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High-Flow air intakes..."Are they just a matter of taste?"

MKA_5966

MKA_5966

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Jul 6, 2016
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I have decided to do a little upgrading here late in the season. Wanted to get some thoughts from the group here about high flow air intakes.

I really want to keep the stock appearance and have it down to three choices that allow this. HD SE, Fuel Moto AC/DC and the V&H VO 2. The prices are all very similar so is it just a matter of taste since the real working bits will be covered up and really not seen? Can one actually be better than the other?

I'm planning on running my Street Cannons, hi flow air intake, and the FP3 (for its ease of use) and see what I get from that mainly in some possible heat management, responsiveness etc... before and if necessary the addition of head pipes. I figured this would be a good place to start.

Thoughts appreciated...

Mike
 
Arlen ness big sucker on my 2014 street glide special stock cover and FP3 full V&H true duals and monster rounds , Runs super crisp all the way up from idle like a scalded ape sounds like a hot rod. I almost bought the V02 nice setup
 
Last edited:
MKA_5966 said:
I have decided to do a little upgrading here late in the season. Wanted to get some thoughts from the group here about high flow air intakes.

I really want to keep the stock appearance and have it down to three choices that allow this. HD SE, Fuel Moto AC/DC and the V&H VO 2. The prices are all very similar so is it just a matter of taste since the real working bits will be covered up and really not seen? Can one actually be better than the other?

I'm planning on running my Street Cannons, hi flow air intake, and the FP3 (for its ease of use) and see what I get from that mainly in some possible heat management, responsiveness etc... before and if necessary the addition of head pipes. I figured this would be a good place to start.

Thoughts appreciated...

Mike
Click to expand...

Hi Mike,
In your previous post I put in a plug for the Fuel Moto air intake. Here are the reasons I bought the FM over some of the others:
1) I could use the stock cover
2) it has a powder coated CNC backing plate that supports the backside of the cover.
3) it operates more quietly than air cleaners with no backing plate.
4) it keeps the filter dry in rain
5) it has an oiled K&N type filter
6) installation is fast and easy because you DO NOT have to raise the tank to remove the throttle body support as is the case with the SE filter.
7) It has enough airflow to support future upgrades you might choose
8) the price makes one of the best deals available

It is important to remember that the amount of air your engine can process at any given rpm is limited by the camshaft so adding a free flowing air element might let the engine breath more freely above maybe 4K rpm but if the cam only makes power to 45k-48k rpm only a little bit is gained over the stock filter in that limited rpm range.

The biggest benefit of free flowing pipes and a free flowing air element is the reprogramming of the ECM which will allow your engine to run a tad cooler by changing the timing a bit and and adjusting the maps of the SE street tuner or HD download. The engine still maintains factory F/A ratio which is not as lean across the board as legend would have you believe.
Aftermarket tuners are even more adjustable.

Blues.
 
liquid1 said:
Arlen ness big sucker on my 2014 street glide special stock cover and FP3 full V&H true duals and monster rounds , Runs super crisp all the way up from idle like a scalded ape sounds like a hot rod. I almost bought the V02 nice setup
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads-up on the Ness. Four choices it looks like...
 
BluesBelly said:
Hi Mike,
In your previous post I put in a plug for the Fuel Moto air intake. Here are the reasons I bought the FM over some of the others:
1) I could use the stock cover
2) it has a powder coated CNC backing plate that supports the backside of the cover.
3) it operates more quietly than air cleaners with no backing plate.
4) it keeps the filter dry in rain
5) it has an oiled K&N type filter
6) installation is fast and easy because you DO NOT have to raise the tank to remove the throttle body support as is the case with the SE filter.
7) It has enough airflow to support future upgrades you might choose
8) the price makes one of the best deals available

It is important to remember that the amount of air your engine can process at any given rpm is limited by the camshaft so adding a free flowing air element might let the engine breath more freely above maybe 4K rpm but if the cam only makes power to 45k-48k rpm only a little bit is gained over the stock filter in that limited rpm range.

The biggest benefit of free flowing pipes and a free flowing air element is the reprogramming of the ECM which will allow your engine to run a tad cooler by changing the timing a bit and and adjusting the maps of the SE street tuner or HD download. The engine still maintains factory F/A ratio which is not as lean across the board as legend would have you believe.
Aftermarket tuners are even more adjustable.

Blues.
Click to expand...

Blues... Thank you for the info on the FM intake. I like the tips on quietness, drier in the rain, and easy install. Thanks again for taking the time! Mike
 
Last edited:
BluesBelly said:
Hi Mike,
In your previous post I put in a plug for the Fuel Moto air intake. Here are the reasons I bought the FM over some of the others:
1) I could use the stock cover
2) it has a powder coated CNC backing plate that supports the backside of the cover.
3) it operates more quietly than air cleaners with no backing plate.
4) it keeps the filter dry in rain
5) it has an oiled K&N type filter
6) installation is fast and easy because you DO NOT have to raise the tank to remove the throttle body support as is the case with the SE filter.
7) It has enough airflow to support future upgrades you might choose
8) the price makes one of the best deals available

It is important to remember that the amount of air your engine can process at any given rpm is limited by the camshaft so adding a free flowing air element might let the engine breath more freely above maybe 4K rpm but if the cam only makes power to 45k-48k rpm only a little bit is gained over the stock filter in that limited rpm range.

The biggest benefit of free flowing pipes and a free flowing air element is the reprogramming of the ECM which will allow your engine to run a tad cooler by changing the timing a bit and and adjusting the maps of the SE street tuner or HD download. The engine still maintains factory F/A ratio which is not as lean across the board as legend would have you believe.
Aftermarket tuners are even more adjustable.

Blues.
Click to expand...

I just installed the Fuel Moto AC 3 weeks ago. I had to raise the tank and get a special short hex drive to get the bracket off. Not too big of a deal but there was no way around it unless one had a special Allen wrench made. Did not have to disconnect the tank, just loosened rear bolts and propped it up. Those bolts holding the bracket are quite snug.
 
Dylanthecat said:
I just installed the Fuel Moto AC 3 weeks ago. I had to raise the tank and get a special short hex drive to get the bracket off. Not too big of a deal but there was no way around it unless one had a special Allen wrench made. Did not have to disconnect the tank, just loosened rear bolts and propped it up. Those bolts holding the bracket are quite snug.
Click to expand...

While the SE kit requires the throttle body bracket to be removed the instructions with the Fuel Moto kit specifically say DO NOT REMOVE BRACKET. Read step 1 of instructions. This is for the Rushmore kit 2014-2016 103" bikes.

image.jpg
 
I just installed the fuel moto ac/dc about 2 months ago and did not have to raise the tank or remove the bracket
total time was about 30 mins from start to finish
not hard at all instructions were very clear all extra parts included
comes with a outer plate where you can run the filter open or use the original factory cover
have had no problems and the bike runs a lot better
mule
 
iron mule said:
I just installed the fuel moto ac/dc about 2 months ago and did not have to raise the tank or remove the bracket
total time was about 30 mins from start to finish
not hard at all instructions were very clear all extra parts included
comes with a outer plate where you can run the filter open or use the original factory cover
have had no problems and the bike runs a lot better
mule
Click to expand...

Interesting. I agree I'm happy with the ac and the jackpot slip ons. My instructions were different than those posted. The bracket has to come off. If you had just the right hex driver attachment you would not need to do anything with the tank. Took me about 30 minutes as well plus a trip to the hardware store.
 
Sorry, must have missed you have the M8. I will say the Harley one for the 103 is nice quality, I'm sure the M8 is too. If you don't already know look at Board tracker HD online for a better deal than most Local dealers. There are others online as well. It is nice to support good local dealers as well.
 
I had the SE extreme ventilator for awhile and reinstalled the factory air cleaner. The sound coming from the throttle body was horrible and louder than my jackpot pipe with cfr mufflers. the sound reminds me of a stock car engine with the air cleaner removed or the air cleaner lid that was flipped. just my 2 cents. I can now enjoy the sound of my pipe muffler combo and not the damn throttle body. i wish i would have paid closer attention to the reviews stating the above. Good luck with your decision i hope this helps.
 
slphwk1 said:
I had the SE extreme ventilator for awhile and reinstalled the factory air cleaner. The sound coming from the throttle body was horrible and louder than my jackpot pipe with cfr mufflers. the sound reminds me of a stock car engine with the air cleaner removed or the air cleaner lid that was flipped. just my 2 cents. I can now enjoy the sound of my pipe muffler combo and not the damn throttle body. i wish i would have paid closer attention to the reviews stating the above. Good luck with your decision i hope this helps.
Click to expand...

Yeah... that's one thing I'm definitely on the lookout for. The HD High Flow #29400246 is more than likely the way I'm going. I like the stock appearance.
 
I had the Arlen Ness Big Sucker on for about 15k miles. While I liked it because I could use my powder coated stock cover, I could never get it to seal. After a couple of thousand miles I would start getting oil weeps where the bolts come into the head regardless what O- ring or sealant I was using- it was frustrating. It’s because the bracket holding the throttle body is slightly oval in shape where the Ness backing plate is round.

I ended up putting on a Harley Screamin Eagle Heavy Breather, PN 29006-09B (it’s the curved style with a ‘snout’). I also put on the Tear Drop Breather Cover, PN 2940061, and the Throttle Body Cover, PN 61300110. Got the parts right here on this blog. Love this set up with my FP-3 Tuner, V&H Power Duals, and Rinehart 4” slip-ons. 8,000 miles and all is good- not a single weep.
 
I went with the V&H VO2 naked for a couple of reasons.1- The ease of installation, 2- I use the V&H power dual head pipe and this makes for a good match up and 3-I could use the stock cover and/or a number of other decorative covers of the same diameter which is a very common size.
 
El Chapo said:
I went with the V&H VO2 naked for a couple of reasons.1- The ease of installation, 2- I use the V&H power dual head pipe and this makes for a good match up and 3-I could use the stock cover and/or a number of other decorative covers of the same diameter which is a very common size.
Click to expand...
El Chapo do you notice a significant increase in throttle body sound over stock. I'm truing to choose between the naked and screaming eagle.


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