I'm adding SE heads (Zanotti's for $600), Indy talked me into 10.5: 1 pistons, (already have SE ignition, A/C) V&H longshots. Can use some Cam advice? I was planning on ev27. Now w/ the bump in compression, need some new ideas? Ride style: "hard for a Heritage"

 

Sounds like a similar set up I had in my old FXR.

10.5:1 will be a bit much for the 27 cam.
Might want to consider a .040" head gasket, an Andrews EV46 cam, or, I ran in my FXR the V-Thunder 3030 cam, (which was a torque monster)
I currently run a V-Thunder 3040 cam in my bagger with 10:1 pistons, headwork, and have no issue at all with hard starts, pinging, etc.
Actually, a pretty good set up for a heavier bike.

I'm sure others will chime in with their thoughts as well.

There's another guy on here who has said good things about his set up with 10:1, headwork, and a Crane 326 cam, I think.....

Also, the SE heads that I bought new...the valve seals leaked right out of the box...might want to address that before you install them and have to tear it down again due to oil consumption. (...ask me how I know...) They will benefit from a quick clean up, (polish) as well. I found the SE heads to perform pretty well.

A 2:1 exhaust system wouldn't hurt, either...

Let us know how it turns out....

 

98 FLHX has covered alot of area, if you go with 10.5-1 comp, your going to have to let some air out of it with duration and late intake closing to control detonation down low or your timing will be so far retarded you will lose what you are trying to achieve and still possibly have the bag of marbles sound.

Next thing is the SE heads are limited to.575 lift.

 

where did you end up on compression w/ the SE heads and pistons? I'm kind of hesitant on the pistons.. Not a wrench at all.. just know what I know from reading this site. Too much info spins me around in circles!

 

if your indy is recommending the wiseco 10.5 to 1 pistons, it will actually come to about 10.3 to 1, still to high for the 27, start looking at cams like the v thunder 3040, s&s 561, andrews 51, stuff like that, that will bleed off crankcase pressure sufficiently to run and not ping on pump gas, i helped paul put his fxr motor together, and with 10.5 to 1 and the 3030, it was a beast, but very borderline cylinder pressure, i believe he got away with it because of the weight of the bike, a larger bike would have probably detonated. you wont regret the piston/head combo, chad.

 

Chad is 100% correct...it was close, but suprisingly, no detonation at all.
...and yes, it was a beast...

My calculations were at 10.33:1 with a .040" head gasket, using the SE heads and the Wiseco pistons specifically designed for the SE heads chamber shape.
At 600 ft of elevation where I live, it was around 191 psi CCP.
As Chad mentioned, the S&S 561 would be a decent choice as well, and that was one of the cams I considered, but took a chance with the 3030, and it turned out well for me in that application. It really was an absolute beast...
Also, just FYI...I did end up replacing the stock starter with a 1.75kw starter, which spun the mill effortlessly...without compression release valves.

 

Will the piston and 3040 be a night and day difference against just SE heads and ev27?

 

Night and day would be subjective, but an increase in compression will yield a difference, without question.

10.5:1 and the S&S 561 was a pretty common hot set up for a long time, and performs well.
The 561 has a bit longer duration, and a bit more lift. The EV51 would be a decent choice as well. Lots of choices....

I would think it (the 561) would be a bit softer on the bottom end than the 3040, but I'm basically running that set up, so my opinion is rather one sided.

 

do you already have the ev27? im not a huge fan of that camshaft, with the screaming eagle heads, you have alot more options, i think the evl3030 is a fantastic camshaft with se heads and stock pistons, i would venture to say that set up would make 75-80 hp, if you did the pistons, and did a slightly more aggresive camshaft, your going to make 80-90 hp, is it worth the extra cost? i guess thats up to you, but i will tell you that a 80 hp evo rides just fine and has no reliability issues that ive found. not sure if youve seen this, but a pretty interesting hp gallery, set ups, etc etc, take a look.

http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/hplist_evo80.htm

 

Didn't buy the cam yet.. waiting for other parts to come in.. and can't make a decision on piston / cam set-up