Stage I Need help

[pyuchem]

SO I've been thinking about doing stage I. Not interested in Stage II or above. I just started reading on Stage I and found out you have to change pipes. I'm not much into loud pipes. I do lot of long distance/cross country trips and kind of like stock exhaust where I cannot hear it while riding. So if I have to absolutely change pipes, I need ones that are really mellow.

Second question I have is about tuner. I read there are better tuners other than Harley. But coudn't find which ones. My warranty is about to expire so not really worried about after market tuner voiding it, as long as I get a gr8 product. Need something that is plug and forget. I remember years ago my buddy riding Yamaha touring bike and he had goofy tuner on this handlebar. He used to always fidget with it, curious I asked what he was doing. He told me he was adjusting Fuel/air ratio. I don't want to be like him. I'm looking for a tuner that once installed and tuned by Harley shop I want to forget its even there. LOl

What are your recommendations ? Thank you for your help. Really appreciate all the responses.

 

[OldMike]

My quiet, good running, no maintenance Stage I:
Fuel Moto 2-1-2 head pipe with $200 Harley CVO take-off mufflers from eBay.
Fuel Moto air cleaner that uses the stock cover.
Power Vision tuner from Fuel moto loaded with their tune. I ran a couple of auto tunes after flashing my bike with the Power Vision, bike runs great, I do not need to keep the Power Vision on the bike.
This is the setup I've been running for four seasons.

 

[NGOT8R]

Thundermax. It replaces the stock ECM and also has an auto tune feature. I actually leave mine in this mode and write the learned parameters to the map every couple of thousand miles. No dyno tuning is necessary. If you ever decided to go beyond a Stage I, it will handle anything you can throw at it. They are expensive though at $800-$1000, depending on where you buy them.

 

[Dutchman17]

I had Harley do the stage 1 download for my 15HLXS so I could upgrade to less restrictive mufflers and air cleaner, bike still ran to lean. After additional research I concluded that the ThunderMax tuner would work best for me. In my case I needed to replace my header pipes and relocate the O2 sensors ( wide band which are larger) closer to exhaust ports. I opted for a set of ceramic coated headers to help reduce the heat and eliminated the catalytic converter. I agree with NGOT8R I like the fact that it replaces the stock ECM and will take any modifications you want to make later.


15 SGS Amber Whiskey; ThunderMax tuner; Ceramic True Duel headers; 4.5 inch RC Exhaust slip ons ;LED turn signals/ run lights; passenger backrest; one inch passenger and rider floorboard extensions;stage one air cleaner. 4 point docking system; air wing.




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[MKA_5966]

I'm using the SE Street Cannons slip-ons, SE Hi-flow breather that retains the OEM cover and the Vance and Hines FP3 tuner that's absolutely a plug and play and forget it add-on.

This setup really matches what I believe you're looking for in sound with some minor performance enhancements and no hassle. All this can be done easily without a trip to the dealer or an indy.

 

[Grubster]

My stage 1 upgrade:
Vance and Hines Twin Slash Round slip on mufflers, Arlen Ness big sucker air cleaner, tuned with a Vance and Hines Fuelpak FP3.
Bike runs well, pulls hard and doesn't run hot. Mufflers have a great sound and are not annoying on long trips.
Quick and easy stage 1 upgrade that works well.

 

[Erilflynn]

My stage 1 upgrade:
Vance and Hines Twin Slash Round slip on mufflers, Arlen Ness big sucker air cleaner, tuned with a Vance and Hines Fuelpak FP3.
Bike runs well, pulls hard and doesn't run hot. Mufflers have a great sound and are not annoying on long trips.
Quick and easy stage 1 upgrade that works well.

You can even simplify this setup by substituting a K & N insert into your stock AC as these bikes breathe well on their own. Add pipes of your choice and a tuner and you’re all set.

 

[Sayiwont38]

I have a 14 and my stage 1 is RC exhaust slip on stock head pipe and screaming eagle a.c. In using a fp3 for tuner. Super easy to install just plug it in. Downloaded a canned map and auto tune. Easy peezie

 

[BluesBelly]

My bike is a 14 SG. All stock with the exception of SE Street Cannons, Fuel Moto air intake, and HD Stage one ECM flash (stage1). Bike runs like a champ. To begin I did the same setup as Old Mike, Fuel Moto air intake (better design than HD), stock HD head pipe, CVO take off mufflers (e-bay $200), and An ECM stage one flash, which does relieve some of the cat heat because of timing variations and advance, where as Old Mike spent money on a tuner because he went with a nice aftermarket head pipe to eliminate the cat and its heat and that requires a tuner.
The CVO muffs flow very well and are a bit more throaty than stock but are still pretty quiet and look nice. I needed a bit more sound without being obnoxious so I switched from the CVO muffs to the HD Street Cannons and after about 10k miles they have opened up nicely and I will say that I do get compliments on their sound, which is similar to that of Vance & Hines Twin Slash Rounds. The HD Street Cannons are made by Vance & Hines and have basically the same baffle configuration as the V H rounds.

 

[pyuchem]

Thank you all for ur inputs. Reason for upgrade to Stage I is cuz my bike just doesn't run smooth like it was when I bought it. I have serviced it at dealer every 5,000 miles. Does changing air filter built into their service ? I've never told them to change it. Wonder if its included in that service.

I'll call Vance and Hines and look into their complete Stage I kit with maximum horse power I can get. I really don't want to goto stage II as I plan to keep this bike well beyond 100,000 miles. Don't know if upgrading to stage II will damage the engine and don't want to take that chance.

 

[NGOT8R]

Thank you all for ur inputs. Reason for upgrade to Stage I is cuz my bike just doesn't run smooth like it was when I bought it. I have serviced it at dealer every 5,000 miles. Does changing air filter built into their service ? I've never told them to change it. Wonder if its included in that service.

I'll call Vance and Hines and look into their complete Stage I kit with maximum horse power I can get. I really don't want to goto stage II as I plan to keep this bike well beyond 100,000 miles. Don't know if upgrading to stage II will damage the engine and don't want to take that chance.

I doubt that the dealer has changed your air filter without telling you and charging you for one. How many miles are on the bike and does the filter look really dirty? If it is dirty it will certainly affect performance. The good news is, you can wash them with dawn dishwashing detergent and soak in bleach/water for a bit if it's really dirty and you want to restore it's color to bright white, so that you can tell when it needs cleaning. Let it air dry afterward and reinstall. Very easy to do yourself. Another option is to add a K&N filter to the stock air cleaner. The K&N filter will require oiling each time it's cleaned, whereas the stock filter does not.

 

[NGOT8R]

You can also clean the throttle body by spraying brake and parts cleaner on a rag and wiping down the butterfly and mouth of the throttlebody (using one or two fingers in order to clean as much of the backside of the butterfly and inside of the throttlebody as possible). I do this all of the time on my 2015. One last tip is to buy a can of Mass Air Sensor cleaner, stuff a clean microfiber towel as far back into the mouth of the throttlebody as possible and generously spray the Mass Air Sensor Cleaner onto the intake air temperature sensor that protrudes from the ceiling of the throttlebody. This should restore performance and help your engine run like it once did.

 

[BluesBelly]

In addition to NOGOT8R's suggestions I would check to see if the coating on the front spark plug wire has worn thin from rubbing on the underside of the tank and is shorting out. It has been a problem. Also I recommend replacing your plugs regularly.
If you are satisfied with the sound and power of your stock buke there is no reason to invest in a stage 1 but I would definitely invest in the K&N air filter that fits into the stock air box. It seals to the sides of the air box better than the cheap stock one and will last the life of the bike.

Best,
Blues

 

[Sealion]

The V&H FP3 is a great, simple to use tuner. From a tip I read in this forum, I first got the tuner and tuned the bike with the stock map. That made it run better.

I completed my stage one with Cobra 909s and a S&S Stealth air cleaner. The Cobras have a nice sound when accelerating but are mellow when cruising. I have no problem listening to the sound system.