Exhausts Fat Bob newbie Stage 1 question

[lyndon1904]

I bought a Fat Bob recently (first Harley, and love it). I really like the look of the stock pipes, but various people at Preston H-D have said that a Stage 1 kit would really bring out the bike's full potential and that it's a bit stifled with the stock air filter, etc. I had an XJR1300 before, and although I don't expect the Harley to be just like it, a bit of extra poke would be good.

They recommend a Vance and Hines 2 into 1 big radius pipe, and said the job would cost about £1200, which I've seen from another thread is about par for the course. They also say the bike would run much cooler, which I guess will be better for it in the long run.

The V & H sounds awesome down at the shop and not offensively loud (IMO, anyway!) - but is the power and sound gain worth the money? Also, am I going to have to change back to stock for MOT purposes in three years' time, or is the V & H setup road legal?

Finally, has anyone here had complaints from their neighbours after getting a kit like this installed? I don't want to have to push the bike to the end of the road before I start it, and have only had nice comments so far...

Thanks for any advice. Lyndon

[banquo]

Definitely not street legal, and you could get pulled and ticketed for it. For some reason, Harleys are less susceptible to getting pulled unless ridden by tossers, or revving the nuts off them in town, etc. Probably >95% of Harleys on the road are illegal in the pipe area.
You can still find a friendly MOT station that will certify your bike with illegal pipes fitted, but that is getting harder all the time. Most dealers will put your bike through the MOT, but that can be inconvenient and expensive.
It will run cooler because it will pump more fuel. Your consumption will suffer. Up to you if that's an issue, but I get about 40mpg with a Stage 1 88", and my mate (on the same journey) was getting nearer 50 with a stock 96".
Consider getting a Kess-Tech system if you're worried about neighbours and legality. They have a manual or automatic 'noise control' which turns from noisy to quiet. Like the idea, but not sure what reputation they have, although as htey are German, and TUV approved on some models (the quieter ones) they're probably OK.
I never think my pipes sound all that noisy when I leave home in the daylight, but it's amazing how much louder they sound when we come home at three in the morning...

[grbrown]

Lyndon,

Harleys suffer a variety of features to keep the noise police happy. They include very high gearing, to reduce engine speed past the noise test meter, very quiet induction system, ditto exhaust, even the engine timing may be altered from optimum.

Stage 1 is an expression open to interpretation. The cheapest way to wake up your bike is to fit a smaller crankshaft sprocket - Harley sell a kit with suitably shorter chain. We fitted one to my wife's Dyna, which reduces its theoretical top speed from 140mph to 117mph. Costs about £120 plus fitting. You will never do 140 on a Harley, probably not even 117! Reduces gearing from 25T to 21T, or around 19mph/1000rpm.

An after-market air filter with adjustments to carb/injection will sharpen the engine up, but also can be surprisingly noisy. When I first did mine it sounded like a hammer on an anvil under the tank!

The possible exhaust systems are almost infinite. If you like the look of the original exhaust, we fitted Supertrapp copies of the originals to the Dyna. They are actually slightly different in shape but look the same. Look at their USA website first, to get the part number. Cheaper than a complete exhaust and they have adjustable baffles, out of sight inside, by which to tune them to the sound you want. Be warned that many US exhausts are what I would call very noisy (or bloody loud).

Few if any Harley dealers have a dyno, to properly set your bike up after fitting these things. Even modest engine mods can benefit from time spent on one, so consider that too.

With very little effort and expense you could have a bike that looks bog standard, but with a few discreetly chosen mods will fly!

[Limey_Dave]

As #1 above plus any replacement system will be marked "not for street use" or "racing" etc.
I wouldn't replace complete system but see what is available in replacement SE slipon mufflers.
If you then decide they're a bit much you can see about baffling them or replacing originals.You will also have the originals to slip back on for MOT.
Screaming Eagle catalogue

Harley-Davidson | Experience | Racing | Screamin' Eagle® Pro Racing Parts

SE catalogue showing air cleaners and dyno charts for STD vs STAGE1

http://www.guernseyharleydavidson.co...#39;_Eagle.pdf

[DeuceBG]

Lyndon

I have a Fatbob with a full Stage One which was fitted by the supplying dealer before I collected it.
It consists of a Hi-flow filter kit, Fuelpack (opinions vary regarding these compared to other solutions available but I've been happy with mine in general) and a full system Vance and Hines Big Shots Staggered.
All this cost me around £900 about 8 months ago when I got her.
The pipes don't have "Not for road use" stamped on them anywhere I've seen although my wife's Screaming Eagle mufflers on her 1200 Sporty do have that exact phrase.
I replaced the standard baffles with "Quiet" ones which are not so much quieter but they do alter the note of the exhaust from a sharp crack to a deeper rumble.
The police around us at least seem very excitable when it comes to speeding or number plate size but less interested in your pipes.
I suppose that would soon change if you started creating a nuisance in town etc.
Maybe I'm lucky with my neighbours but I live right in the centre of a sleepy village and have never had any problems with them so far.
This is my second HD and the last one was no quieter.
Everytime we go out someone passing by will stop and look and chat about the bikes.
This seems to apply to all ages, from kids to OAPs both male and female.
On the other hand, we go out of our way to be considerate.
We don't start the bikes until we are ready to go and we switch them off on our return whilst we open up the garage etc.
In my experience most people won't hassle you if you don't hassle them.
Is a Stage One worth the money???
IMHO it is but then to me a major part of the whole HD experience is that sound.
The machine performs somewhat better than standard although the stock Bob I took out on demo was quicker and more responsive than my Stage Oned 88" anyway so I think the increase in power is probably marginal.
Economy wise, my 88" regularly returned 50 - 55 mpg and the 96" does much the same now it's starting to loosen up.
New it returned around 40 - 45 but it's now up around 3500 miles and it gives back 52 mostly.
I check each tankful cos I'm sad like that.
The Sporty does just the same.

Sorry if this has dragged on a bit folks but I like to help out if I can. I often have just these kind of questions popping up myself and I find it useful to hear from someone with an almost identical set-up.
Hope this has helped a bit.

Happy riding and stay safe.
Deuce

[lyndon1904]

Originally Posted by DeuceBG

I replaced the standard baffles with "Quiet" ones which are not so much quieter but they do alter the note of the exhaust from a sharp crack to a deeper rumble.

This sounds like exactly what I'm looking for: and the Big Shots Staggered look more like the stock exhausts, which I like. I'd be happy with a slight performance boost coupled with that sound - with more 'bass' and less 'treble', which from what you say is what the quiet baffles deliver.

Thanks, everyone, for your really helpful (and quick) replies!

Lyndon