What Is A Harley-Davidson Stage 2 Upgrade And How Much Does It Cost?

The upgrades you can make to your Harley-Davidson motorcycle are separated into four tiers with Stage 1 being the cheapest and easiest. Stage 1 upgrades the air intake, exhaust, and tuning and can be used by itself or in conjunction with the other three stages as a solid foundation. Stage 4, the most difficult and costly of the bunch, is typically the type of upgrade you'll make if you want to get the most performance and horsepower out of your bike. Here, we're going to take a look at Stage 2.

A Stage 2 upgrade consists of a new camshaft for your engine. To get more performance out of your bike with a Stage 2 upgrade, it's recommended to do a Stage 1 upgrade as well. Stage 1 upgrades are something a DIY motorcycle mechanic with the right tools could tackle, but the Stage 2 upgrade is a more daunting task, and that means the price of going to a mechanic has to be taken into account if you can't do it at home.

A decision you'll have to make with the Stage 2 upgrade is picking between power or torque. If you don't often need a higher top speed, the torque upgrade is what a lot of people tend to recommend for Stage 2.

If you want to do your Stage 2 upgrade at home, you can expect to spend somewhere in the range of $300 to $700 buying one of the Screamin' Eagle kits. These figures come directly from Harley-Davidson's website where you can pick either a torque or power kit based on what you decide to upgrade. Of course, the price varies based on the type of upgrade you're going for, and you can also find different prices from different brands.

As for how much it costs for a mechanic to make the upgrade, that's going to depend on your location. Your best bet is to call around for quotes to find the best price, which can range from a few hundred dollars to thousands of dollars, so don't take the first deal you're quoted if you don't have to.

This is certainly a situation where it pays to know your way around a motorcycle since you can save quite a bit of cash by installing the upgrade at home. However, working with an engine isn't the best idea for someone just starting out, so it's worth going to a mechanic if you're not confident in your abilities. Beginners who want to do their own work are better off starting with the Stage 1 upgrade and making easy changes like swapping in a new air cleaner.