Tuning Question - A different Route

G

GAGO

New member
Traded my 2009 FXDF for a 2010 FLTRX. With the Fat Bob I went the route of the Stage II with cams, a Vance & Hines Pro Pipe, and the HD SERT for tune on the dyno. Liked the sound, power and feel of the bike, but with the Touring bike I'd like to go a bit more mellow. I've been looking around, and am starting to like the sound of the Nightstick HD offers. Was thinking of doing the Nightstick and retaining the 2-1 pipes, and open the a/c with the Screaming Eagle Ventillator. Was at the dealership this afternoon, and they suggested with those upgrades I wouldn't need to dyno the bike, just use one of HD's standard flash downloads on the bike.

What are the thoughts out there? Would a standard download give me any bang for my buck? I was at a dealership in Minnesota this past week (on vacation), and one of the parts guys just purchased a 2010 Road Glide, and went this route. He showed me his bike, and I was pleased with the sound of the bike. Saw a Nightstick in Pennsylvania earlier in the week on a bike that looked like it still had the standard a/c, and there was some blueing on the pipe. The dealership said the download would help the tune and eliminate the blueing.

For me, it's a Touring bike, I'd like a little growl, but would like to hear the radio when I'm cruising.
 
My wife's 2010 Street Glide (same bike w/batwing) had a Nightstick on factory pipe, SE A/C, and Stage 1 download. Ran GREAT. We recently changed it out to a V&H Pro Pipe - she wanted louder, she got louder! Still runs great with dealer Stage 1 download. She's leaving it alone, just riding the snot out of it.

My 2011 RGU has the same setup, but the 103 Stage 1 download doesn't do as well. Lots of decel popping, soot on the exhaust. It's going to get a SERT and dyno Saturday.
 
So what did you do with the old Nightstick? Like I said in the original post, I had the Pro Pipe on my Fat Bob and really liked it ... just looking for a little more growl, but still mellow.
 
The HD ECM Stage 1 re-flash will upgrade the tune to accommodate free-flowing AC and muffler upgrades, but will keep the bike EPA compliant and short of its potential. You'll spend $150 for the download (or thereabouts) but you could buy a real tuner for $300 with an accurate map loaded for your bike. I would go the latter route, as if you buy a tuner you will have the flexibility to grow if you decide to in the future. Plus, the bike will perform up to its potential. Do a search on "Fuel Moto" and read the positive feedback, then give them a call. No, I don't work for them but have been a customer for four years. Their service is second to none and they sell most brands of mufflers and tuners on the market including their own product line.



I'm told from a reliable source that the Nightstick discolors easily, especially when used with the stock catalyst pipe. A friend who purchased a '10 SG two weeks ago researched this topic after being offered a used but perfect Nightstick for $185, but ended up buying a V&H Pro Pipe Chrome with PCV and AC.
 
With the tuner, would you need to have the bike tuned on the dyno? When I did the upgrades on the my Fat Bob, I researched different tuner options, and finally went with the HD SERT. I heard too many issues with moisture on the PCV, and never really heard much positive or negative on the other options.
 
You don't have to have the bike tuned, but you could, if you wanted to. As long as you've got a common build, you're going to be able to find a map that will work in your bike. I haven't had any reliability issues with my Power Commander. With the PCV you've also go the option to add autotune, which actually works pretty weill.
 
I was very pleased with the results. I had this done on my Fat Bob, installed the V&H Pro Pipe, the Stage II (w/cams), SERT, and had it dyno'd. The bike had excellent throttle response after the updated and sounded great. Too loud for the direction I'm going on the touring bike.
 
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