Hello All, New to the forum so I'll start out by saying hello to everyone. I searched out this group looking for some info about the bike I just purchased. It's a 2005 FLHTCUI Ultra Classic. I had a FLH back in the 70's and have been riding jap bikes since then. Wanted my last motorcycle to be good for touring when I retire, so decided to go back to Harley and the Ultra Classic. I deal with heavy traffic congestion every day. Lots of stop and go driving on a 30 mile commute to work. The harley gets so hot I start to think I'm smelling hamburger frying, but it's actually the back of my legs. Open road it's fine, and runs like a top, but is there any solution to the heat problem while sitting, or do I need to find some asbestos long johns? One more thing. Any recommendations on where I should be running the rpm's? I think I'm probably on the low end of the power curve - so was wondering if I'm causing it to overheat from that. Thanks for any suggestions. rico
The bigger Touring bikes and Harleys in general tend to run hotter that there metric counter parts. Alot of this is because of the air cooled, overhead valve technology. That being said, there are heat sheilds (Plastic, I believe) that fit to protect the underside of the riders legs. Also, fans that can be side mounted where the horn is now, oil coolers may help a bit, (it all adds up) Also, check that your not running to lean (fuel), as this can contribute to exessive heat from the exhaust. As far as your RPMs, I think you want to be running lower numbers. Your bike is not designed to run high for extended periods of time. You should consiuder your exaust and cam configuration, as certain set ups will cause the bike to run hotter at lower speeds ie torque to overall horse power ratios etc.
I am also new, just buying an 06 ultra this past week. I have found that i like to keep the rpms in the 20 - 25 bracket. If I get too low in 5th gear, It seems to run better to downshift at 20 or so.
I have a 2006 ultra and absolute love it but it has one flaw that bugs the crap out of me. On a really hot day you can literally fry your thighs. I installed “no more fried thighs” heat shields that work 90 percent of the time and look great. I am going to explore en-richening the fuel system via power commander or a cobra this winter. Last resort is to change the exhaust system.:x
I am still new at this but I was checking out this forum looking for some info on my 2008 Ultra Classic in regards to excessive heat. I have been riding harleys for years and this is the first time I have ever experienced a harley getting so hot that it feels like my left leg is on fire. And this is with ambient temperature of 70 degrees. I rode last week when it was 40 degrees and it was unnoticeable. Also, I was sitting in traffic but I do this often with my 1990 FLHS and never felt bike get that hot ever. I understand there is the shields you can buy to block the heat from the rear cylinder and exhaust but what is the cause for this condition? It seems to me that the bike, when hot like this, runs poorly, like it is lean. Whats the fix? My bike has less than 500 miles on it. Any thoughts? thanks in advance...
The cause is leaner mixtures and the profile of the cams due to EPA regs. The fix is to use a tuner of your choice and richen things up by adding some fuel to the mixture and an exhaust to relieve the spent gasses. Some go to a true dual system but the true duals take some low end torque away from the motor due to the individual pipes as opposed to the stock exhaust that is basically a 2 into 1 because of the way it is designed. The left muffler does very little in the stock setup. If you look inside of both mufflers you'll notice that the design is very different on the left side. We can thank EPA for all these hot running bikes and you are not alone with this problem.
Know some guys that have talked about the same thing with excessive heat, especially on the new TC96 Ultras. Of course, there is the O2 sensor discussion and some new aftermarket O2 sensors are coming out to market for the TC96. Major expense going this route. Does not apply to the Twin Cam 88 either. Solution that these guys pursued is the Reflective Saddleshields from Kuryakyn (pn 1188) which retail around $60 - $65. Just an idea for you to check out!
I've been talking to these guys but I'm not informed enough to say one way or the other. http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/hd2007HD_wbo2_upgrade.htm