Stage1 - is this a good price ?

[Ulysses]

Now I've "heard and seen" a few RK's, I want to get a stage1 done on my 08 RK Classic, which is stock at the moment.

On reading various threads on here, I contacted Mayors in Southampton (I'm a complete novice in the spannering stakes). Various dealerships wanted £1,200'ish to do the job.

I asked for a quote on V&H Ovals, PCIII, air filter and rolling road test/set-up. Mayors have quoted me...

"...Stage one Costs:

V&H Ovals £400.00
Air Filter Kit £150.00
Labour to fit exhaust and filter £55.00

Kitech Refueler inc fitting and set up on rolling road £365.00

Total inc vat £970.00..."

I asked why Kitech and not a PCIII and got this response :

"We prefer to use the Kitech unit for a couple of reasons, the Kitech connects to the loom between the ECU and the injectors/O2 sensors so the ECU doesn't know that it's there, and so it can't light up any fault code lights, also the PCIII is very large and there is very little room under the saddle to locate the PCIII and as it requires connection directly to the ECU it is possible (and we have had a couple of examples) where the ECU has seen the PCIII and lit up a fault light ( mostly caused by damp connections ) but the bigger problem is the physical size, we have seen some bikes with the PCIII fitted and after some time the loom has chaffed through because of the cramped conditions where as the Kitech is credit card size and only 5mm thick and we simply Velcro it to the side of the battery. The operational differences between the two units are negligible. Kitech is the UK name given to the refuelling devise made by Dobeck Performance in USA."

I realise with a bit of spannering and knowledge (of which I have neither), the job could be done cheaper but given that I will have to pay, does this seem OK ?

Oh, and what else should I be asking for/knowing about ?

Thanks

[Dave_Scott]

Cheaper to buy the parts and get a price for them to fit only,

https://www.kitechperformance.com/st...item=&x=45&y=7

[Limey_Dave]

I have worked on bikes for over 40 years and got my RK because it had a carb which I'm comfortable with,and yes I still write with a quill and mix my own ink.
If I found myself with an EFI bike,this is the set up I'd go for.
They are all UK sourced parts so should work,the only way you'll get cheaper is from the US and if you read a few threads on here you will see where that can lead.
The price seems about what most dealers will charge for just bolting the bits on straight out the box and most don't have rolling road so you're £60 up there.
You are getting the parts and labour as a package from one place so if there's probs you have full(UK) consumer rights.Get a bit here and a bit there and all you get is everyone blaming everyone else.
As far as the Kitech is concerned,apart from size issues,if that is what they use and prefer then that is what they'll be best with as to diag and set up.Also they will have the backing of Kitech technical people if they do have probs.

One question I would ask is if V&H do "Quiet Baffles" for these and would they effect the settings.They may sound great now but later on you may decide for one reason or another that they're just a bit too much.

This may not be the most popular opinion you'll get here but it's an honest one.I don't have pots of money and apart from MOT's I.ve never taken a bike to a garage but that is a package I'd go for.

[grbrown]

Originally Posted by Limey_Dave

I have worked on bikes for over 40 years and got my RK because it had a carb which I'm comfortable with,and yes I still write with a quill and mix my own ink.
If I found myself with an EFI bike,this is the set up I'd go for.
They are all UK sourced parts so should work,the only way you'll get cheaper is from the US and if you read a few threads on here you will see where that can lead.
The price seems about what most dealers will charge for just bolting the bits on straight out the box and most don't have rolling road so you're £60 up there.
You are getting the parts and labour as a package from one place so if there's probs you have full(UK) consumer rights.Get a bit here and a bit there and all you get is everyone blaming everyone else.
As far as the Kitech is concerned,apart from size issues,if that is what they use and prefer then that is what they'll be best with as to diag and set up.Also they will have the backing of Kitech technical people if they do have probs.

One question I would ask is if V&H do "Quiet Baffles" for these and would they effect the settings.They may sound great now but later on you may decide for one reason or another that they're just a bit too much.

This may not be the most popular opinion you'll get here but it's an honest one.I don't have pots of money and apart from MOT's I.ve never taken a bike to a garage but that is a package I'd go for.

Agree entirely Dave. The only bit I will add is that the V&H ovals look identical to my S&S ditto. I would not be surprised if one of them makes both versions. My ovals are a little noisier that I expected, but not as loud as the previous ones I had on, so I am happy. S&S also make quiet baffles, but I will not be using them!

[Buellibob]

Hi Geoff,

Not sure what they were talking about regarding the position of the PC111 under the seat? as on a Roadking, It fits and is secured behind the right hand side panel with no problems.

[Maggar]

The V&H Ovals are not very loud at all and way over-priced at £400! You're better off paying a little bit more and getting the Big Shot Duals - better noise and much cleaner lines (no crossover pipe).

[Battersea]

Sorry cant help with RK questions as Fatboy owner but Mayors have been around for a number of years, went to their place a few times about 5-6 years ago. They are (or were then) an S&S dealer and very competitive on prices, certainly seemed to know what they were at. The fact they are still in the same place and still in business means something, I recon.

[Menace]

That seems a reasonable price. Main dealer quoted me £1200.
Needless to say I did it myself with a secondhand PC111 for £600
Seems to run faultless and I just love the sound of the V&H Ovals.
Plenty of space behind right panel

[JR-Harley]

Yes Mayors did my stage one last year and that was around the price I payed too. The dealership was the same price so I rather they had the money plus they had the Dyno.

Mayors will also put the bike on the Dyno to set it up this could be expensive if it takes a long time but it was all included in the price. The bike runs so much better and less hot than before. Costly but well worth it in the long run.

[Mike Benis]

There's nothing wrong with the Kitech/Dobeck/Techlusion unit, although Mayor's prejudices about the PCIII are open to question. It is also as HB pointed out nonsense about fitting them under the seat. You could also argue against the way the Kitech unit is fitted, plugging in between the cables from the ECU and injectors, which apart from anything else makes fitting and removal a bit more fiddly, especially on the baggers where you have to lift the tank. I have also had a faulty TFI set off warning codes, FWIW.

The PCIII gives you more variables to play with, though, including timing, and allows you to remove as well as add fuel (which was not possible on the old Techlusion units at least). I had a TFI (previsou generation of same thing) on my Road King and have a PCIII on my Nightster. Will also be fitting one on my new RK because you can rely on any half-competent Dynopjet tuning centre giving you a decent map if the standard one is amiss (which it generally isn't). And they're pretty easy to get hold of all over the place if the you get a failure while on a long tour.

Lastly, it's debateable whether you really need to pay for lots of Dyno time for the Kitech. I tuned my old TFI in by the seat of my pants it worked just fine following a little experimentation. And it's fairly safe because it's flashed for your bike and doesn't give you so much range of adjustment that you can do any damage (unless they've changed things so you can now "remove" fuel).

The V&H Ovals are slightly louder than the S&S Ovals (know someone who changed from former to latter) and they do not have different baffle options. Though they are quieter than many of V7H's other pipes, many find they get to be irritatingly loud on day-long journeys/touring, especially if they don't wear ear plugs.

hth

Mike