So, last year I picked up this '97 Road King (EFI) for a sweet deal. The guy I bought it from had only owned it a couple of years, his brother had owned it before that, and the original owner had it for about a year and a half after buying it new before selling to the brother of the guy I bought it from.

So the bike only had about 21,500 miles on it when I picked it up, ran pretty smooth, and was rather quiet. As far as I was led to believe, the bike was stock other than the SE breather.

So, here I am, several months later replacing the rocker boxes and cam cover with some powder coated parts. I figured since I had to have the cam cover off anyway, I might as well change the cam out. I picked up an Andrews EV27 cheap, some HD "B" lifters, and a set of Andrews Chrome-Moly adjustable pushrods.

So as I start tearing into it last night, I get the rocker boxes off and start to pull the pushrods out, when I find that they're adjustables! So much for nobody being in this engine before me. No biggie I figure...maybe someone tried to get rid of the rattle by replacing the pushrods.

Then I get the cam cover off and pull the lifter blocks......I figured I'd check the cam for any part numbers or identifying marks. What I found was "SEH-3" stamped into the backside of the camshaft. So here's my question.....

Would I be better off keeping the SEH-3 cam, or going with the EV27 I bought? For having an aftermarket camshaft, this bike has always seemed a bit sluggish to me. Then again, I don't know if the ECM was ever remapped for this cam. I added a PowerCommanderIII late last year which improved throttle response at cruise, but gave it a terrible dead spot off idle. But when I ordered the PC3 from FuelMoto, I told Jaime it was a stock bike with Bub 7 true duals and an SE breather....I wasn't aware of the cam.

So what do you guys think I should do? Any help is always appreciated, and you guys always seem to come through with it. Thanks in advance.

 

The SE-3 cam was designed for the street legal Stage II EFI EVO engines. The stated power range was from 3,000-5,000 RPM. The lift was .503" on intake and exhaust, duration was 236/240 degrees intake/exhaust making this a low to mid range cam. Hope this helps.

 

The specs for the SE-3 and the EV27 are nearly identical, which means they should perform nearly identically. As John says, you don't really get "on" either cam until 3000 rpm (about 70mph in top gear), so they're pretty racy cams. The more duration a cam has the longer the valves stay open, and the longer the valves stay open the faster you have to spin the engine to make power. At lower rpm the engine will stumble. That's why you get a rumpity-rump idle with a longer duration cam. Personally, since I never race anyone, I prefer the EV13, where I'm on the cam at a much lower rpm, and I have lots of power when I twist the throttle in top gear.
I should add that a lot of people love the EV27 and find it a good compromise for all around riding.

 

Well, I was originally looking for an EV13 based on some of your recommendations to others, but couldn't pass up the deal I got on the 27.

From what I read on NightRider.com, it seems the SE-3 cam wakes up around 3000 and is good to 6000 RPM like John said, but they say the EV27 is good for a lower RPM range (1500-5000).

I have to wonder if this bike was every properly remapped for the SE-3 since It hated idling, was very hard to start when cold (injected bike), and would damn near die if you tried to give it a quick twist off idle. It was great on the expressway around 70, but had no low RPM grunt. The exhaust note seemed quite flat at low RPMs too.

I dunno...maybe since I already have it torn down, I'll put in the EV27, and just sell the SE-3. I couldn't believe how good that cam looked when I pulled it out. There was no evidence that it had even been in a bike. All of the lobes look perfect.

Thanks for the help guys....guess I just gotta go with the lesser of two evils on this one.

 

Wrong section (here) for trades, but send me a PM. I would be interested in the SE-3

Have to run but will be back about dark...

 

One of the first changes I made to my 1990 bike when I bought it new was to fit an EV27, along with a SE air filter (plus carb jet kit). The engine was very smooth and gave far better torque. I was really pleased with it.

Looks like you can move on your SEH-3 and fit the EV27! I suggest you also complete a 'Stage 1' by fitting a free-flowing air filter (I have only ever used SE on my bikes) and consider freeing up the exhaust a little with a pair of slip-ons, then get the efi set up.

 

Graham,

Thanks for the advice. The bike already had the SE breather on it when I bought it...even though it's in pretty bad shape. I actually got a sweet deal on a brand new one a while back and it's sitting in the box in my bedroom. One of the first things I did when I bought the bike was to upgrade the exhaust. Regardless of whether or not the stock setup was sufficient, I wanted something that looked and sounded good, so I bought the Bub '7' true dual kit w/o crossover. They look beautiful, and sound wonderful. Not much on the bike is stock anymore....I have a tendency to go a bit overboard when I start customizing things.

As of now, the bike has black powder coated front forks and cans from a 2000+ bike and a 2008 rear swingarm with 08 wheels and Brembos front and rear. All of the chrome on the engine is being replaced with wrinkle black parts and the rear strut covers/grab rail are being replaced with gloss black parts. The crash bar (which was missing when I bought the bike) is now gloss black as well as the quick detach sissy bar. All of the foot controls are now streamliner parts from an FLHX as well as the seat. It's been lowered 2" in the rear and 1.5" in the front, and has FLHX front and rear fenders. Not to mention the black headlight nacelle and custom passing lamp brackets with smoked bullet turn signals. I just got a deal on a used Tour Pak which I'm looking for a quick detach mount for. I originally bought this bike as an inexpensive alternative to the '09 Street Glide that I wanted. As you can see, my "inexpensive bike" has gotten a bit out of hand.

 

Gib,

You're obviously racing ahead! When you get a chance, post us a photo!

If you have not already found out, the more you spend the easier it gets to spend even more! I stroked mine a few years later, then fitted an S&S 107 last year - and that's just the motor....

 

Frankly, you can spend a lot less money on your '97 than you would on an '09, and end up with a lot more bike. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a new tranny or Evo-style engine or anything else that might fail, rather than replace my Evo FXRS with a new bike.
I wouldn't be at all surprised if the EV27 doesn't outperform the SE-3, despite the similarity in specs. Andrews always seems to be much more on top of cam science than H-D. As for the estimates of where the power is in the rpm range, even the EV13 doesn't come on strong at 1500 rpm. Gotta take a lot of those types of estimates with a grain of salt. But on a street bike, seat of the pants "feel" is more important than any other measurement of how a bike performs. And both the EV13 and 27 seem to please a lot of asses. Did that come out right?

 

grbrown,
What cam did S&S install in your 107" engine? Are ya still digging that 107 or has it come up short as far as your expectations?