Since I saved a few bucks by going with the Dragos 2:1 exhaust instead of D&D, I figured why not support the economy and do cams too.....

As you can guess by the 2:1 I'm more concerned with torque than max horsepower, but at the same time I don't have any intention of turning the bike (13 RGC) into the king of the drag strip and I don't anticipate any engine work other than the cams.

That being said, what would you recommend for a cam that is going to give the torque a significant boost - preferably something that starts pulling hard early and goes strong through at least 4200 or 4500 rpm - and is tame enough that I won't have to worry about how much I'm shortening engine life every time I roll on it aggressively. I don't ride like a maniac, but I'm paying for an exhaust and cams I'm going to enjoy the crap out of it.

I also want to do this myself. I have the service manual and am very comfortable wrenching, but I've never really played with the internals of engines before. If I do cams, do I need to upgrade pushrods or anything else? Is that mandatory or just a nice to have? Does the service manual cover this in enough detail or are there tribal knowledge "gotchas" that I need to be aware of? Are there any special tools required?

Sorry for 30 questions, thanks for your help......

 

If you go on You Tube and dial in 103" cam swap or something similar, you will get
more than a few visuals. Especially try Fuel Moto 107 cam up grade on You Tube.
FM has a whole series of YT visuals.

 

I have woods 222's and dragula 2 into 1 exhaust and its a great low rpm stump puller. I love the sound of the dragula. Installing a set of cams is easy,grab a workshop manual and go to town.

 

You will get many many opinions on cams, I put SE 204 cams in mine, I like them, they pull to 5,000 rpm's, I don't know how far past that they pull because I don't go past 5,000 rpm's. Many cut the old pushrods out and put adjustables in, saves you from taking the top of the engine apart. I don't know how many miles you have on your bike but I replaced my lifters as well. When doing cams always replace the cam bearings, you will need some speciality tools so take that into consideration, if you don't have a press you will need to have the bearings pressed on, a minimal charge from a shop. Best thing to do is read up on the manual and then decide if you can comfortably do the job.

 

I had SE 255 cams in my Fatboy
They were good

What made your decision to go with the SE 204s??
I am thinking of putting them in my Streetglide
Thanks

 

Doing it yourself will require a few tools you may need to borrow, rent or buy and they can be pricey.
Starting with the cams, you can give yourself a headache doing the research. Even after doing all the research, comparisons etc. your decision of the ideal cam will make others wince in horror and you will hear what their best choice was.
Seems like an endless combination of choices, but you are making it easier by saying you are not anticipating further engine work. This put you square into the "drop in" cam category, meaning you can use your stock pushrods although you will need to do a little further dis-assembly and re-assembly removing the fuel tank, covers, rockers, etc., no big deal.
If you decide against using your stock pushrods and opt for a set of adjustables, there are some sets/kits available to make this job easier but it will set you back a few more $s. You would also need a good pair of bolt cutters to cut your stock ones for easy removal.
If you change out the cam bearings for a set of Torrington's or others you will need cam bearing removal/install tools. Some guys are successful doing the cam bearing removal and install without the "proper" tools but it can be risky.
Other than that, the instructions that come with cams, pushrods, etc. along with your FSM will get you through this job easy enough. Good luck!

I kinda stayed with mild "drop in" cams, cut my stock pushrods out but still had to remove the tank, covers and lift the rocker arms because I found the Zipper's adjustable performance pushrods could not be installed without doing so. Thats why the extra cost for a "kit" would be beneficial as a time saver. Easier to adjust as well.

 

Tman 577 cams and adjustable pushrods.

 

On this forum, it's the SE 255's or the Woods which generally needs a "bump" in compression. Then there is the advocates for the Andrews who cuts everybody's grinds including mine which are Feuling's who make lots of motorcycle specific stuff, including cam plates, pushrods, and great lifters.

I don't particularly following the herd.

Moooooo... not.. lolol..

 

You'll want llow lift/ low duration considering you want longevity and reliability. The SE 204 is good as is the Andrews 26 and my favorite, the Crane 300-2. If you want to go with more lift you can choose an Andrews 48 or a RedShift 527.

 

2013 Bike do you have extended warranty? Know what will keep it in effect! Here is what one cam mfg says. Like some have said there are many recommendations not all will work for you.

http://www.sscycle.com/tech-info/cam...and-cam-specs/