1997 Wide Glide

[Sinker]

I am picking up a 1997 Wide Glide that has the stock intake and carb. Should I go with the Screamin Eagle air filter and a re-jet or the S&S Super E setup. Would there be a noticeable power difference between the two? Any other ideas are also welcome. Just looking to wake it up a little.
Thanks/ Scott

[thumper 823]

The BIG question, -  Is it stock?
You can only get so much through a given hole, Usually a stock filter more the suffices for the HD delinquencies
in stock configuration.
It takes very little to improve but quite a bit of know how.
We all can offer an opinion on what works and a man with a dyno KNOWs what works.
Scott at Hillside is such a person and he advertises here.
Personally, i always tell people to write at the bottom of a piece of paper what they want for the engine and a total bike package.
Now start filling on the blanks how to get there.
Just throwing abstract parts at the beast is a total waste of money.

Try to think of it as a symphony of parts labors all headed to the goal line together.
One kind carb or one exhaust in most cases are chosen wrong as knee jerk reaction.

[Sinker]

The bike only has 2000 miles and has all the stock engine components. I have other bikes that are performance oriented so I just want to open it up to breathe a little better. Don't see the value in spending hundreds of dollars for 2-3 HP.

[Hossamania]

If stock exhaust, stick with the stock air cleaner, adjust the air mixture screw, maybe go up a size in pilot and main jets, but be prepared to pull those back out and go back to stock.
If exhaust is changed, an SE filter will work fine on the CV carb, again with some jetting changes.
As far as changing out to an S&S carb, it won't really improve performance much, it will not do as well on gas mileage, but it is cool looking.

[Hossamania]

By the way, cool bike! And remember, the hardest and most rare Harley Davidson to find is one that is completely stock.

[thumper 823]

As the wise man said, it is dam hard to bolt on HP..cheaply.

[Rugby_fxdwg]

By the way, cool bike! And remember, the hardest and most rare Harley Davidson to find is one that is completely stock.

As always Hoss is correct. Congratulations on your FXDWG wide glide as I have a 1996 WG with 99760 miles on it. They're very comfortable bike for long rides if your tall. No, mine isn't close to stock but have learned your CV40 carb is good for to 100HP. My suggestion is enjoy it as is. If you change your pipes, keep them aside. Make the appropriate changes to the carb if you change the headers and the mufflers... If you decide to modify, there are many very fine gentlemen who will help you spend your money  wisely. Have a budget and a plan in mind for your riding style. Enjoy your WG

[Sinker]

Thanks for the feedback everyone!

[thumper 823]

As the wise man said, it is dam hard to bolt on HP..cheaply.

But 50 HP is a bore to ride....

[screem]

But 50 HP is a bore to ride....
[/quote]

My ole Fatboy, small cam and S&S carb, 40" shotgun drag pipes... Foot  clutch and tank shift, is an absolute blast to ride... sometimes its not all about horsepower, but about how the bike is set up for you

[Hillside Motorcycle]

CV carb will have better fuel economy than the E carb.(we use S&S carbs in many application, however)
Power will be almost identical.

[JW113]

If it were all about horsepower, I'd be riding a Hayabusa. My Indian has perhaps 40HP, and it's a total kick in the pants to ride. 70-75HP can be had pretty easily with an Evo, and if you're not planning to drag race, is plenty of fun.

JMO, of course!

-JW

[JC 92FXRS]

I agree JW...I have a great time running around on my bone-stock FXRS.
Cheers, Jeff

[thumper 823]

My thinking is this-
If you ever jump on a real 100 HP bike,  That is usable power, not some tweeky thing,
Yo will not ever go back to 50 or 60 HP.

[JW113]

Well I guess I'm an exception to that. I have one 130HP bike that I almost never ride, and three 50-60 HP bikes that I ride almost every day and enjoy the hell out of. I think it depends a lot on what your riding environment is like, doesn't it? Splitting lanes on the freeway between cars going 0 to 50mph, whether a 50HP bike or a 500HP bike would not make a speck of difference.

-JW

[thumper 823]

Well I guess I'm an exception to that. I have one 130HP bike that I almost never ride, and three 50-60 HP bikes that I ride almost every day and enjoy the hell out of. I think it depends a lot on what your riding environment is like, doesn't it? Splitting lanes on the freeway between cars going 0 to 50mph, whether a 50HP bike or a 500HP bike would not make a speck of difference.

-JW

You may take exception of it .
I did not say you had to ride WOT !
When I first started riding HD (early 70s) I got in the habit to do everything I could to speed it up.
They were pigs .
And pigs is being nice.
It is a slippery slope .
Now I think I am just mainline jones for a handful of go.
Each to their own.