Evo vs twin cam vs S&S. How do they compare in a softtail frame for vibrations at 70-80 mph freeway cruising? I know the Motor Co added the balancers to the bottom end of the twin cam "B" engines for the softtails.

I am thinking about turning a heritage or fatboy into a tourer/all-rounder with a fairing and hard bags(because they seem seem to fit me better than my RK and I like the lower center of gravity).

Maybe start with an evo and put in the S&S when $ allows...

 

Other than my shovel, which I bought new, my Harleys have all been rubber mounts. I have owned a TC, which wasn't very smooth until running at higher revs, my stock Evo was alright, my S&S is smoothest. However those comments obviously don't help much with a solid mount! My shovel took around 10k miles to run in. It vibrated the worst of any bike I have ever owned, when new, but was fine later on. How about a 'new' big S&S 103" shovel.......

 

The main complaint I hear from "real" bikers about TC Softails (balanced motor) is that they are too smooth and not like a real Harley.....it is the smoothest rigid mounted H-D motor you can get....and that is not a bad thing at all.

 

With the B motor you loose horse power.

If I wanted to ride down the road without vibration I would buy a Cadillac.

 

I have a softail EVO and a TC-B motor. For highway cruising the TC is much nicer over 65, the mirrors still work. But I find that at 50mph or so, there is so little difference in the feel that it's hard to tell if you are in 4th or 5th gears, I wear ear plugs so the noise does not help. The EVO lets you know the RPMs just by it's feel or vibration feedback.

To be honest I have many years on EVOs and only one on the TC, get carb'd TC and you will do OK, they even sound pretty good..

Ds

 

It's perspective. I have an EVO softail, and to me it's smooth as silk until you get it up over 60. When compared to my Sportster, it does ride like a Caddy. The Sportster rattles you from idle.

 

THC, you are correct, I have read that you lose about 3 hp with the TC "B" . Pretty easily made up with a cam. One of the things that has always held me back from a TC in general is the $1000 dollar hit for upgrading to an Andrews gear driven cam set (something, for me, that would be mandatory).

As for the vibration, aren't HD's supposed to be the Cadillac of motorcycles? Vibration is ok for short rides or when I was younger (I've owned a shovelhead and a solid mount evo sportster), but for eating highway miles at speed I'd rather do without, thank you.

Thanks for the replies, I'm not quite ready to pull the trigger but I am exploring my options before I start putting money into my RK that I won't be able to recoup.

Any reliability issues known for the twin cam B relating to the balancers?

I think the sweet spot for me would be the 2002 model year with a carb (still has the Timken bearing on the drive side of the crank).

 

Now you are just being silly Mike

You don't really notice the lost HP and you can get it back with a stage 1 tune.

 

my twin cam on the roadking is smooth but that doesn't compare to softail models. but my softail with the S&S 117" shakes the change outta my pocket! certain rpms it smooth's out but still shakes....

 

No reliability issues that I know of...pain to work on though.

That 2002 crank issue is rather blown out of proportion if you ask me...which if you had any sense you wouldn't...