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Stock?

6K views 28 replies 23 participants last post by  Laconia 
#1 ·
Over the years I've had 5 different Harleys before my new RG Ultra that I bought late last year. I've altered exhausts and various things on every Harley I've owned. I suppose I will this one eventually. But that brings me to my question of your guys; how many of you are just riding your RG bone stock? Or plan to just keep it stock?

I've had some really loud exhausts before and the stock are kinda throaty but I'm able to hear some tunes and this is the first Harley I've had music on.

And also I appreciate this forum. Great to find one thats just dedicated to the kool Shark.
 
#2 ·
Bought mine new and the only thing i did to the motor was the stage1 AC and slipons if you really want to call that an engine mod. I have done cosmetic things but i like the gas mileage i get out of my otherwise stock 96" with 23k miles. When i start having motor problems ill consider the real motor mods. Until then im happy with her
 
#3 ·
All my daily riders I have left pretty much stock as far as the motor goes , dont see dumping tons of cash into it right off the bat .. This one has different bars , Xieds and a trailer hitch , for the foreseeable future that is it ..

When the motor or some other component takes a dump then it will be upgraded , or if I see the need for a modification from towing the trailer ( which I dont foresee at this point ) , then I will do whatever ..

But not for the sake of just changing something ..

Money better spent on oil , gas and tires

JtB
 
#4 ·
Mine is about like the others, just slip ons, AC, and a Power Vision tuner.

Better bars because the stock ones suck.

Lowers, and quick detach tour pack round out the bigger $ stuff, but nothing radical.

I don't like to do much to a bike that can't be taken back off, and moved to the next bike or sold.

No big money paint or wheels, or extensive motor mods. I usually keep a bike 3-4 years, and it just doesn't pay off to put 5-10K into a bike for me.

Same reason I don't think I'd ever buy a CVO, I just don't keep em long enough.
 
#5 ·
food for thought

All cars and motorcycles come from the factory with what I like to call "EPA Asthma"! They are running lean and hot to pass the Gov. Regulations. That being said if you have a bike with a cat. You can loose a bunch of heat under your right leg by shit canning the cat. pipe. Lose reliability you say well let me give you a couple recent examples:

My buddy? Larry former pro Kawasaki Drag racer and mechanic believes he will have a more reliable bike by riding it stock. Well recently my neighbor’s bike lost the cam chain tensioner and trashed his motor. Being the good friend I am I told Larry he should check his out before disaster strikes! Well I convinced him to do the hyd. upgrade and when he got inside he found his stock cams were both trashed and on there way to causing major problems. Disaster averted yes. But did he achieve his goal of stock = reliability? I think not and he put stock Hd cams back in which still has me scratching my head? The stock cams were shit would you buy new ones? Not me!!! Oh yeah 26k miles on a 2000 wide glide never been on a road trip!

Now my buddy Kurt is like Larry and rode kaw's most his life. No way to get him to consider a cam change or anything else. He rides the 97 wide glide the way he bought used. V&h pies and otherwise stock. Well at 70k mile he had top end leak and took it in to have the top end done and the shop said we should inspect you cam bearings because at 50k they should have been replaced. They were ok but we talked him into an EV23 bolt in cam. Never thought I would see the day! Kurt comes to me after a month and says Face you were right and I should have listened to you 10 years ago. I love the way my bike runs so much and can't for the life of me figure out why Larry put stock cams back in.

Well don't you know Kurt must have got to Larry so now he is considering a mild cam change.


I love it when I am right!!!!!!!

I don't ride anything stock and never have since my 1969 z50 Honda!!!

FACE
 
#8 ·
I'm not talking about super-radical but in previous bikes it seemed they were starving for air and even though this one runs pretty hot it seems to be much improved over past Harleys. Different pipes will def be changed over the next year or so but not sure about getting rid of O2 sensors, the cat etc. Here in Arkansas we have no emissions test but I've heard some other states are getting kinda bitchy about it.
 
#9 ·
Bought mine last December, and have left it stock. Might do a stage 1 over the winter/early spring, but I'm leaning towards just getting the power vision to cool it down and leave it. I actually like the quiet of the stock pipes right now, after yrs of Thunderheaders, Rineharts, Kerkers.
 
#11 ·
Pretty similar to the others here. Swapped out exhaust, did the Stage 1 w/SuperTuner. No other mods to the engine - I'm pretty happy with its performance right now. Added an oil cooler.
 
#12 ·
I agree with others. Customizing is both for looks (boards/grips/etc.) and performance (which can also be looks).

Kept mine stock for quite a while. Lately, changed the looks and the performance. Happy with both. It just makes the bike more "personal" and also helps with the way it runs. So, "deep cut" add-ons, SE filter, Freedom Performance pipes, and more to follow.

Stock is exactly that: stock. Just MHO. But as long as you love riding it, that's all that matters. Even stock, RGs are simply great bikes.
 
#14 ·
Yes even stock I'm really enjoying mine. I have had a couple Heritages and thought I'd only ever ride a Heritage. I took my Heritage in for service and the Svc Mgr told me to take one of their used touring bikes while mine is getting serviced over the weekend. And that just sold me. When I got back I traded my beloved Heritage for a RG Ultra. Really enjoy everything about the bike. And never thought a bike this big would be this easy to ride.
 
#13 ·
I kept mine pretty much stock (dealer did stage I as part of my purchase), until the warranty ran out, I like it much better now, and if I cruise normally I actually get better mpg.
 
#16 ·
The power train on my '11 FLTRX is bone stock. I only do comfort/safety mods and minimal cosmetic changes (love the way it looks stock). I can't justify "performance" upgrades on a bike like this. If I wanted to go super fast I could've saved a lot of money and got a crotch rocket. I'll ride it the way it is and if it breaks within the next 6 years the warranty should fix it.
 
#19 ·
I've always modified my bikes at some point. (look at my signature) I will probably change the cams at some point, but not right now.
 
#23 ·
I did a bunch of cosmetic mods but other than a vance and hines propipe and arlen ness big sucker with PCV its bone stock. Why mess with something so reliable. Much like the others, down the road if it needs engine work I'll upgrade.
 
#25 ·
I caved in after 490 miles. My exhaust combo is deeper, a bit louder than OEM, but I can still hear the music at cruising speed. Motor work unleashed the engine's potential while maintaining rideanbility, and I added the usual trinkets that add comfort.

Hoping to finish the RG soon; planning on stuffing an S&S 113" motor into my Fat Boy next.

It never ends.........
 
#28 ·
Keepin' her stock until I learn more about the Harley world and develop a vision of what I want to do. The aftermarket industry is amazing, so many choices!
 
#29 ·
Like all before and most likely all after, I made it mine!!!:cool:
 
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