Performance

Do you want to get more performance out of your ride? Well there are several ways and levels to do this. First, let's talk exhaust. Probably the first modification people make is slip on exhaust. They are cheaper than full exhaust and easy to install. Most people do it to change the sound of their bike. Your not going to really improve horse power or torque with this change. The good thing is you really don't have to change air cleaners either with most slip on mufflers. Nor will you have to retune your motorcycle.

Now if you go with a full exhaust system you will have to probably go with a high flow air cleaner. Not all exhaust are created equal either. There are a wide range of exhaust available out there. Choose wisely. Don't be afraid to talk to a service tech at your local dealership about which exhaust are best for your setup. Going by looks or sound isn't always the best way to choose the best exhaust for your bike. A full exhuast will change your air/fuel mixture so you will have to rejet a carb or remap your ECM if you have a fuel injected bike. Now I'm talking only Harleys here. There are several different ways of remapping your ECM. Depending on your configurations of pipes,air cleaner and motor work, which we will get into later, it may be as simple as a download in to your ECM from the dealership. You may also have to go to a seperate device such as a Screamin Eagle race tuner or a DynoJet powercommander. There are others on the market but these are what I am most familiar with. These also require time in the Dyno room to tune your motorcycle, and it is not cheap. Be prepared to pay for a few hours. You will see improved horsepower and torque from these modifications.

If you are looking for big increases in horsepower and torque then motor work is where you are going to find them. Bigger cams, bigger cylinders and pistons, high compression pistons, head work. But this is also the most costly. My suggestion is to do some research or ask questions to your local dealer about different configurations of motor work. They will be able to give you a good idea about the sort of numbers you will get out of certain configurations.

Another thing to keep in mind is whenever making big changes to your motorcycle you will also change things like fuel economy, runability issues, and engine life.