05 harley efi blue pipes dealer said I had to buy module to retune ? warranty did not cover ?

9 Comments

1. $andman says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   they all turn blue up near the head
2. Bart S says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   you can clean the bluing from the pipes
3. Ryde-on says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   Blue pipes indicate a lean condition, a re-tune will allow a richer fuel : air ratio , but there is no guarantee pipes won’t blue.

   If the bluing bugs you, get pipes with heat shields or double wall pipes.
4. bikinkawboy says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   as ryde-on said, blueing is caused by high temperatures and an overly lean condition can cause that. Can but not always. For instance, the only BMW boxer twin you’ll see that doesn’t have blue pipes is the unridden one setting on the dealers showroom floor. Look at old British bikes and you’ll see plenty of blue pipes as well. The Japanese cured that ages ago by going with double walled pipes, but you can still see blue pipes on Jap bikes that have aftermarket singlewalled pipes.

   If the dealer can put your bike on an O2 sensor, he should be able to get a better idea if your bike is actually running too lean or not.

   How you ride also effects how blue the piupes get. Grandma putt-putting her BMW boxer down the street to church once a week may only turn the headers a golden color but if she goes out drinking with the boys on Saturday night and drag races till 3 AM, her pipes will be a bright blue before church on Sunday morning.
5. jim e says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   the 05 harley with efi or any efi system has sensors that automatically retune your fuel and air mixture pay to repop the computer is a falacy and a waste of your time and $350.00
6. reddishpa says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   All pipes blue.
7. ffroadking says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   The thing you must remember is that to meet emission standards Harley, (and all makers), must burn fuel efficiently by tuning them to run lean and run hotter. If you add aftermarket pipes/ mufflers often times you lower the back pressure causing an even leaner condition, causing the engine to run even hotter. This is what causes the bluing. Most EFI systems CANNOT compensate, therefore you must either buy the Race tuner, or add another module such as a Power Commander, to "fool" the EFI computer into adding more fuel to the mixture to richen it through out your power band, Dyno testing is key. This will give a cooler running engine and more give you more power. Remember for street use, you are looking for torque not horsepower.
8. Firecracker . says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   I’m not exactly sure what your question is.
   EFI Harleys are set lean from the factory.
   All pipes blue, lean conditions make it happen faster.
   The warranty has not ever covered pipe bluing.

   There is always an alternative to what the dealership wants to sell.
   Often it’s also a product they carry, but it sells for less (therefor it’s not the first offering).
9. skullbikemike says:

   July 23, 2009 at 3:54 pm

   you can prevent your pipes from bluing the same way Bart S does… by not riding.