i currently have a 883 sportster. the other day talking about wanting more power i was told that there isnt much of a different power wise between the evolution and twin cam. i know someone out there has ridden both and can tell me something.. also i recently rode my cousins o5 vulcan 1600 recently and was very suprised by what was behind the throttle and comparison there with that and the big cam???

 

The Twin Cam is a better platform to build on. If I had the choice I would lean towards the Twin Cam.

 

I'm am EVO man from way back and loved them, different from TC's which I have now. The twin cam in stock form is faster and like springer_ said it is a stronger engine to modify. I have also had a ride on a Vulcan 1600 and the power is in comparision to my stage II 95" softail. Mind you I have also ridden some of the other big cube metrics that are more powerful than the Harley but they are not for me.
I guess it goes to the old saying..'if I had to explain..'

 

The TC does have some super heavy parts in it, but frankly those parts were never a problem in Evos, and I've always wondered if the extra weight is what causes a TC to run so much hotter than an Evo. The TC's performance edge over the Evo is probably due to nothing more than the 6 extra cubic inches of displacement. (Stock Evos are actually 81.6 cubic inches, not 80.) Stock Evo heads flow better than TCs too. The chain driven cams are a big drag on performance and the fact that HD dropped the long time proven Timken tapered bearings on the TC crank starting with the '04(?) models means that you have to do a lot of extra work on the TC, and go to a lot of extra expense if you're really going to build it.
I'll take the Evo, stock or built.

 

Some of the added advantages that the TC platform offers are increased displacement without boring the spigots holes in the cases or replacing the flywheels with stroker wheels. The TC cases are also thicker than the EVO at the spigot holes, not all EVO cases can take boring out for big bore cylinders (92-up).

The Twin Cam also improves the valve train geometry by moving the lifters closer to the center of the cylinders. This allows for a straighter lifter to pushrod to rocker arm alignment.

The stock EVO heads have valves that are too big. The TC has a more restrictive port but the same size valves as an EVO. With porting the TC heads are a much better design. The Twin Cams also incorporate a bath tub shaped combustion chamber that help promote a more efficient burn.

The TC did change from the Timken Bearing starting in '03. The new style bearing is still adequate for stock to mild 103's and even then HD will sell you a 113" kit using the same bearing. If you want a wild build then a Timken bearing conversion isn't that much in the grand scheme of the build. A simple build with a TC is boring the cylinders and replacing the pistons and you have 95", with an EVO, you have to Bore the already thin engine cases, buy new big bore cylinders, change pistons and replace the flywheels at a cost of a couple thousand dollars just to get to 96".

I am not against EVO's but the TC really can produce and has a lot of benefits like piston cooling jets, non load bearing cam cover, valve train geometry, head design and built in upgradeabilty, IMO.

 

when working in the shop i saw WAY more TC bikes come in with this or that wrong with them, sometimes 5-6 to 1 over evos. the TC is also a much bigger pain in the *** to pull if you have to remove it from the bike.

as far as tc being faster, i wouldnt say that. i ride daily and have whooped many a TC's rear end with stock evo engines......

il take an evo over a TC 10 days a week.

 

Quote from Caliman:

 

It's a difficult one to resolve this! One of the reasons Harley went to the TC was to meet ever tighter noise and emissions regulations. They make more heat in part because they have to run leaner than our Evos did.

As a bike an Evo will be cheaper to buy, but the stock motor has less scope for significant performance increase than a TC. I solved that by fitting an S&S 107", but the sky is the limit, with 155" and even bigger available, which exceeds anything a TC can do! But later TCs will take an SE120R, which is a pretty exciting prospect.

I owned a TC88 for several years. Frankly it was not a very nice bike to ride. The engine vibrated up to around 3,000rpm, although it was wonderfully smooth above that. I fitted a 21T SE compensator, which brought the gearing right down, which also meant I could ride it above that vibration much of the time, which was a great improvement. My Evo never suffered from that when stock.

So many options, so little time!