Hey Ken!
i love that you were able to get your whole build in one thread. Bike continues to look great! I'm surprised that you are changing your exhaust. Thought you really liked the Fullsac X pipe and cores. What made you decide to change?
That's a very good question.
First, let me say that
I have been VERY SATISFIED with the Fullsac setup - it is the best 2-1-2 pipe out there. However, with this setup and the Andrews 54H cams, the low-end oomph just hasn't been there... the cams don't really come in until over 2700 RPM because of their 238 degree duration - you need revs with these cams to get the airflow going. The tune is very good, having been done by Mr. Wizard using the TTS MasterTune and lots of tuning runs. It's dialed in pretty well - so it isn't the tune.
For that last month or so, I have been researching ways to get more power with breaking the bank, nor creating a pinging monster with no street manners. That research, including some conversations with some very knowledgeable people, lead me to the conclusion that a 2-1 pipe would give the best overall performance. I started researching 2-1 pipes - Drago's, D&D, RB Racing, SuperTrapp, Thunderheader, Bassani, Rinehart, V&H, etc. I must say that real, objective test side-by-side performance comparison info has been difficult to find. Lots of dyno charts out there - but on all kinds of different engine setups, etc.
Coincidentally, I have a riding buddy who just got a 2011 RGU with stock exhaust... so naturally the first thing he is doing is getting rid of the crap stock header, and going with the Fullsac X-Pipe and 4" Rinehart mufflers. However, Fullsac is backed up on delivery of the X-Pipe B, and my buddy couldn't get one in time for his scheduled dyno tuning session at Doc's next Friday. He needs one NOW... like today.
All of these factors led me to just bite the bullet and get a 2-1 pipe for Buster. I ended up ordering the S/C/S-4 from Drago's Bike Works. I called up Frank, and we spoke for a total of 1 1/2 hours on 2 different days on the phone this past week. I gotta say that Frank is a really nice and super-knowledgeable guy - a real engineer. I couldn't believe that he was willing to spend that much time on the phone with someone he didn't even know, who just called him up out of the blue. We talked at length about engine dynamics, my engine in particular, exhaust flow, the bends in his pipes, his collector, the Dragula baffles and the research he's done to engineer them, the Dragula vs. the S/C/S-4, etc etc etc.
Frank did not even try to sell me a pipe - he was just talking with me about what I was thinking I wanted to do! He told me that the S/C/S-4, while not quite as powerful as the Dragula, is plenty of pipe for my bike, with a stock 110" except for the 54H cams. The S/C/S-4 is a straight 1.75" header - not stepped like the Dragula - and has a different collector than the Dragula, and he said that configuration would help on the low-end torque for my engine. He told me that the S/C/S-4 can easily support up to 135 HP, which is more than I will probably ever be producing, even if I do some fairly radical stuff to Buster's engine someday. In fact, Frank has, until very recently, had the S/C/S-4 on his personal supercharged 182HP ride!
SO, I ordered the S/C/S-4 on Monday, and it's due to be delivered to my house via FedEx today. This morning I am taking off the X-Pipe and taking it over to Wiz's house - where my buddy is installing SE 254e cams in his 103", and my X-Pipe with his 4" Rinehart mufflers.
On Frank's advice, I am also pulling Buster's heads today and installing the Cometic MLS .030" head gaskets that I had gotten from Fullsac when I got the "Stage 2" package from them back in Sept.
To be fair, Steve George had recommended back then that I install them to get better squish, but I just never did. I would have gotten a little better performance with the X-Pipe if I had installed them, but it's OK.
Frank and I also talked about possible head work while Buster's heads are off - but he said that wouldn't really do a
whole lot of good because the SE head valves are too large for the best performance anyway. He told me that if I'm going to do headwork, I'd be better off with different heads than trying to rework the SE heads to improve airflow. So, later in the year, I will probably make a trip up to Frank's shop and let them work some magic on Buster - probably different heads, and their IDS chain drive to change the gearing instead of doing a 30-tooth tranny pulley and a non-stock belt. Their chain drive has a lot of advantages over the belt - not the least of which is the ability to adjust the chain length easily, and the ability to remove the chain if needed without having to pull off the entire primary.
So, to end this post,
I would like to reiterate that I am NOT dissatisfied with the Fullsac X-Pipe in any way, shape, or form. It an EXCELLENT exhaust setup. I am simply wanting to get the best possible performance from Buster - and the S/C/S-4 2-1 pipe is part of that whole long-term approach.
PLUS, THE S/C/S-4 LOOKS AWESOME, AND SOUNDS JUST SICK! Hope I can still hear George Thorogood and Steve Ray over it!
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Topic: NorthGeorgiaHawg's FLHXSE3 Mods (Read 104877 times)