Harley Forty-Eight Modifications for Performance, Comfort and Style

As with any modifications to motorcycles, balancing aesthetics vs. performance vs. comfort always seems to be an uphill battle. That was the challenge when I started out on my Sportster Forty-Eight mods. Do I choose the look I want, or go for the performance that I know will give me the rush I desire? Or in the end do I choose practicality and comfort for those long hauls? In my mind there is a way to combine all three of these key factors, as long as you have patience! And of course, there are plenty of Sportster parts to choose from.

My personal preferences when modifying my machine are comfort and safety first. If I am comfortable then I am able to remain focused on the road and my surroundings, which results in a safer ride. Aesthetics and performance follow in that order. Of course I want my machine to run optimally, but I don’t need my Forty-Eight to be a racing machine so I would rather the style and look take precedence over the performance factor. I bought this bike to cruise and relax on, not race on a track, therefore any performance mods that I have done had a safety and aesthetic look involved, so it was a win-win in both areas.

Handlebar Modification

For my handlebar mods I wanted a different look, but also comfort that I wasn’t getting from the stock bars. The slight lean created from the stock bars, coupled with the peg placement, made me feel like my hands and feet were out-stretched in front, while my center of gravity was on the seat. Since I’m 5’10″ this was not a comfortable feeling on those long rides. I decided to go with a set of Road 6 Customs 8″ rise bars with a downward angle on the handles themselves. End result? Slightly below shoulder length (think blood flow here) handlebars that took the stress off my wrists and shoulders by preventing that leaning forward position.

I also covered the aesthetics department with these bars by running the wiring internally, which is a standard of these bars. Lastly, the atrocious and frankly useless below the bars rear view mirrors that came factory were able to be used and mounted above these Road 6 Customs bars, therefore increasing my safety factory exponentially. I can now see behind me!

Exhaust Upgrade

Exhaust. Ah, the coveted Harley sound, but I wanted different. My goals for this Sportster mod were quite simple.

1) I wanted to be heard by traffic surrounding me.

2) I did not want long pipes scraping the ground every time I hit the back country twisties.

3) I wanted a unique look that isn’t common for most Harleys.

The result? A 2-into-1 head pipe that lets out right below my right foot with a HUGE exhaust port. Did I achieve the loud factor? Yeah, that’s an understatement. Some may say too loud (e.g. tight-asses who should put their tennis shoes on and go sit at the country club), but I want those texting cagers to hear me since I know they aren’t paying attention to the road. I wrapped the exhaust with DEI tan exhaust wrap, and sprayed it with DEI finishing coat to seal and protect the wrap. I got the look I wanted with this exhaust, increased my safety by being loud, and coupled with the Power Commander V and Vision-5 Air Filter was able to tweak a fuel map that increased my fuel economy and performance from the factory setup.

Performance Upgrades

For the air filter (to replace that satellite dish of a stock air filter) I went with the Figure Machine Vision 5 Air Cleaner. There’s more breathing room for the bike to increase my performance, and the plexiglass window that allows you to see the throttle mechanism is a pretty sweet addition. This is a favorite for the kids at red lights in the back seat of their parent’s car. I point it out to them, give the throttle a quick blip, and their eyes light up!

The Dynojet Power Commander V was a necessity after doing the exhaust and air filter to re-map and tweak my fuel/air mixture ratios. After uploading the map for my bike it really is a noticeable upgrade, and the bike runs cooler and more efficiently. In the end this mod felt like more of a necessity, not a choice.

Aesthetics Upgrades

The only purely aesthetic addition I made was a tank lift, coil and key relocation kit. With the bars I added I wanted the tank to sit just slightly higher than factory to give the bike a bigger feel and look. Additionally this opened up the front cylinder head and moved a bunch of wiring that gives a much cleaner look to the bike from the side view.

Lastly the white walls were a decision based on a screw in my rear tire 2400 miles in. I knew I was going to go with them when the time came to change my tires, but this addition was expedited by a few thousand miles!

With these mods I was able to tweak the look of my bike to my liking all while increasing comfort and safety factors by a large margin from the factory setup. With the passenger seat and passenger pegs I now feel comfortable riding two up compared to the factory setup. The only remaining question… is the girl on the back of my Sportster, or my modifications, going to be turning heads?

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