).

Background: Bought the bike last month from the original owner who put 3465 miles on it in the 10 yrs he owned it. Came with saddlebags, windshield, luggage rack, backrest and the Rineharts. Bought it because of its condition, low miles and price. I'm a cruiser not a racer style rider which is why the exhaust sound is more important than the performance. Now I'm wondering if I bought the wrong bike.