New Air Intake. Tune-up needed ?

[israguard]

I just changed the pipe and did nothing else. Mechanic this a.m. said it was o.k. Bike does run a bit rich.. when i come home after a ride.. nice fuel scent.. nothing outrageous but its there. I always leave garage door open for 30 min.

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

I just changed the pipe and did nothing else. Mechanic this a.m. said it was o.k. Bike does run a bit rich.. when i come home after a ride.. nice fuel scent.. nothing outrageous but its there. I always leave garage door open for 30 min.

OK, now I'm confused, but that happens a lot to me.

If you just changed to a freer flowing exhaust and did NOTHING ELSE to your bike, you should be running leaner, not richer. Did you get the bike new? Are you sure there's no type of fuel tuner already installed? If not, I'd be worried about that "nice fuel scent" when you get home.

 

[israguard]

Hi Dr.
Bike was new. I am assuming the bike runs richer. What do I know ?? I'm just a yuppy who loves harleys.
To do this myself isnt something I am remotely interested in doing.. just not my thing. But youre right.... they are trying to get me to buy a part I probably dont need.

 

[Hoople]

when i come home after a ride.. nice fuel scent.. nothing outrageous but its there.

Something does not sound right. I never smell fuel.

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

Hi Dr.
Bike was new. I am assuming the bike runs richer. What do I know ?? I'm just a yuppy who loves harleys.
To do this myself isnt something I am remotely interested in doing.. just not my thing. But youre right.... they are trying to get me to buy a part I probably dont need.

Like i said, bike shouldn't run richer with exhaust and/or air cleaner mods. This is why we install fuel tuners as part of the Stage 1 - to ADD fuel to compensate for the leaner condition these mods create.

Even if you don't want to do any work yourself, there is nothing wrong with being as educated as possible and not accepting everything the dealer tells you as the absolute truth.

 

[israguard]

Hi Dr.
You are absolutely right and I am slowly learning more & more.

So dealer just called. $750 on parts (tuner & air intake) plus 1 hour labour. Total $830 plus 15.5% taxes. I said no thanks

I will do it using what I learnt here for half the price.

 

[Dr. Dolittle]

I agree. It is not necessary to buy the HD SEST tuner or any other tuner for the minor mod's you did (exhaust & air cleaner). All that is needed is a stage I flash done to your ECU... Don't waste your money unless you plan on doing major engine modifications in the future...

You probably didn't mean it this way but I will add a caveat anyway. A fuel tuner of some kind is a good idea, even with no major engine mods in the future, if your goal is to cool the bike down some and perhaps give it a little more longevity by removing the lean, factory condition.

Now, if you are planning engine mods, then a fuel tuner is a must.

 

[israguard]

Hi,
I went to another large local HD dealer in Mtl who too was surprised that I was being asked to shell out $450 for the tuner. He said that at his dealership they could do it for $249.-. ie: its a one time "download" that they offer and as long as I wont be doing any more modifications that affect the engine.. its all I need. So its $249 + cost of the intake I choose. I suspect this is the route I will take.

 

[jdaws]

Hi,
I went to another large local HD dealer in Mtl who too was surprised that I was being asked to shell out $450 for the tuner. He said that at his dealership they could do it for $249.-. ie: its a one time "download" that they offer and as long as I wont be doing any more modifications that affect the engine.. its all I need. So its $249 + cost of the intake I choose. I suspect this is the route I will take.

Take that $249 and order a Dobeck EJK. Dobeckperformance.com. Do some more reserch before you spend your money.:s