I am interested in an engine build in the near future and was wondering how a well built 96" would compare to a 103" kit. The 96" build I would have in mind would be with CP 10:1 stock bore shelf pistons, tw-555 cams and having a port/polish done to the head keeping stock size valves. The 103 would be what ever comes with it as HD offers as a stage 2 in the catalog?

Any Opinions? Would have to remain reliable as I drive it nearly every day

 

Probably wont do any of this till early next year either way

 

I have a very good 103 kit on my bike. Not Harley. I give over 100hp and 100ft lbs of torque at the rear wheel. At the crank it's about 40% more potent than stock. I had the clutch changed to a heavier duty.

BUT most of the power is at 3000rpm or more. Most upgrades are like this. It gives good passing power in the upper rev ranges, but down low where you mostly ride, there's not a lot of difference. I tach 2750rpm @ 70 mph in 6th gear. So even to get a decent roll on I shift down. THEN I see a lot of power. It really kicks in.

If I had to do it over again, I would have just changed the pipes and air cleaner with an ECU map. A little more power down low would have been enough for me.

So just doing heads, bores etc is not enough. You need to consider where you want the power, and also consider cam changes as well. I had a cam change, but it's easier to get power through rpms, and the power is up higher than what I would have liked.

Reliability should be excellent, as Harley components are top notch, and will take any reasonable power upgrade.

 

My 103" build was completed 3 weeks ago. Dyno numbers are 105 hp/ 107 tq.
I'm scheduled for another dyno, (complimentary) in 3 days to see if anything needs further tweaking. I already got another 2K miles on this build, (18.6K miles total).

103 CI (1690 cc) Stage lll mods:
Sachs Heads, Wild Things TC 26D Cams, SE 50 mm Throttle Body, Bassani Road Rage 2 into 1 Exh, SE Stage l AC, Master Tune, Head work, Ported/polished, SE Manual
Compression Releases, Dyno-tuned. $3,650 at local HD dealership

My average fuel economy went up 5-6 mpg since, go figure.

 

Thanks for the info, there is just alot of variables to consider

 

was that 3650 for all parts listed and installed, get any kind of warranty with that?

 

Take a look at the Andrews 54H cams (somewhat similiar to the TW 555)...you can get them for about a third less than what you pay for the wood 555 cams. Also take a look at the S&S 106 BB kit...I picked mine up for $599 shipped. Bean at Bigboyz can also help you out with your heads for a fair price. Just adding a few more options for you. If you are so inclined you can install all of this yourself and potentially save a few thousand bucks in the process; not to mention learning a few valuable things about your bike. Good luck with your choices.

 

Thanks, I dont mind doing the work myself at all. I have built a couple very potent 4-stroke atv engines from bottom up in the past. Does the dealer offer any warranty if a kit like this is installed by them?

 

Since your bike is 2011, the dealer should honor your basic warranty on SE or other aftermarket parts their service dept installs ... that's usually the case ....

The way the warranty works, the only way a warranty should not be honored is if the failure can be directly attributed to the non-stock part installed by someone else ... they have no quality control over the part or how it was installed after all ....

But, in reality, shops are quick to make a blanket claim something will void your warranty ... when they make that claim they are just trying to scare you into giving them your business ....

I have squeezed quite a bit of additional power out of my 88" (no dyno yet ... just SOTP) ... been holding out on increasing displacement for the time being ... I am leaning towards increasing the compression ratio a little through the use of heads with smaller combustion chamber and with better ports/bigger valves ... then go with a bigger (50mm) throttle body and manifold to get more air flow ... also the higher compression ratio should boost torque ....

Have already dropped some coin on the mods, but still pretty tame compared to some ....

My thinking is that these stock motors are pretty inefficient and I'm about squeezing more out of them before the 'knee-jerk' reaction of upping the displacement ....

R/
'Chop

 

I got the 106 S&S and the woods 408-44 cam runs real good