Good morning all. I was wondering how you would tell the difference between the 103 and the 103HO. And what are the differences? Thanks

 

One is a proper engine, and the other hangs out on the street corners.

 

Haha, nice!

 

i believe its a cam difference....HO has a different cam... little torqueyer is that a word?

 

Cams are different .

 

^^^
The difference is in the Cams, they have higher Lift (.511) for the high output 103, where the
2013 an older 103's lift was (.484). Also the HO 103 cams have more duration 213 degrees
on intake, and 233 degrees on exhaust. Where the 2013 an older duration was 198 degrees
on the intake, and 220 degrees on the exhaust side. The other change was the shape of air
cleaner housing with an opening toward the front, as opposed to the old football shaped air
cleaner. Harley added water cooling to selective touring & CVO motorcycles, and added higher
compression to lessen the engine heat.

John

 

I learned this the hard way...bought my '14 Ultra Limited used. Always had an odd idle but I thought it must be normal. Was not my first Harley but since they redesigned for '14 I figured this is what you get. Fast forward and I bring it to the dealer before warranty runs out for a once over and the service advisor starts asking me if I had engine work done because the idle sounded off.

Bottom line, bike was delivered from the factory with the 103 cams instead of the 103HO cams. Took almost 4 weeks to diagnose and fix by the time they kept going back and forth with Harley to troubleshoot. I'm glad they did not give me the shaft and send me on my way...I'd have never know.

They took the time to figure it out and get it fixed under warranty and bike rides sooo much better. I felt like I got a whole new bike the first few time I rode it after the fix. There is a noticeable difference with the HO cams.

 

So if the 103 and the 103 HO are basically the same except for the CAM, why would BigMike's Harley run rough? Was the software thinking it had an HO high lift/longer duration CAM but instead had the shorter duration/lower lift CAM?

 

From a rider's perspective I had a '14 Heritage with a standard 103..nice bike. I traded it in for a '14 RK with the 103HO (not CVO)...yes, there is a difference. More torque, less need to downshift...hope that helps.

 

I thought the HO version with the hotter cams was the twin cooled version only.