(Part 3) Top products from r/Harley

AAAaaand you asked about a book to read.

Today, start a paid subscription to American Iron magazine. They have a lot of bolt-on/bolt-up mod articles and reviews of aftermarket and factory mods and parts. I find LOTS of useful info in the pages of this rag for simple "how to" stuff on my twin-cam Road King.

http://www.aimag.com/

Don't just surf the website, you want a new issue showing up at your front door, once a month or 6 weeks or however often they publish nowadays.

Start finding the good video channels on Youtube for things like this. There's a ton of vintage and newer model builders with instructional videos on Youtube. Take advantage of them.

There is NO substitute for the right tools for the right job. This is critical- when your service manual or Donny's book says "use Harley Davidson tool number....... so and so", that means you need to spend the $$ on the correct tool for the application. Hold on, yes, there are a LOT of Harley-Davidson tools that can be constructed from loose odds and ends in a well-used garage, but that's the kind of stuff that will require an old hand standing around saying "Hey, you can also use a piece of 1" angle iron, a quarter inch drill bit, and a couple 1/4-20 bolts". No problem. We'll be here to help with this, and Youtube will offer all kinds of "how to" stuff like that. A proper bike lift (Handy air lifts are the best, but you can get a Harbor Freight hydraulic lift for about $300, if you use the coupons in American Iron each month.

Once you have chosen (and purchased) the bike you're gonna own, you're gonna want the full, 500-1000 page factory service manual the mechanics use at the dealership. It's a good read, as Harley puts together a proper service manual, with which you can pretty much do any service/repair you could possibly need to do.

After you have the bike and the service manual for the correct year range (I can probably find you a .pdf copy online), then you're gonna need to figure out what your plan of action is. If it's "I never met a performance mod I didn't like", there are specific books to get. If it's "I want my bike to go 100,000 miles before I have to do any motor work other than tune ups", it's gonna mean another set of books entirely. If it's "I want my bike to pull 5th gear wheelies at 90mph, and still get 100,000 miles out of my bike", you're gonna wait til you've already done this once or twice, before on to this stuff.

All this having been said, I'm gonna recommend looking at any of Donny Petersen's books on V-Twin performance.

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=donny%20petersen&sprefix=donny+pe%2Cstripbooks&rh=i%3Astripbooks%2Ck%3Adonny%20petersen

He has written specialized volumes on Harleys going back to 1936, and any shop is incomplete without his Shovelhead, Evolution, and Twin Cam books, and you can apply much of the model-specific stuff to any, merely because it's good info/method/etc.

I've never handled the book, but it looks like it might be right up your alley

http://www.amazon.com/Harley-Davidson-Softail-How-Hop-Up-Customize/dp/1929133227/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1395330118&sr=1-9&keywords=build+a+harley+davidson

There's a bunch more stuff to do, but this'll get you started.

Keep us updated?

Be sure to read up on how to be a better rider. I highly recommend reading Proficient Motorcycling available in both paper and e-book.

Welcome to FREEDOM.

I get a tent and a sleeping bag in this bad boy:
https://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Seal-Line-USMC-ILBE-Waterproof-Bag-Liner-Compression-sack/123124484534?hash=item1caaca89b6:g:hPsAAOSwtJha85hl

Then I pack my cloths in this and the rain cover keeps it all dry:
https://www.amazon.com/T-Bags-Touring-Luggage-Route-Travel/dp/B000GV3FLY/ref=sr_1_9?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1526406322&sr=1-9&refinements=p_4%3AT-Bags

Then I bungee the shit out of them. Made it from Long Island NY to Sturgis and back just fine on the back of my softail.

Good tips in comments. MSF ridercourse should make you a confident rider, and the book "lets ride" by sonny barger should be a must read for any new, or seasoned rider. I read it every year. http://www.amazon.com/Lets-Ride-Sonny-Bargers-Motorcycling/dp/0061964271

a friend gave this book to me back when I got my first sportster, and this book provides a solid overview of all aspects of bike customizing for a total noob.

http://www.amazon.com/Customizing-Your-Harley-Davidson-Patrick/dp/1856484386

I don't know honestly. I pulled this article from a copy of the FXR performance portfolio.

Amazon does sell one on the sportster, but it looks like it ends in 1976

https://www.amazon.com/Harley-Davidson-Sportsters-1965-76-Performance-Portfolio/dp/1855204045/ref=sr_1_1

This one is nice //

Harley-Davidson: The Complete History https://www.amazon.com/dp/0760350000/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hH-GzbJNB29KD

I got the Dynatek DSPT-1 on my Sportster. It doesn't require a computer to adjust timing but it's also not as adjustable as those ignitions. If you're going for just a stage 1 then you're fine.

https://www.amazon.com/Dynatek-Davidson-2004-06-Sportster-carbureted/dp/B000GZQOL8

Here's an Amazon link. one can has 55 packets of Rocket Fuel. One can will last you a really long time. https://www.amazon.com/Cal-Products-Rocket-Fuel-Diplay/dp/B000GZOGP4

https://www.amazon.com/Jujunshangmao-Bicycle-Durable-Decibels-Handlebar/dp/B07SNT5BC2

I'm guessing 418's.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000GV1PQG/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_ddDWAb8DANR82

Oh! Were doing biker book suggestions! I can help! The range from undercover cops to actual members.

I've read these already

• Under and Alone
  
  
• No Angel
  
  
• Vagos, Mongols, and Outlaws: My Infiltration of America's Deadliest Biker Gangs
  
  
• Gods Of Mischief
  
  
• Breaking the Code
  
  
• Out in Bad Standings
  
  
• Prodigal Father Pagan Son
  
  These are ones I've ordered and they're getting here this week:
  
  
• Honor Few Fear None
  
  
• Dead Man Running

The whole “lack of back pressure” thing is a myth, all that is happening is the reversion wave arrives at the port earlier and the flow is reduced, this increases the pressure in the pipe and will reduce the amount of exhaust gas evacuated which in turn will reduce the amount of fresh charge coming in, in some cases it will push exhaust gas back into the cylinder and push the intake backwards at the start of the stroke.
What is beneficial to performance is having the low pressure in the exhaust which is achieved by high gas velocity, this is more commonly known as scavenge.

Since I always get down voted on this subject, I’ll add a couple of links to help.
https://www.omicsonline.org/open-access/analysis-of-exhaust-manifold-using-computational-fluid-dynamics-fmoa-1000129.php?aid=77193

https://www.rbracing-rsr.com/exhausttech.htm

https://www.amazon.com/Scientific-Exhaust-Systems-Engineering-Performance/dp/0837603099
This book is a great read, there is some very deep analysis of exhaust pressure and uses test bed engines in proving that exhausts with higher pressure
(Back pressure) results in lower power and less economy.