Life is terrifying. I like simple shit, like working on bikes and riding free. Too much about life revolves around control and complicated regulations, and it's getting worse. But in this case everything is easy, uncomplicated and this mod revolves around a 2009 H-D touring model. Amazing.
Now for the human element. We rolled over to Bennett's Performance in Long Beach, since they had a new 2009 Road King on hand from Westminister Harley-Davidson. “The last time you were here, you took a shot of my bald spot,” Bob Bennett said as I walked into the shop. Consequently, I tried to shoot the back of his head in most shots during this operation.
This is a California model so it comes with a honeycomb catalytic converter stuffed into the head pipe and the initial dyno run indicated 62 horses and 73 pounds of torque. This is a 96-inch twin cam and that power score was below Evo standards in the '80s.
Isn't California bitchin'. It once was the home of the freedom loving folks. Now it's home to several bureaucratic bombs, regulating anything that breathes (smoking) or uses oil. I better leave that topic alone. Did you know that motorcycles, all motorcycles, contribute less than 1% of all regulated emissions?
I gotta back off of that bullshit before I get pissed off and start throwing shit. We started with the D&D Boss slip-on mufflers. Here's the description from D&D:
New 2009 Harley-Davidson FLH Slip-On Exhaust Kit
Fresh from the R&D department comes our new set of BOSS slip-on exhaust pipes specifically built for the 2009 Harley-Davidson FLH motorcycles.
Get It Straight Jack!
The 2009 FLH exhausts on stock Baggers are cantered in. D&D spent a number of R&D cycles to create a straight slip-on that is parallel to the rear wheel. These mufflers straighten out the stock pipe that comes slanted-in from the factory. We added additional length to the muffler, which produced greater performance from a pipe that fits and looks right.
The pipes are available in Midnight Black or Chrome, Back or Slant cut. The exhaust system provides improved sound quality while still maintaining a civil tone.
The 548-11/12 slip-on mufflers are designed exclusively for the 2009 Harley-Davidson touring models. The performance kit from D&D Performance Enterprises includes mufflers, all necessary hardware, inlet heat shields, and Zipper’s Hi-Flow Air Cleaner. This system produces as much as 10 HP for improved performance and fuel economy across the RPM range.
Installation note from D&D:Due to a slight difference in rear mounts the use of additional spacers and bolts may be required. To check your pipes for proper alignment, install pipes without bolting up the rear mounts. Step to the rear of the bike and raise or lower until it's visually aligned. Then determine if the additional spacers are needed. Install spacers and bolts as necessary.
Another amazing aspect of this operation is the time and tools involved. Even with a substantial shooting-the-shit time, this entire operation took less than a half hour, so let's haul ass.
Loosen the clamp holding the muffler to the head pipe. Remove the bags and remove the two bracket bolts from the crash bar mounting location. Pull the muffler off and replace it with the new Boss from D&D. That's it, goddamnit, but don't forget to remove and discard the stock muffler clamp. We forgot the first go-around.
We followed the directions above regarding alignment (we didn't need any spacers), then tighten the slip-on mounting plate and the head pipe clamp. The D&D installation instructions made a good point, “Mount all clamps so they are accessible for tightening or removal.” Don't tighten any bolts or clamps until the slip-On Boss muffler is hung from both ends. Don't forget to rotate the slip-on tube to align the silencer with the mounting tabs.
Tighten the mounts to the bag rail first then work forward, and check for clearance between the slip-on and all parts of the motorcycle, including the frame, and the body panels. Then tighten the clamps or bolts. All clamps should be snugged at 6 and 12 o'clock to prevent leaks. Double check for clearance.
D&D slip-ons are designed to maximize your motorcycle's torque and horsepower. No tuning or re-jetting is required. Stock EFI systems will adjust to slight changes and can be altered by a factory tuner, through a computer.
Show and Go Chrome slip-ons can be polished using any quality chrome polish such as Mother's Mag Polish. Rust in rock dings and pits can be polished out. To prevent rust, it's important to keep your slip-on polished and free of road film. Here's another appearance tip from the D&D gang: You may experience chrome discoloration during the break-in period. It is important to remove it with a good metal polish like “Semi-Chrome” as soon as possible. Keep after it until the chrome is seasoned and the discoloration no longer returns.
Moving right along we set to replacing the stock air box with the Zippers FlowMax. We first removed the existing air cleaner assembly, including the backing plate and support bracket.
We held onto the stock air cleaner cover for that stealth look. Here's the Max air box description from Zippers:
MaxFlow Air Filters From Zipper’s
Let that puppy breathe! One of the first and easiest ways to improve performance in any engine it to open up the intake. Zipper’s MaxFlow Air Cleaner Upgrade kits include a specially constructed, 100-percent washable and reusable filter element made from multiple layers of surgical-quality cotton gauze that has over 60% more filter area than the factory performance element. This greatly enhances airflow while increasing filter height by only ¾”. Oiled synthetic fiber material traps the smallest dirt particles and provides years and years of service. Special longer mounting hardware is included. Fits H-D Big Twins equipped with factory Stage I air cleaners including 2008 throttle-by-wire bikes. Simple, affordable and effective upgrade you can feel – installation takes all of about 5 minutes!
Back in the shop, Bob placed the new gasket onto the backing plate, while aligning the holes and mounting studs.
Bob installed the two O-rings into the counterbores in the backing plate where the plate meets the cylinder head. A dab of grease will hold them during installation. Bob placed the plate over throttle body with the gasket in place. He applied low strength threadlocker such as blue Loctite to the stanchion studs and loosely attached the backing plate to the throttle body (don't tighten just yet).
Next, Bob installed two more O-rings over supplied breather/support bolts into recessed area under the bolt heads. He applied low strength threadlocker such as blue Loctite to the support bolt thread and installed the bolts through the backing plate into the cylinder heads. He tighten the support bolts to 120-140 inch pounds torque.
Then Bob attached the three air-cleaner stanchions through the backing plate and into the EFI throttle body and tightened them to 85-90 inch-pounds of torque. Due to the thickness of the backing plate gasket, it's a good notion to perform several rounds of the tightening as the gasket will crush and relax the stanchion torque. Three or four tightening rounds should do the trick.
Getting close to completion, Bob applied low strength thread locker to the domed Torx that hold the air cleaner element in place.
Last move was to re-install the air cleaner cover with the stainless domed Allen through the cover. Zippers suggests dabbing a small amount of silicone seal to one side of the supplied thick washer. From inside the cover, he placed the supplied washer over the bolt, silicone towards the air filter element. He applied Loctite on the bolt threads and installed the cover. Done deal.
Then we asked Joel, from Bennett's to take that baby for a ten-mile ride to make sure she was completely warmed and ready for the dyno.
When they returned, Baby and Joel, we rolled her into Bennett's engine, clean, dyno room and fired her to life. We made several passes in two gears 4th and 5th. The stock bike ran a max of 62.81 horses and 73.84 Torque.
With the D&D Boss Slip-On kit that includes the Zippers MaxFlow air-cleaner the bike ran 69.65 hp and 77.06 torque on a California bike with a webbed catalytic converter stuffed in the head pipe. That operation amounted to a 20-minute, 10 percent horsepower gain. Forty-nine state bikes have seen substantially larger gains without the cat converter. I'll deliver on those results tomorrow. In the meantime, let's ride.
BENNETT'S PERFORMANCE, INC.
1940 Freeman Avenue
Signal Hill, CA 90755
562. 498. 1819
D&D Performance Enterprises
2923 Edith Lane
Fort Worth, TX 76117
Email danddexhaust@msn.com.
Phone: (817) 834-8961
ZIPPER’S PERFORMANCE PRODUCTS
6655-A Amberton Drive
Elkridge, MD 21075
Phone 410.579.2828
Fax 410.579.2835
www.ZippersPerformance.com
