So you want to get a little more power from your Harley-Davidson Sportster, but you’re not sure where to start. You’ve come to the right place. Have you heard others talk about how to Stage 1 kit a Harley-Davidson Sportster? Here’s some basic info on the Stage 1 tuning for your Sportster (or mine), the pros and cons, and the costs.

We’ll look at what it means to Stage 1 kit a motorcycle, what the required components are, how to do it, and what benefits you can realistically expect, no matter what model of Sportster you have.

What is the Stage 1 Kit and where can I find / buy it?

The key components of a Stage 1 kit are:

Free breathing air filter

Free breathing exhaust

Rejetted carburetor (for 1957 to 2006 Sportster models) or remapped EFI (for 2007+ Sportster models with fuel injection)

Stage 1 upgrades aren’t a “kit” per say, they’re a combination of enhancements or add-ons to your motorcycle that are designed to improve performance. You can buy parts individually and adopt different strategies based on your preferences or budget.

What does free breathing mean and what is the Harley Tax?

Free breathing is a state of being non-restricted. In North America and Europe, the automotive industries face heavy regulation for environmental concerns. Motorcycles often come restricted so as to meet emission tests and other standards of compliance.

There are a long list of ways manufacturers restrict their vehicles performances in order to meet the requirements of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and other government organizations around the world. Restrictions can be found in motorcycle air intakes, throttles, variators, exhausts, carburetor jetting, fuel-injection mapping, and more. The “Harley Tax” is the cost that many choose to pay to get their Sportsters or other Harleys running as they should’ve come from the factory, were it not from the government trying to save us from pollution.

Depending on your local laws, Stage 1 upgrades may or may not be legal. They may leave your motorcycle no longer meeting emission, noise, or other standards. They may also increase your fuel consumption and if done wrong could harm your engine.

If you understand the risks and want to find out more about Stage 1 kits, the best and easiest bang-for-your-buck way of improving your Harley-Davidson Sportster, or any other motorcycle’s performance, keep reading!

The key components of a Stage 1 kit:

Here’s a quick look at some of the things you’ll need for a Stage 1 upgrade and why you’ll need them. We recommend you do the upgrades in this order and preferably all at once for the best interests of your engine and your wallet. This is Page 2 of our Stage 1 Kit guide, if you’ve missed Page 1 we recommend you check it out.

Air Cleaners

There are a variety of hyperchargers and air cleaners available for the Harley-Davidson Sportster and for other motorcycles. My 2007 Harley-Davidson Sportster XL-883 has a Screamin’ Eagle Performance Air Cleaner on it. This cleaner has a surface area of roughly double the stock cleaner from the factory. Imagine you had double the lung capacity next time you had to run around the block. Expect to pay around $60 and up depending on features and design. For bang-for-buck-air-suck we recommend the Screamin’ Eagle filter, or one by K&N.

Free Breathing Exhaust

Opening up the exhaust can range from slip-on mufflers to full exhaust systems. The costs range from a couple hundred to near thousands. Slip-ons are easy to install, resemble stock, and help with performance. Full exhaust systems may increase performance further or look much more appealing, but come at a much higher price range. We use the Screamin’ Eagle II slip-on exhaust for Sportsters.

Rejetted Carburetor / Remapped EFI

Harley-Davidson instructions clearly state: changes to both air cleaners and exhaust systems will require ECM re-calibration. We recommend swapping air cleaners and exhausts at the same time, so as to avoid paying for re-calibration twice.

When you start touching your motorcycle’s air intake and exhaust you need to make sure that you’ve adjusted your bike to run a proper fuel mixture to compensate. If you have a carburetted Sportster (1957 – 2006 models) you’ll need to look at changing your carburettor jetting via an appropriate carburetor jet kit. For 2007 and newer Sportster models you’ll need to re-map the EFI (electronic fuel-injection). This can be achieved with use of Sportster fuel-injection tuner tools such as a Power Commander.

Expected Power Gains

Expect to gain about a 10% increase in power by paying “The Harley Tax” or Stage 1 kitting your motorcycle. After a successful Stage 1, 883cc Sportsters should begin seeing horsepower in the low to mid 50s, and torque numbers at about the 50 ft-lbs mark.

Soon we’ll have a step by step instruction on how to use a Power Commander 3 USB on a Harley-Davidson Sportster. You may also be interested in learning how to identify what type of Sportster you have based on its VIN #. For now please leave a comment letting us know what tunning you’ve done and please ask some questions.

More Harley-Davidson Sportster Resources

Affiliate links to all of the products you need are scattered throughout the article, be sure to check those out and shop via Amazon to help support the site. It’s free to you and helps us keep the server online and some gas in the tank. For more Sportster related links, see below:

Again, if you have any questions, or if you’ve enjoyed your Stage 1 upgrade, please comment below!