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Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Nallin Hurricane Permanent Oil Filter

Here is a link to NRHS web page describing this product. I've been using it since summer of 2006 and am very happy with it. It is a bit pricey, but the quality and performance are impeccable.

Here is a link to a manufacturer's website.

Friday, July 7, 2006

Drilled Stock Mufflers

Drilling the baffle plate in the stock mufflers is a very good and inexpensive way to obtain most of the so called "performance" slip-on mufflers. It is very easy to do and the bang for a buck is significant. There is a plate about a third of the way down each muffler that restricts straight passage of exhaust and forces it throught the baffles. This muffles the noise and also deals with many of the negative effects straight pipes have on this type of engine. I will not go into a discussion on exhaust design here as I am neither an expert nor do I have an inclination to become one. I will only say that according to my experience as well as many others' drilling a 1/2" hole in the baffle provides most of the performance gains obtained with an exopensive and loud set of slip-ons like Screaming Eagle or Cycle Shaks. I use a long drill bit, remove the mufflers and drill them from the "input" side. This makes me feel better in that the metal shavings from drilling will not make it to the engine somehow. The sound is almost stock, though a bit throatier and performace is excelent. I am sure you can do better on performance with aftermarket slip-ons, but bang for buck will not be there and you may not like the amount of noise that is constanly with you as you ride. If you are into loud pipes, this mod is NOT for you.

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

Cowbell Horn Kit

have hated the stock horn sound since the first time I tried using it. It sounds like a '69 VW Beetle and does not command much attention on the road. I use my horn a lot. It is one of my main survival tools on the road. I need the horn to draw attention to me right away. To that end I decided to add a cowbell horn in addition to the stock horn. The stock horn has a high note and the cowbell horn has a low note. Together they provide the much desired sound that gets people to acknowledge my presence right away.

I must say that I am not too crazy about the looks of the cowbell horn on the left side of the engine. It covers up too much of the engine in my opinion and is too "Big Harley" looking. I do not necessary want my Sportster to look like an overweight chrome tank. But it does function well. I have never had anyone not know where the sound came from when I sounded that horn. So I am leaving it on for now. At some point I will figure out another solution and will take the cowbell down to expose those gorgeous jugs.

The cowbell horn kit from Harley comes pretty much complete and includes a relay as well as a new choke cable bracket to share space with the horn. I added some wiring so as to keep the original horn as well as the cowbell. I wanted that dual note sound. I think it is more about the quality of the sound rather than the actual loudness that gets people to pay attention.