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Stage 1 - am I missing something?

RAWLDYMAN

Active Member
As a recent HD convert I'm thinking about some mods to my sporty and have been reading up on stage 1 upgrade on this site. Seems that this upgrade is something that just about everybody does, so it's reasonable to assume that it is a pretty important improvement - right?
Questions: If stage 1 is about improving efficiency and performance through improved air & fuel management, why is this not something that's done by HD in production? I mean, should the bike not be set up for maximum efficiency in the factory? Am I missing something here or is it just some kinda cynical after sales ploy by the manafacturer to wring some more cash out of us?
Sorry if this query seems niaive but I'm trying to learn....
 
I agree with Smitty

I would not summarize Stage 1 as "improving efficiency" if you consider that to equate to improved fuel economy. What I have is noticeably improved performance, cooler running engine and a slight reduction in fuel economy. In my opinion it is worth the performance. :D :D
 
I did a stage 1 with a super tuner and V&H Ovals to my Road King classic and it definitely runs cooler here in TX. It also improved its idle, it is smoother going into first (has more power) how it runs at higher revs, and definitley improved its horsepower very noticeably. Several times I twisted the throttle a little more than expected and the bike wanted to shoot out from under me. Awesome!

It stinks that I sunk approx $1,400 into a brand new $20,000 BIKE to get it to run as it should but IMO it would have been a bigger mistake not to do the improvements. You can do less expensive fuelers or exhausts and save more on paying the dealer to do the work and invest a lot less if you want. It is not hard to do the work yourself either, for me it just made more sense to spend my time making money in my business and pay the dealer.
 
It's a personal choice...Yep, your Harley production scoot will run just fine as is- if that's what YOU want- just gas & go for it! :Banane35:
 
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