Looking to add a little more performance down low. Keep in mind this is a tourer and not a drag bike but a little more minus the excessive noise would be good.  Also thjinking of gutting the cat, and have read heaps on it, but is it worth it?  Really looking at removing some of the heat.  Some say 255 cams?!, but I am open to suggestions.  Definitely don't want a bolt on 110 kit, so just cams will be fine.  Cheers

Hi Chaser,

I was getting way, way too much heat for comfort from my 2013 ultra with SE slip-ons. I gutted the cat and most of the heat disappeared. Massive improvement. The auto exhaust control is also disconnected in the ECU and the flap is wedged open. I've gone from constantly worrying about burning my leg or pants or boots to not thinking about it. We weigh over 600kg two-up and the power is fine. Low to mid improved noticeably with the gutted cat. Bike is a bit noisier, as you would expect, but quite ok at cruising speeds. Definitely recommend gutting the cat first, then think about cams.

Hope that helps

I have two bikes,,,,, 1. 2009 flht electra glide 96 cu ... Stage 1 ... Then gutted the cat on stock header, and removed the active exhaust valve buy welding a piece of pipe on end of header pipe,, (this was after disabling the AEV actuator , ie wire.... ..(I did not re tune when I gutted the cat),, I did not notice any difference in performance ,,, but the heat was reduced ,, and there was a nice increase in exhaust tone ...

Then while recently upgrading components in cam chest , I installed SE 255 , (take offs from a 2015 CVO).... Got the bike re tuned , (Harley tuner),,, Well all I can say is, this is the way the 96cu touring models should have come stock .... A very noticeable increase in torque from 2-4000 rpm .... There are a number of other bolt in cams that would be similar in performance in a 96cu , but the SE 255 are up there with them ....

2 . 2015 Street Glide 103HO ...... Stage 1,, Custom dyno tune .... Then Gutted the cat ,, and also removed the AEV , (as above) ,,, (I did not re tune after gutting cat),,, Similar results with performance , heat and sound.. ..... Some have concerns regarding gutting the cat on late model bikes, (as you have), as the O2 sensors are now located lower near the cat area, and may cause problems with the tune because of cross talk,, My butt dyno does not share this veiw ...
If you are handy with the tools ,, gutting the cat yourself is a cheaper way of getting similar results instead of buying after market , (no cat), header pipes ..... That being said,, there was recently a supplier selling popular after market header pipes in the $350 -- 450 range, (nearly half price) ... If this deal was going at the time , I would have probable gone that way .....

Regarding bolt in cams for your 2014 103cu ,,, Now your cam options increase ,,, if you want to stay with harley ,, the SE 204 are popular ... The SE 255's will work, but technically ,, the 103 , (in my opinion ) ,, needs a cam that carries on a bit further up the rev range ..... I will let the guys that have other popular after market cams that suite the 103 cu to give there opinions... Whatever cam you decide on , (after your research),, that is a proven performer and suits your bike and riding style ,,, it will put a smile on your face !!!!!!

The gutting of cat is not easy I have heard. Plus I want a stock exhaust on hand if I need one and taking the cat out removes this option as the cables stock pipe will not be stock quiet again.

I wanted a decent exhaust that would help with performance, heat and not be too loud. The exhaust in my signature block ticks my boxes. If you don't like the 2-1 look or sound, there are plenty of 2-1-2 exhaust systems that do this too. Have a look at the s&s powertune pipes as they look like true dual headers but have a hidden collector.

Re cams I wouldnt put se255 cams in a 103. They work well and are intended for the lower compression engines in the cvo 110 and also work well in the 96 but the 103 engines with a bit higher compression ideally need a later intake close to avoid heat and pinging issues. If looking at screamin eagle cams, have a look at 204, 254e and 585 cams. If you're out of warranty or wish to consider aftermarket cams do some research on the Yankee forums re the cyclerama 575 cams. If on a budget, look at the Andrews 57h. Other guys here have the s&s mr103 cams for torquey midrange and seem happy.

"Some have concerns regarding gutting the cat on late model bikes, (as you have), as the O2 sensors are now located lower near the cat area, and may cause problems with the tune because of cross talk,, My butt dyno does not share this veiw"...

The cat element starts fairly close to the O2 sensors and presents a nice "barrier" to reflect exhaust gases so there is more chance of O2 sensor cross talk with the cat in place than without.

 

Here's some info on Cat Removal that may be of interest.

Fuck we have cross talking now

well fuck me

I was told by a old guy thats had Harley's all his life ,,,, His an old carby guy, and said it has taken a long time to get his head around all the new fan dangle technology of efi , and all the sensors , etc , on the newer bikes ..... Then came up the topic of cross talk between the O2 sensors when gutting the cat on a late model Harley ... He said he gutted the cat ,, welded everything back , and then had a good think about this cross talk fucking problem that is all over the internet ..... Bingo he said ,, there is more ways than one to skin a dirty little cat .....

So he got on the internet, with the help of his 12 year old grandson,and got to work ..... He bought a O2 sensor made in Japan ,, and then bought a O2 sensor made in Germany .... Install them ,, and then said there ya go ,,, No more cross talk going to happen now,,, those two little fuckers definitely are'nt going to talk to each other now......

Maybe I'm a bit strange but i didn't think the O2 sensor "crosstalk" issue was THAT funny. Knowing that at low revs the exhaust gas from one cylinder can pulse back into the header of the other cylinder on a v-twin I investigated the issue before gutting the cat. Any crossover exhaust gas from an opposing cylinder can skew the readings and cause innaccurate closed loop control and poor running. It's the main reason some v-twins have O2 sensors in the headers close to the exhaust ports, unlike the ultras. And no, none of my info came from the internet but from experience and troubleshooting systems in the automotive industry.

Anyway, because of the close proximity of the sensors to each other and their exhaust opening I would be very surprised if there wasn't some mixing of exhaust gases between sensors at low to moderate revs, however there is no particular reason why that would be any different whether the cat element was in place or not. Obviously Harley know what they are doing. I've yet to check mixtures with my gear but the only change with my STOCK engine has been a perceptible improvement in performance and massive heat reduction. I also don't see any particular reason why a re-tune should be necessary after gutting the cat as in low to mid-range operation exhaust back pressure changes would be negligible and the ECU should easily cope with that.

In any event if there was a problem after removing the cat its a pretty simple process to change the position of the O2 sensors closer to the head - there are kits for this.

As a bloke with short legs it was an amazing relief to get rid of the exhaust heat and burns sitting at the lights. For anyone with the same problem, go for it - get rid of that cat.

 

 

Agree to cat delete for heat reduction