If you are like most new Harley owners, then you will quickly want to upgrade both the sound and the power of your Harley Davidson. They are "ok" performers (ok...they're kind of doggy) right off the showroom floor but a few bucks in mods can really wake up your Harley Davidson and add 10-15 hp right off the bat and for low bucks.
I installed Jackpot dyno tuned mufflers, a Power Commander V and an Arlen Ness Big Sucker Air Cleaner on my 2009 Street Glide at the same time but this article will detail installing just the air cleaner. I will cover the other components in a seperate article in the near future. If you are considering doing this yourself, it is very easy and even someone with only moderate mechanical ability should be able to complete this task.
Air Cleaner Installation
Step 1: The first step that I always recommend is to simply lay the parts out and take a look at the instructions. This particular install is pretty simple but it's a great habit to get into anyways. I know guys don't like reading instructions until they've already screwed something up but I won't tell anyone that you read them if you don't. At the right is the parts kit to an Arlen Ness Big Sucker air cleaner kit. I've installed Screamin Eagle air cleaner kits, Jet Scream Air Cleaner kits and a number of others in the past and they are all very similar to this one.
Step 1: Lay the parts out and make sure they are all there. Read the Directions...we won't tell.
Step 2: Remove the outer cover by removing the center allen head bolt.
Step 2: Once you've laid out your parts and made sure that everything is there then you need to disassemble your existing air cleaner cover. This removes easily by simply unscrewing the center allen head bolt.
Step 3: Once you've removed the outer cover you should see your air filter assembly. Remove that and then you should be down to the base plate at this time. You can remove the base plate assembly at this point as well and strip the bike right down to the bare throttle body. These parts are very self explanatory on the removal and require basic handtools so nothing extraordinary required yet. A basic set of handtools will suffice. Once you have stripped the air filter and the stock Fuel Injection base plate then you should be staring at your throttle body.
Step 3: Your TB might look slightly different but don't fret, this is the 2009 50mm version.
Step 4: Install the gasket and line up with mounting holes. The gasket should sit flush and flat.
Step 4: Ok now we start putting everything back together. First clean and wipe down your throttle body mounting area with alcohol if necessary. Make sure you have none of the old gasket or any gunk sticking to the gasket surface and then mount the new throttle body gasket. It should line up nicely with the mounting holes and stick to the surface well. Don't skip this step, you should positively have a gasket between the throttle body and the air cleaner.
Step 5: The next step is to prepare the air cleaner backing plate for installation. On the Arlen Ness Big Sucker it requires that you use 4 O-rings, two on each mounting ear on the front and the rear. I recommend that you use a lightweight grease to hold them flat and in place as they are a BEAR to install without it. The O-rings continuously want to work their way out of the mounting area. They will do this even with grease but it's much, much less.
Step 5: Lightweight grease works wonders. Each mounting point requires an o-ring front and rear.
Step 6: At this point you should look like this or very close depending on your kit.
Step 6: Once you have the O-rings installed then it's time to mount the backing plate to the throttle body. Take the two mounting bolts and the backing plate to the bike and carefully line up with the mounting holes. Double check that your o-rings are still in place before snugging the bolts down but do not tighten them yet. Now go ahead and install the air cleaner mounting studs, use a small bit of blue loctite on these and tighten to spec. Now you can tighten the two main mounting bolts.
Step 7: Ok now you are just about done. At this point take the K&N Air Filter assembly and install onto the bike with the supplied machine screws. I would again put a small dab of blue loctite on these and snug to spec. Do not overtighten these as the screws are small and it simply isn't necessary. At this point you are essentially done, the only thing left is to choose what kind of cover you are going to use to finish it off. A lot of riders elect to retain the stock football but I prefer showing off the K&N filter. Running the element open has never been a problem for me but if you are concerned with rain you can purchase a mesh rain sock that keeps most of the water out. Your call.
Complete Stage 1
At this point you are done with the air cleaner portion of the installation. Most people will install a free flowing air cleaner as part of a complete Stage 1 upgrade, which is typically exhaust, air cleaner and a fuel curve modification. I also installed a set of Jackpot dyno tuned slip-on mufflers and a PCV (Power Commander V) at the same time I installed the air cleaner as well but I will cover those in a seperate article as well.
Step 7: This is my finished product. The chrome cover is an HD product available at your dealer.
14hp and 14tq is a very nice pickup over stock and is power that you will definitely feel!
Pre-2009 HD's require a fuel modification of some sort, either an add on module or download or what have you as they simply run too lean and the computer is not capable of a wide enough array of adjustments to compensate for the added air flow however in 2009 the fuel modification is not technically necessary although I would still recommend it. My Street Glide runs MUCH cooler with the PCV installed than it did without it so that change alone is worth it to me.
If you are considering upgrading your Harley Davidson and don't want to pay the dealer to install your air cleaner then go ahead and tackle it. These bikes are remarkably easy to work on and everything is very straight forward. A person of even moderate mechanical ability can easily install their own Air Cleaner, Slip Ons and a PCV. It's easy.
Power Increase
Let's fast forward to what you really want to know about and that is how much power is this modification worth? I get it, I'm a power junkie too. I installed a pair of Jackpot Dyno Tuned mufflers, a PCV and the Arlen Ness Big Sucker Air cleaner kit and the bike picked up 14 hp AND 14 ft/lbs of torque over stock. This increase is easily noticeable in the way the bike pulls and it really feels much better going down the road. Definitely a great bang for the buck and I am very pleased with the results.
The Jackpot dyno tuned mufflers are offered by Fuel Moto and they utilize different size baffles from left to right to tune the flow for maximum power. These mufflers act very much like a 2 into 1 pipe and will yield more power and torque than most aftermarket mufflers. 2009 head pipes already flow much better than previous years so they recommended that I do not change them from stock. How refreshing for a vendor to tell you the truth and try to save you money at the same time.
Overall I am very pleased with the Stage 1 upgrade and I would highly recommend this modification to anyone who is considering it. The Jackpot mufflers have a nice deep tone that sounds great, they're a little quiet for my taste but I am going to run them for a while to see how they break in. Many slip on mufflers will get slightly louder as they age and I hope that these do too. Don't get me wrong, they sound great but I'd like a touch more bark.
US $125.95
