I have a 2002 heritage. I have 22k on odometer and was planning on changing cams to gear drive before the posibilty of tensioner problems occur. While doing cams figured I might just go ahead a have the 95 kit done also. My question is it worth doing the 95? Does rideability suffer much? Are they reliable? Any comments or sugestions would be apreciated. Thanks

 

I had the 95 Big Bore Kit installed in my 2000 Ultra.
Huge improvement in mid-range torque and it made the bike feel much more nimble and powerful.
I'm sure that you would feel even more difference on your Heritage as it's a much lighter bike.


With a Stage II (dealer download) air cleaner and V&H mufflers, the only downside was some loss of MPG's, but again, your lighter bike will not use as much fuel as an Ultra.

 

Why would rideability suffer?

 

Go through Scott at Hillside Performance for a 98" kit tailored to yur riding style. You're gonna love it.

 

What's your riding style? How much power do you want, and where do you want it? How much compression do you want or need? If you do much of a build, you'll need to have some head work done too. You need to consider these things before you do a build.
Lots of guys leave the cylinders and heads alone and just install Andrews 21 cams, and they are happy.

 

I did the 95" upgrade on my '05 Road Glide at 20K miles, I left everything else stock at stag one tune.
The bike has 112,000 miles now and I still love riding it. It's been as reliable as a stone.

 

Any of you guys have starter problems when going from an 88 to a 95? A buddy did this and he's been thru two starters. Shop said he needed a compression release to take some of the stress off of the starter.

 

OP: go for it - you'll never regret it.
SSI Dog: I've never run compression releases and now have 50K miles on my 10.5:1, 577 cammed 95"-er. Starts perfectly every time.
Your bud must have some real nasty mods to take out starters like that.

 

I did it on my 05 RK (see my sig). Combined the 95", gear driven 509 cams, stage 1, and a good professional dyno tune...and the bike runs great. I even gained a couple mpg's.

Dont skimp on the crank and you can have a nearly bulletproof engine that INCREASES your rideability will improve (think passing, pulling grades, riding 2up or loaded down). I ride alot in the hills with either a bunch of gear, a passenger, or both and this was the perfect upgrade without going nuts.

 

With a 2002, you have engine specs that should allow gear driven cams without worrying about crankshaft runout. As someone else mentioned earlier, Andrews 21's are a good fit for a TC88, giving you much more useable power in the range you normally ride in. Others have used Andrews 26's with similar results, and may be a better option for your lighter Heritage, as compared to a full dresser. I installed Andrews 21 gear driven cams in our Ultra and was very pleased with the increase in low to midrange (note that I have a 2006, which had probably the worst cams Harley ever installed, as they first dealt with the EPA).

I could never understand tearing down a perfectly good motor until it's needed just to gain a few cubic inches. I've got 80K on my '06 and it's still running perfect. You have extremely low mileage for a 2002, and should get years of engine use out of the original cylinders. But you are wise to do a pre-emptive strike on those troublesome cam chain tensioners, and once the gear drive cams are installed that problem is solved forever.

But, to each their own...if you've got the bucks and want a little more grunt, go for the 95 kit from Harley, or one of the other ones that are on the market.