Thinking of power - Harley Forum

kissfan113 · #1 07-28-2008, 09:18 AM

I want more power out of my 07 883C. I've been having a bit of trouble keeping up at times with my riding buddies, mostly riding crotch rockets, while I know I can't beat them on performance and speed, I would like to take it to the next level on my Harley. I've been planning a 1200 kit, valve springs, cams, and finally bought a Screamin Eagle race tuner for the bike this past weekend, Whats a good combination for performance on my bike, its stock save a high flow air cleaner, race tuner, and Vance and Hines Short Shot pipes. Help me figure out a plan for where I want to be in terms of parts and cam lift specs, as well as what extras I'll need to get it done right.

milindh · #2 07-28-2008, 04:25 PM

Hey Kissfan

Sounds like you have a pretty general plan here for your little quest. There are some fairly good manuals to be had at your local yuppie book stores as well as on Amazon. I personally don't agree with everything I've seen in those books and they don't always agree with each other. They're a good starting point however and good reading too. AIM has also published a lot of stuff about Sportster performance mods.

Personally I wouldn't have bought the race tuner until I had formulated a complete plan. Doing your mods piece meal is an invitation to complication especially if you have limited knowledge. I've always thought that the best approach to getting a good build is to go with an established builder's package like Branch Flowmetrics, Zippers, or many others. They know what works with what and have done a lot of research and experimentation. Visit their websites and see what they recommend. When and if you get close to pulling the trigger call the builders and see if they'll talk to you in person. That's always a good sign.

There are some really sharp Sportster guys that visit this forum and you are sure to get some good advice here for sure but it would be really great if you had some more solid theory from the available manuals so you can have some discrimination of your own about what will be thrown your way. Man, I wish Donny Peterson had a manual for you. He writes some of the best technical stuff I have ever read. I don't know if he knows any more than a lot of other guys but his communication skills are really sharp.

Anyway, my advice is don't buy any more stuff just yet. Wait until you have formulated a solid complete plan. Start building your knowledge base now and when winter comes you can do your build in confidence.

Good Luck!

milindh · #3 07-28-2008, 05:00 PM

By the way, if I were you I'd keep that SE Race Tuner in its package so you can return it if you have to, assuming you bought it from a dealer. By the time your quest for Sportster Knowledge has run its course there's a very good chance you could very well want to go with a different setup. Maybe not but just in case....well, you know.

evoKENevo · #4 07-28-2008, 08:27 PM

Kiss:

Milindh just gave you the BEST advice there is...for a guy with your kind of guestions to LISTEN & ADHERE to...do NOT waste it !!!

kissfan113 · #5 07-28-2008, 10:16 PM

Thanks for the advice so far guys, I will certainly take that one to heart and get some more material for reference, I am now looking a little harder at the kits offered by Zippers and NRHS Performance, the 90 Cubic Inch kits... much more wicked than the 1200 kit I initially looked into and offered in complete kit form, so parts are already picked out. Only drawback is the cases have to be bored for the larger cylinders, not sure if thats a real drawback, but it does make me question just how far I want to go in search of a Sportster that will spark fear in the eyes of big twins and imports alike. I bought the race tuner so i could get the bike running better, the Vance and Hines fuelpak I had shorted out and I needed something, so I figured since I was at the dealer I'd go ahead and get one, They can dyno tune my fuel injection through all the changed I am destined to make, but I only plan to have it done one more time, after I upgrade the jug size and cam setup. I have a long road ahead, but with the help of all the great guys on the forums here I'm sure I'll have it lined out by next spring. Thanks again for all the great support so far.
Kevin

Majicbringer · #6 08-10-2008, 10:49 AM

Think about the Buell 1200 "thunderstorm" conversion kit. There's also a 1250 kit out there.

phidoux · #7 11-09-2008, 12:48 AM

I had the same thoughts and gave Dan @ HRHS a call and with in 5 min I found out that with the 1212 kit and stock heads and cams I could get 70hp out of my 04.
Going to start to break it down in a couple days and do the work my self.