Stage 1 upgrade

Ihave a 02 1200 sporster. I am thinking of doing the stage 1 upgrades and am looking for advice on good parts and where to find them.
Thanks Mike

as far as air cleaners go, most any that have the internal breathers in the backing plate will work well. alot of people use a ness big sucker. the harley one that is simular will work well to. doughtery powerpac is simular. any good slipon muffler , such as s&s , cycle shack, all work good. get ones that look good then adjust the carb/ injection to match and good to go.

The H-D "Screamin' Eagle" air-cleaner backing plate/filter which retains the stock "ham can" has been very popular for years, but as '03 was the last year for the one yours takes they're not as easy to find anymore & the Arlen Ness "Big Sucker" that "fxdxriderleo" mentioned is also very popular, especially if you like a round cover better. Lots of other choices too if you want a different style & if you don't have catalogs like J&P Cycles, Dennis Kirk, V-Twin, etc. get 'em - most are online but the hard copy is usually free for the asking & better IMO.

SE slip-on mufflers are also very popular but harder to find for Sportsters thru '03 (design changes in '04) & you have several other choices there too - Cycle Shack & KromeWerks are just 2 quality brands. The best street/road performance is with the stock pipes (including crossover) with quality slip-ons, but there are a lot of other choices if you want something else - Vance & Hines 2-2, Thunderheader 2-1, etc., etc., etc. Again, look thru the catalogs if you want more ideas.

With improved air-cleaner & exhaust you'll want to go to a 175 main jet, but leave the 42 slow alone. You'll also want to change the needle & while I like the infamous N65C (H-D part # 27094-88), "Kenfuzed" has one that's better than the stock one, as well as other carb parts like the easy-adjust idle mixture screw. The stock needle is the primary cause of the "carb farts" & replacing it is not difficult. BTW - if you don't already have the factory service manual, get one - worth every penny.

Pop the cap off the idle mixture adjustment screw, *gently* run it all the way in then back out 2.5 turns & with the above, you'll be really, really close to ideal with a stock bike. Far & away the "best bang for the buck" performance & ridability wise.

Art_N is right on track with the pipes and aircleaner. The old sportster needle that he recommends is probably the best needle you can put in a CV carb and placing one spacer under the needle will quicken the response when opening the throttle. Drilling the slide vacuum hole out to 7/64" will also wake up the performance but any larger will sometimes cause fluttering problems at full throttle. I have had better luck with a 45 slow jet in eliminating the "sportster cough" in 1200 motors. I am partial to Cycle Shack pipes on the sporty for both a good sound, quality workmanship and price considerations. When my wife got her 88 inch Deluxe her only request was she wanted it to sound just like her Sporty with Cycle Shacks.

many thanks

I thank all of you for the advice. This will give me some good starting points to bring my sportster to life THANKS MIKE

What's been discussed is commonly referred to as "paying the Harley Tax", Mike - increasing the airflow in & out so the engine can breathe & the getting the fuel flow to match. That's all the farther most people go since you pick up about 10 HP, the bike runs a LOT better & it doesn't cost all that much. Plus, rather than hurt reliability as many performance modifications do, the engine lasts longer. To get more power, you get into headwork, cams, etc. & you soon learn all about "the law of diminishing returns" as each additional HP gets progressively more expensive, the powerband gets narrower & there's more maintenance. So once the "Harley Tax" is paid, most focus on other areas, like improved suspension & seat, plus things like handlebars & footpegs to tailor the bike to be the most comfortable for them.

I call it,,,

The "Slippery Slope."
A name out here that a few of my freinds have dubbed to the ongoing excessive spending for little differences in the the payout for what ya paid for...so go and get this next to ..They have been on Hds for 40 years. they know he slope and try yo pass on their knowledge of its wicked ways

Of course they have bikes heavily modified and have The Professor( a nickname for one of them) flowed the heads for a bonniville record run a few years ago. I do gotta admit the little tricks they put into their street rides are clever.