Yesterday I had a conversation with Branch-OKeefe ( B-O, aka Branch Flowmetrics) about their head work.

They do not get a lot of promo these days. Other porters are keen on tying to forum formats like this and pushing their services while B-O has been lying low.

They still do a lot of work and I think I would choose them to do my Twin Cam heads. They've done great work for me in the past.

Anyone researching head porters should check them out.

http://www.branchokeefe.com/index.html

They are well aware of what other porters are doing and they make a good case for the type of approach they themselves take.

1. Regarding the often criticized mirror finish polishing job that they do on their intake ports - B-O is well aware of other porters who contend that this can condense or collect fuel particles on the slick walls and create droplets of non-atomized fuel to drip into the cylinders. B-O acknowledges that this effect can be detected on intake tracts of long dimensions as with automotive manifolds. They have tested the Harley intake tract many times and this effect is very minimal if existing at all. The H-D intake is too short to create a problem with this. Further, they have noticed that fuel injection models are even less likely to create this effect. The smooth polishing does aid greater flow velocity and that is why they do it. B-O will, however, finish the ports with a rougher, blasted finish if desired by the customer.

2. CNC porting versus hand porting - Fixing the stock heads in a jig and letting a programmed CNC machine mill the ports out based on the theoretical blue print of the head is not always practical. If there was a core shift during the molding of the heads or any variation during the head molding process, the program for the CNC will not get the milling correct for those particlar heads. They make the case that the human touch can better allow for and accommodate variations in the castings of stock heads.

I was also impressed by B-O in that they referrred to other shops and the cams etc that they sold and did not negatively criticize some of these other products that they, B-O, did not sell. They even recommended some of the products sold by S&S as well as some of the shops that so often promote their products on this forum. B-O say they can work with any of these other fine offerings of cams, pistons and they like. B-O does sell name-brand products too.

I was also impressed that B-O went into some detail about how much better the stock Twin Cam heads are and how much better they flow than the past Evo and Shovelhead offerings.

They are very cordial and informative and seem to know what they're talking about. The Wild Man from Tennessee himself who fixed-up Elvis with his first Harley (Jerry Branch) still stops by but is apparently enjoying his retirement.

Anyway, who knows. I just wanted to get some more info out there about another well-established, capable and dependable head porter.

 

Thanks for the info. They have been around forever.

 

Human touch is what u use when setting up to machine a casting while using a cnc. Sorry but I'm a toolmaker and have set up and done many castings manually and cnc, sounds to me like an excuse to justify not having a cnc. Just saying.

 

Branch wrote some really great booklets in the 80's well worth reading.

Experience has great value--- for one, it means they haven't been ripping people off-

Mike

 

Thanks man, i'll look into them doing my heads

 

can he continous mess with the good old shovel head,improven?

 

I've read the books that Branch wrote years ago. I feel the approach they used then was the best knowledge available, however, I think as time has went on and more developments and studies have go on, there are better ways now. Branch used to just hog the ports out to flow as much air as possible but it would kill velocity which is key. I think the Branch approach would still work good in a drag race application where you run wide open but for street heads, velocity is a huge part of making power. Not just hogging out the ports to make good HP numbers. An old school friend of mine still uses Branch and here is a common set up for the 103 bikes these days. Its a 103 with SE cast pistons, a SE heavy breather, Andrews 54H cams, a 30 tooth pulley swap, V&H 2-1 pro pipe and Branch heads with a larger intake valve on a 2007 SG. The results could be better to say the least. Look how weak the TQ numbers are on the bottom end.