I finally decided to let a local Indy freshen up the top end on my 95 Ultra at 127,000 on the clock. He bored it .010 over and installed 10.5 to 1 domed pistons. SE-4 cam, new valves, guides, seals, and new metal base gaskets. I've only put about 300 miles on it so far, but there is a noticeable difference in power. I'm still breaking it in, so havn't really cranked down on it yet. One thing I have noticed though is that it has a louder than usual tick in the engine now that it didn't have before. I'm wondering if it'll quiet down some after break in and an oil change, or could the louder valve train be due to the higher compression?? I've checked for simple things like exhaust leak and loose heat shields, but the ticking seems to be in the top end somewhere. It's not severe, just annoying. I did a compression check and it's pushing 190-195 per cyclinder. He also installed new lifters.

 

That tick is probably your lifters. One of the few things that Twinkies have over Evo's is better valve train geometry. Higher lift cams mean more valve train noise. I'll still take my Evo over a Twin Cam any day.

 

Keep an eye on the plugs. Not all bikes are the same but that high of compression sometimes requires race gas. Mine is 180 and I was having detonation issues which was salting the plugs. They look good now but I have the head quarters high compression ignition,2 step colder plugs, and I run octane boost. Not sure about the lobe profile on a SE cam but I have a woodsW6 cam and it is a little noisey.

 

How worn was your motor after that mileage? mine has 70,000 miles and I am hoping it gets over 100 before I have to pull it apart.

 

Mechanic said everything looked pretty good still. I really just took it in to have the base gaskets replaced, as the rear one was leaking pretty bad. Then I got to thinking well, he's already got everything apart, why not hop things up a bit. You know how that goes. Hey, while you're in there. lol. Anyway, bike was still running smooth when I took it in. No knocks, but a little blue smoke from the right exhuast sometimes. I'm happy with the way it runs now, a lot more power. Where I really noticed a difference was getting on the Interstate entrance ramp the other day. Jumps right up there. Only down side is the engine is noisier. Distinct ticking in it now. I'm hoping it's not one of the new lifters defective, right out of the box. At around 50 mph it's quiet and smooth, below and above that, a distinct tick tick tick. Not a knock, but a tick. Mechanic said it would be a little noiser with the higher compression. I'll ride it awhile and see. It's not getting any worse. Just enough to annoy me. I double check the timing, compression, spark plugs, looked for loose parts rattling. Everything looks good. Mechanic said he had "break in oil" in it now, so I'll change it after 500 miles and go back to 50 weight and see how things sound then.

 

For what it's worth, I usually only run my "break in" oil for about 50 miles after a top end build, change it, and look for any metallic shavings. I even run a "extend-a-magnet" around in my oil tank to catch any shavings that might be in there, and change the oil filter. Then I go 500 and repeat the process. I'm a little OCD on my builds but oil changes are cheap insurance.

As for the noise, i agree with those above. More aggressive cam ramps and higher compression can both add to the noise levels - especially if your break-in oil is lighter weight than normal...

 

Just did a top end in addition to a ev-27, new pushrods and lifters. There is more ticking but a consistent ticking with the engine pattern and it goes away at about 45-mph and is only noticeable at stops. how is the temp of the bike? have you noticed a change here in oil temp? with new lifters and top end I notice a really big difference from my tired rear exhaust. from consistent 200-210 temps to 185 on our hottest day so far....platinum plugs look good no detonation just changing oil out after 250 miles on the topend.