The Power Of Three | Pipes, Air Cleaner, And EFI Upgrade

Pipes Air Cleaner And Efi Upgrade Custom Tuning

Pipes or mufflers, an air cleaner, and EFI tuner are typically the first things people change when they get a new bike or even a new used bike. These three items are the starting points to gaining more torque and horsepower and making any bike much more fun to ride, or listen to if exhaust sound is high on your priority list.

Our friend Johnny had an '08 Road Glide he had just picked up and aside from a few cosmetic upgrades like chrome wheels (23-inch up front) and a wraparound front fender, the bike was pretty much stock. He was interested in keeping the dual exhaust look but wanted something a little throatier in the sound department.

Thunderheader is known for both its distinctive exhaust note as well as its performance gains with its 2-into-1 pipe design. For the bagger crowd, Thunderheader offers its Falsie System ($916 for the system, $198 for heat shields) which has a 2-into-1 head pipe design, with a spigot coming off the rear head pipe to mount a false crossover and muffler on the left side. With this setup you get the balanced look of dual pipes baggers are known for and the benefit a 2-into-1 exhaust system can provide.

To go along with this quick hop-up and to get more air into the engine, Johnny picked up one of K&N's RK Series High Flow Custom Intake kits for '08-09 Touring Models ($249). And to make sure everything was in tune and the bike was running in top shape, Johnny got a hold of a Power Commander III EFI module ($379.95). To test out the results of this setup the bike was taken to Horn Cycle Works.

1. The RG with its new Thunderheader Falsie System, K&N air Filter, and Power Commander.
1. The RG with its new Thunderheader Falsie System, K&N air Filter, and Power Commander.
2. Johnny's bike on the lift at Horn Cycle Works with its stock tomato can mufflers.
2. Johnny's bike on the lift at Horn Cycle Works with its stock tomato can mufflers.
3. Horn Cycle Works Tech Nolan, started the swap by removing the air cleaner cover and stock air filter. Here you can see the difference between the stock unit and the K&N air filter. The pre-oiled high-flow K&N unit is a bit larger and provides an extra large filtration area, is washable and reusable, and provides longer service intervals compared to stock.
3. Horn Cycle Works Tech Nolan, started the swap by removing the air cleaner cover and s

4. Along with the high flow filter, included in the RK Series kit is an oversized, cast aluminum backing plate with an internally-run breather system, a bolted-in, dyno-tuned velocity stack, and all the mounting hardware. The breather system directs heat dissipation directly into the throttle body and the velocity stack increases airflow. The cool thing about this kit is that it will all tuck nicely behind your stock air cleaner cover.
4. Along with the high flow filter, included in the RK Series kit is an oversized, cast
5. With the backing plate installed, Nolan then secured the air filter to the backing plate and replaced the football cover.
5. With the backing plate installed, Nolan then secured the air filter to the backing pl
6. Next, Nolan moved onto installing the Thunderheader exhaust system. The head pipes feature 02 sensor bungs (red arrow) to fit the stock O2 sensors. At the back of the image you can see the spigot (yellow arrow) to run the Falsie on the left side.
6. Next, Nolan moved onto installing the Thunderheader exhaust system. The head pipes fe

7. Nolan removed the O2 sensors from the stock pipes and applied some anti-seize to the threads and installed the sensors into the new pipes.
7. Nolan removed the O2 sensors from the stock pipes and applied some anti-seize to the
8. The two lower bolts below the transmission were removed, and then the exhaust bracket was bolted in place reusing the stock bolts.
8. The two lower bolts below the transmission were removed, and then the exhaust bracket
9. With the stock exhaust system removed and the right side floorboard out of the way, Nolan slipped the old retaining rings and exhaust clamps onto the new headers, installed new exhaust gaskets, and then loosely bolted up the new headers. The spigot to mount the false left side is capped right where it meets the head pipe (red arrow), so where it looks like some exhaust would be crossing over at that point, it all flows towards the collector at the end of the unit (yellow arrow).
9. With the stock exhaust system removed and the right side floorboard out of the way, N

10. With the head pipe loosely secured to the trans bracket, Nolan slipped the left side muffler into position and bolted it to the head pipe.
10. With the head pipe loosely secured to the trans bracket, Nolan slipped the left side
11. On the right side, Nolan bolted up the crossover pipe and Falsie muffler.
11. On the right side, Nolan bolted up the crossover pipe and Falsie muffler.
12. The exhaust install was finished up with the installation of the heat shields.
12. The exhaust install was finished up with the installation of the heat shields.

13 The last thing to do was install the Power Commander. While Nolan was bolting everything on, Horn Cycle's Co-owner Michelle downloaded the base map for this particular setup into the PC III unit. The PC III simply plugs in-line with the stock ECM module and is ready to go. With the base map installed, further adjustments can be made to fine-tune the system to your liking either through your computer or via the faceplate buttons (red arrow).
13 The last thing to do was install the Power Commander. While Nolan was bolting everyth
14 In about an hour, the triple threat components were installed and the bike was up on the dyno for some test pulls. In its stock form the 96ci RG put out 59.81 hp and 72.55 lb-ft of torque. After the install the bike put out 66.17 hp and 79.15 lb-ft of torque for an increase of 6.36 hp and 6.6 lb-ft of torque. The key factor to look at is how the torque shot up right off the throttle in the low end. This is what the owner will really be able to feel in the seat of his pants. Also notice how smooth and steady the horsepower curve is.
14 In about an hour, the triple threat components were installed and the bike was up on
15 Here's a look at the back of the bike with the dual tips. Aside from its sound and performance, Thunderheader is also known for the cone shape design of its mufflers. The owner was very pleased with everything and now has the sound and look he wanted with added performance. To get an idea of what these mufflers sound like, check out the video clip at www.hotbikeweb.com.
15 Here's a look at the back of the bike with the dual tips. Aside from its sound and pe