I have just purchased a 2013 soft tail custom with Vance and Hines pipes. My question is do I have to have the air cleaner changed and re-mapped. I am happy with the the performace but not sue about the decel popping.

Firstly mate there is no 2013 Softail Custom ? What model do you have ?

Secondly . V&H are the worst/hardest to eliminate decel popping , "straight pipe" design being the reason as much as anything

Thirdly, if you change to any freeflowing air intake , you will need some kind of " tuning help "

That's a whole new can of worms

Yee-haa

 Ok what I have is a standard softail FXST 103 cube, with vance and hines big radius 2 into 2, with no modifications to the air intake. Is this the normal sound for these pipes

You have swapped from the stock OEM system which has a balance pipe between the downpipes , to a " true dual " system where the exhaust pipes run seperately and independently . These are the pipes ( in my experience !) that "pop" like fuckery , and could be considered " normal "

V&H Big shot staggered ( and maybe some others ?) have a "power chamber" connecting the downpipes , and these run way better ( again maybe only my long considered opinion ) That's what's on my own CVO Springer 110" , not my first choice but they were on it in Texas...

Some say a Dyno tuning session can " tune-out" the decel popping , but here in WA even the HD dealer does not guarantee to totally eliminate the pop.

If you decide to use the TTS tuning system , Kuryakyn have a range of TTS tunes for free download , some of which are for " Softail with air cleaner upgrade and V&H straight pipes " You'll have to purchase a TTS unit and cables from them ( or sombody else ) of course

I have used these tunes quite successfully for quite a few blokes here in the west , including a mate who had those true dual Samson upswept fishtails "easy rider" fucking things . They banged like a bank robbers shotgun FFsake ! 50% longer than the stock "Shorty duals" system

After a wee bit of further tinkering the Kuryakyn cal for V&H straights did the job and that bike ran real sweet

Ok it sounds like to get a Screaming Eagle Race tuner, KN air cleaner + Dyno = $1000 could be a waste of money.
Would like some feed back who have had this modification (as recommended by Peter Stevens service departmant)
Question what if i just place on a new air cleaner????

 Hi 

Thanks for your reply and help.

Would it make a difference if I replaced the oem air cleaner and say put on a heavy breather type air cleaner

Will it "pop" less if you change the air filter ?

No it won't

Can you do that and it will run "properly" ? Maybe same or better than now.

Mate of mine bought a 2010 Ultra 103" Limited in Florida when we were at Daytona bikeweek in March 2011

Bike had high flow air filter and Klockwerks slip on mufflers WITH NO TUNER

This was from a well known US Harley Hot-Shop called Klockwerks , one of their " Brochure Bikes " 

He rode across the states to LA then across Australia from South Australia to Perth BEFORE I tuned it for him

Bike ran fine on his long journey , AND he had cams and a no-cat header system installed in Los Angeles on the way.

Did it run better once i was done with it ? Well shit yeah but there you go !

For what it's worth I used the TTS system and a Kuryakyn TTS download to suit the airfilter/headers/mufflers/cams.

Great info.

Reading what you are saying is that putting a heavy breather type air cleaner will not be negative to daily performace, but may or may not reduce the pop.

Saying this, if I was to embark on a stage 1 tune a new type air cleaner would be required anyway, is this correct.

Sorry for the basic questions as I appreciate an independant view other than a Peter Stevens service tech

 

Gary

Firstly I'm a professional tuner with over 30 yrs experience on motorcycles, my company is www.dynobike.com The popping on decal can be almost completely eliminated if the bike is tuned correctly, that problem is relatively easily sorted.

Your main problem is that you need to tune that bike to suit your modifications. Down loading a map may help however the bike will without doubt go from running lean to running rich, which is as bad for engines as a lean condition. Every bike is different and to get the best out of them they require custom mapping. Front and rear cylinders run quite different mixtures and therefore need to be set up with there own maps. Also you have narrow band O2 sensor running, be careful.

If you are not going to use the Pro tuner as it is intended, ie making a custom map, its a waste of money!

We can do a custom tune for you $750.00 ride away, no module add on is required, we tune your ECU directly, you won't believe the difference this makes. Super smooth power delivery, better than stock fuel economy, none or minimal popping, superior acceleration.

"feel the difference"

Well dedge , I'm all ears . $750 includes the cost of a dedicated unit for each bike tuned ? 

Thus far you have HAD to buy a unit ( AKA DONGLE !) ( SERT / SEPST / TTS /  more recently POWER VISION ) to tune the ECM direct

Each unit "marries" the first ECM it is linked to , (a SERT plus tune from the HD dealer cost $1000 in 2007 !! ) 

 (UNLESS !) It was probably only a matter of time before some kind of aftermarket access /"Bosch" type multi tuner became available

I have a good mate who is still in the car game   ( independent workshop ) and he has the "chips" for most cars worldwide to access the ECM for "tuning" and more often fault finding 

What is it that you're using and where are you operating from ?

Retroman, You don't need to purchase a dedicated unit.

I have a unit here registered to me as a dealer for Power Vision.  I purchase a key which allows me to connect to your bikes ECU directly, I can then tune it with Power Vision just like we would with any other system. The Power Vision remains my property for the purpose of tuning Harleys, your cost is for me to access and connect to your ECU and tune the bike.

Call me if you require more info 95530018 I am in Moorabbin, Vic

Dredge,  Maybe you could start a new thread regarding , (no need to buy a tuner).     If you were doing a Stage 1 or a mild Stage 2 upgrade , and that was a far as you were going to mod your bike, it would be an interesting discussion !!!!  

It's irrelevant how much the access key costs. Tuning cost is $750.00, that's ride away and feel the difference, no add on required, no PV, on Pro tuner, No TTS, no PV, what you get is a custom tune, really simple. If you decide to upgrade the engine down the track, then its as simple as bringing it back and re tuning it to suit.

Un complicated, no fuss, no guessing what map to flash, peace of mind your A/F and ignition is spot on for the expensive engine upgrade.

That's a no brainer!

 

well not really for me. If the key access is say $250 then for an additional $250 I get a PV and keep it. There are a lot of functions that I can utilize down the track and if I make further changes no need for another access key cost as I can get it tuned where ever I am at the time. I could perhaps use it to auto tune changes when I travel after a tune in lets say Melbourne winter up to Darwin in summer. I can also pay a fee to dynojet and use it on my other bike. I can use the gauge function to monitor engine parameters and data log if things don't seem quite right.

I can understand for those that are very unlikely to make more changes then not owning a unit makes sense.

I agree a dyno tune is likely to give the best outcome but owning a tune module can have some benefits

Fare enough, you can still do that, just buy a PV then and your good to go. You will need one for each bike.

No still not good to go, a proper tune would still be necessary depending on engine configuration
And no I don't need another unit for the second bike, I can buy a license to use it on the extra bike and use the same power vision for both providing they are both compatible with the particular power vision model..

dedge is offering a service to those who DON"T WANT to do "tuning" themselves which is fair enough

It's just been a " long time a comin' " that this service was available

Most folks who have their own Dongle ( AKA race tuner ) have the bike flashed once and it sits on the shelf

Shit the majority don't even have the cables required to connect a laptop to the ECM . I do , but use them for everbody !

What dedge is " selling " is his expertise and a " custom CAL or MAP "

Can you do that yourself ? , well of course you can but MOST folks either can't or wont

Me, I use the "butt dyno" and my ears to tune bikes , same as with my Jappers many moons ago

no issues with that.
I asked a simple question about cost. Some might see an advantage in paying the extra to end up with their own tuner module.

Hmmmm sounds like a mine field here.

I think I will find someone who has a 2013 softtail with the same pipes, listen and ask what they have done.

What do you think

I asked a simple question about cost. Some might see an advantage in paying the extra to end up with their own tuner module.

I hear ya. I have my own "2 bike" TTS dongle , and some nous in using it, and I like that.

My own bike goes as good as any and better than most ,still does 5.5 litres/100Km ( or less !) easy and it's NEVER been near a Dyno

Most of the dudes I have set up with their own TTS have no clue really , and if I say " look over my shoulder as I do this " most say " Fuck me what is that ?? "

So there's room for both angles , your own personal 1 or 2 bike dongle ( AKA "Race Tuner" ) AND a shop that leaves you " dongle -free " but with less cash left !!

Horses for courses really .