I have been watching several threads about making more and more power and just wondered when is enough, enough. I went through this phase in the middle of 95 with my buddy egging me on the whole way. After I got to the 75 h.p. mark on my 93 1200 it started getting a lot more expensive for the little bit of h.p. here and there. I have a few recomendations for those of you who are piece mealing this bike together one dollar at a time. Go plop down the 3000 grand or so to get the 1450 kit with the heads and then stop. You will get what you want for a fraction of the cost you will incur if you keep reboring and tweeking here and there. I still wish I bought the s&s hot 89 kit back in 95 when my friend told me this would solve all my power needs at one time and then I would never have had to do anything other than twist the frigging throttle. Wish I had listened to him back then. I would not have a $25000 sportster right now. I would probably have a pan chopper too with the money I had saved. Think before you spend a dime. You will have way more for the money in the end if you do.

Stevo is getting the big bore kit and Narley has it. I guess even the guys who know better even learn the hard way by constantly upgrading till they get to the pinnacle of upgrades. Big bore.

Someone once asked Henry Ford how much money is enough, and his reply was "just a little bit more". So, I suppose the answer to the power question would be similar in most of our minds. The thrill of acceleration, I think, leads many of us to experiment with getting just a little bit more power. Many bikers tend to upgrade over the years to either bigger or faster machinery.
Billy

just a minute , I'm almost there , just one more tweak , there , I'm to the point now that one more thing and I'm done :laugh :laugh :laugh :p :laugh :clap :D

When is enough power enough.

That question has been asked Forever!!!! Answer: Never enough Power!!

Man has been trying to get more power out of Motorcycles since the first one was Built!!! Everyone has their own little way of doing it also.. Some do a little bit at a time and Some do a Bunch all at once!!! I guess it all depend on the persons mechanical ability and Some how Much they can Spend at one time!!

But in a nutshell some people will continue to pour money into their bikes to make it go faster or Look better, It's a Never Ending Cycle!!!! :yikes

My .02!!! :D

I think we'll let stevo answer this question , he's stopped adding power to his bike and is totaly happy at its current level of performance , right stevo ?, wink wink

I think we'll let stevo answer this question , he's stopped adding power to his bike and is totaly happy at its current level of performance , right stevo ?, wink wink


I bet even Stevo will continue to Tinker with his Scoot to get maybe 1 more horse or to go .01 second faster down the Strip!!! :D

My only point is that it might just be better to advise people to spend a lot at once and then enjoy the power of their money, so to speak.

My only point is that it might just be better to advise people to spend a lot at once and then enjoy the power of their money, so to speak.

Then all the fun of getting there would be missed.
I think sometimes of doing it all at once,send it out and have a monster when it is returned.But if I did what then? What is left to do,when there is nothing left to do?
I think there is one statement that sums it all up,and most of us who like to ride will understand it well,and that is this.
It is not the destination.
It is the trip that we seek.
Don

My guess is that you will spend more time on the trip and less time in the garage. I am just trying to help those that expect there sportsters to tear flesh off when they hit the throttle to do it one time. A little here and there is great but the people on the constant quest like I was might spend there money wiser by just gettin the bad ass *&&*()&^$# motor right now and not worry about the dyno runs and the all the crap that will unltimately help them to decide to get the big bore stump puller they are trying to piece meal. It might be the only way to get their fix.

It is not the destination.
It is the trip that we seek.
Don

There it is. Its the all American art of hot rodding. Taking an underpowered 883 and turning it into a nicely powered 1200 was and continues to be my goal. I don't want more cubes than 74. I just want to maximize what I get out of 74. And, I want it to be cost effective and have fun doing it.

BD

Sounds like you know where you are going and that makes all the difference Not all of us are that fortunate. I rode with a maniac and 1000 h.p. probably would not have been enough. Still wish I bought the 10.5 to 1 hot 89 kit.

The answer is simple


TOO MUCH IS NEVER ENOUGH............




Buying a bike is NOT about being sensible, it is about satisfying our basic urges.

Freedom in the ride and for many the freedom to tinker.

many people don't have the luxury of having their own workshop but it doesn't stop the urge.

We live in a complicated world and many of us have very complicated lives and jobs...

Tinkering with your bike to make it individual is somethin that most people who buy a Harley wish to do.......that is the nature of customising and modifying..

If people wanted the fastest thing on the road then they would buy it ,, and many do...

A lot of people who buy jap cruisers and jap sports bikes do so because they don't wish to tinker... they just wanna ride and leave all the work to their mechanic...


I agree that money could be more wisely spent by going straight to the big bore if that's where ya gonna end up anyway.... BUT where's the FUN in that....?????

For most people it IS the journey and the tinkering that is as much, if not more fun than the riding itself..


I don't aften give advise to newbies on this forum because I sorta get sick of it most of the time doin it in real life BUT if I do it usually starts with a HEAP of questions so I can ascertain how far the person is likely to go to the "dark" side..

Some just want a touch more to be safer when overtakin, some want to beat their mate... and some will not be satisfied until that motor is taken to within an inch of it's liffe in a full on drag frame....

We are all individuals and our reasons for owning a bike is a varied as the personalities involved........

It's NOT about being sensible tho.....the best part of the journey IS the journey itself and how many twisties are between A and B (I've just spent 3 days going up and down the same 20 kay stretch of road. Trying to explain to people that, THAT in itself was the destination, is pointless... if I have to explain you wouldn't understand)

and that applys to modifying your ride as much as riding it

Stevo,
I think you said it well.
Don

I have been watching several threads about making more and more power and just wondered when is enough, enough. I went through this phase in the middle of 95 with my buddy egging me on the whole way. After I got to the 75 h.p. mark on my 93 1200 it started getting a lot more expensive for the little bit of h.p. here and there. (snip)
I guess when you get tired of spending money for the extra ponnies...

Buying a bike is NOT about being sensible, it is about satisfying our basic urges.

You said it all Stevo and if it requires an explanation... hell, they wouldn't understand anyway. My ride is basically stock (stage 1) but that's the way I like it. I do spend an inordinate amount of money on other mods tho and I keep changing things till I get it the way I want it.

I do get it I just don't get it. I still wish I had the hot 89 kit but I have not received any good offers for the wife and kids yet. I suppose for me that 89 with 13 to 1 is when it will be enough. On second thought, that forcewinder is supposed to give a couple of extras and what about a turbo. Ah, nevermind, just dreaming about the days when I could afford to do what the hell I wanted. If you look at my gallery you will see that the same is never in the cards. I suppose we all know the answer. It is when your wife tells you to stop spending the kids college fund, or the furniture fund, or the vacation fund or whatever.

Stevo

You said a mouthful there!!! :clap :clap :clap

As you said, and the Saying Goes: If I Have To Explain It You Wouldn't Understand!!!! :D

rottenralph

I guess it When I die!!! ;)

Stevo, +1!!

The Sporty is the very first bike that I've owned in 37 years that I have not tried to rationalize as being 'practical'. As a direct result I enjoy every moment with it-far more than expected.
It does fulfill a 'basic need'.

Kim

Besides, it gets me out to the shed AWAY from the wife and kids. That in itself should be worth it, no?

I only wanted to fit the catalogue parts on my Sporty, mainly to make it different rather than increase the performance too much. In reality I was more than happy with just the stage 1. With perfect hindsight I would not have spent the extra taking my bike to a stage 2. What this highlighted was the need to improve the handling and thus spending even more money!

I realised just before Christmas it was going to cost a small fortune to uprate it any further so I called a halt and decided to now keep the spending down to just a few chrome trinkets every now and then (famous last words).

Having been used to Jap sports bikes for the last 25 years I also went out and bought a Honda CBR600 to play around on. That way I can keep the Harley for cruising rather than chasing everything (which I was starting to do!).

I have to agree with Ralph and Stevo both. The journey is as important as the destination, but sometimes you can still have a great journey by just getting a kit. I have said this numerous times in many posts but I think that the HQ kit offers pretty good bang for the buck, it may seem expensive at first, but it is a proven package that works well together and why reinvent the wheel, unless your looking for a better wheel. I think the important thing to do before you do any mods is to consider What is my ultimate goal, & how will this mod get me closer to that or hinder that??? If you really want a 90hp bike, don't do a simple conversion now with dished pistons and think I'll do the heads later that is truly a waste,

The answer to that question is when I go over 100hp! ;)

--Sean

Ralph:

That is exactly what I anticipate doing should I ultimately decide to go that far. I had even considered getting my year model's cases and just building it out from there and then just popping the new engine in (as if it is that easy) once completed. I will have to do more research though. I know what to do if I keep it at 1200 or gor to 1250 but at 1450, I am missing bits of info. I have a round-about idea, but nothing solid and I wouldn't want to start until I have that solid info.

The answer to that question is when I go over 100hp! ;)

--SeanI don't think this would be entirely difficult.

I think my answer to the original question speaks more of my defination of "enough" which when I use it to relate to speed is just a shortened version of "enough to scare me". I've not been in or on a vehicle yet that had "enough" power or was fast "enough".
My .02
Tony

I agree that both Stevo and Ralphy are right. You can save a lot of time, money and aggravation by having your " BALLS TO THE WALL " motor done in one shot.

But I'm one of the " love to tinker " types. I felt I gained a lot of knowledge by doing my performance upgrades in steps.

My first step up from stock was tax paying. A/C, S/E Muffs., Jet kit. I had the stocker running mint, with instantaneous throttle response. This was done in my 1st 9 mos of ownership, @ 1600 mi.

10 mos later I did the Wiseco 1200 conv. @ 4400 mi. WOW!

9 mos later the DYNA 2000 Single Fire Ignition @ 6900 mi. Improved throttle response, due to the ability to select an ign. curve closer to the 1200's performance level.

1 mo. and 200 mi later I installed a Thunderheader.

The Ign. and pipe upgrade stressed the carb., so I upgraded the slo jet,accelerator pump, fuel valve, and V.O.E.S. within the next couple of mos.
NOW WE'RE TALKING!!!!

2yrs later I got the Doherty Machine Power Pac A/C, and a set of Nology Hot wires.

Spreading things out like this gave me the chance to save up and pay cash, so as to keep the wife happy and avoid the credit cards. But even better was that I could evaluate each upgrade on it's own and be able to give an informed opinion .
Some upgrades were felt immediately, others I felt no difference. The only one I felt hurt performance was the Yost Power Tube I ran for a short while.
A large part of the fun was the anticipation of saving and waiting gave me something to look forward to. I actually would get a mini depression if I couldn't think of a new project to embark upon. I know, I'm a sick man!This Saturday the bike goes in for
HEAD WORK AND CAMS!! WAHOOO!!!!