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Average Harley Stage 2 Upgrade Cost in 2023 – What You Need To Know

Think your Harley Davidson is good enough? That it doesn’t need any upgrades?

Well, you might want to think again.

Upgrading your Harley Davidson can make a big difference in how it rides and how much enjoyment you get out of it.

Here’s a breakdown of the Harley Stage 2 upgrade cost, and why it might be worth the investment for you.

What is a Stage 2 Upgrade on a Harley Davidson?

The Stage 2 upgrade includes a cam upgrade and a tune, to fully make use of the new cam.

Harley Davidson Stage 2 Camshaft

Keep in mind that in order to install the Stage 2 upgrade on a Harley Davidson, you must have Stage 1 already installed.

The Stage 1 upgrade is extremely important for later mods, as it significantly increases airflow and thus allows the engine to spray in more fuel.

More fuel means more power, but we’re always limited in the amount of fuel we can spray into the combustion chamber because of the limited airflow. The Stage 1 upgrade takes care of that and all of the other stages heavily rely on it for maximum airflow.

Now, the Stage 2 upgrade replaces the stock cams with more aggressive ones, along with adjustable pushrods, and ideally – new lifters. This will significantly increase both the horsepower and the torque of your motor, and will even increase the rev limit.

To make most of the cam change, you will have to get your Harley Davidson dyno tuned or use an “off-the-shelf” tuner, like the Power Commander.

Both work really well, but if you have the chance – go with the dyno tune. Nothing beats a real custom dyno tune by a professional.

How Much Does a Stage 2 Upgrade Cost?

The average Stage 2 Upgrade Cost in 2023 is between $900 and $1500.

Now, this is just an estimate and the real cost can vary on a few different factors, such as the model of your Harley Davidson, the price of the parts, how healthy your engine is, and the labor rate of the shop.

The total cost can be broken down into $400-500 for the aftermarket camshaft kit, $500 for around 5 hours total of labor, and around $200 for the tune.

You can save $500 by doing the job yourself, but we only recommend that if you have experience working with engines.

Working on Harley Davidson engines is not too difficult and there are a lot of how-to videos on YouTube that show all the steps involved in great detail, but if you’re not comfortable with valvetrain components, then we strongly advise you to leave it to the professionals.

Also Read: Average Harley Stage 3 Cost

Pros & Cons of Stage 2 Upgrade for Harley Davidson

Getting a Stage 2 upgrade is a pretty big choice financially, especially these days.

So, you might be wondering – is it worth it?

Here are the pros and cons of the Stage 2 upgrade to help you decide:

Pros

  • Significantly more power & torque
  • Better throttle response
  • Higher rev limit
  • Better exhaust sound

Cons

  • Decreases gas mileage
  • Can be pricey

As you can tell, there are not a lot of cons to the Stage 2 upgrade.

The only one that is worth mentioning is that it will decrease your gas mileage, but that’s to be expected with any mod that significantly increases power.

Is a Stage 2 Upgrade Worth It?

The Stage 2 Upgrade is completely worth it if you’re looking to get more power out of your Harley Davidson.

The increase in power is significant and the throttle response that you’ll get will be amazing.

You can expect a 30%-40% increase in horsepower and a 10%-20% increase in torque with a Stage 2 upgrade installed.

Related: The 5 Best Twin Cam 88 Performance Upgrades

Final Thoughts

Installing a Stage 2 upgrade on your Harley Davidson is a great way to get more power and enjoy riding your bike even more.

The cost can be a bit pricey, but it’s definitely worth the investment.

Just make sure that you get your bike dyno tuned after you install the new camshafts to get the most out of the upgrade.

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below and we’ll be happy to help.

4 thoughts on “Average Harley Stage 2 Upgrade Cost in 2023 – What You Need To Know”

  1. Hi Nick,

    I’m considering jumping from stage I right to stage III.

    Thoughts on this? Benefits? Not as worried about the cost, but very curious about performance compared to stage II.

    Thx in advance

    1. Hey Mark,

      Stage 3 will turn your Harley into a rocket and it’s a no-brainer if money is not an issue. You’re getting much more power, a very aggressive cam right off the bat (designed specifically for the big bore kit), and more displacement. There are literally no downsides apart from the cost, and maybe the fact that other HD guys and gals will be massively jealous haha!

  2. The stage zero 107 in my touring bike has plenty of power for solo touring, and range is important to me. I rarely accelerate with more than 1/4 throttle which puts 100 yards between my bike and the cars at the light.

    Are there any long term negatives keeping the bike at stage zero? I am still running stock mufflers also. Rather hear the music than the exhaust.

    Thanks

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