I had my mind set on SE 204 cams, but after talking to a dealer mechanic who said I'll be more happy with the 254's, I am having a hard time about which to choose.
Already have done a lot of reading on here and that made me decide to go for the 204's, because they would give more tq down low and don't drop off so fast as the standard cams.
Bike is a 96 dyna and also hoping to get a louder exhaust sound from the cam change as I find the thunderheader a tad too quiet

 

If you are wanting low end torque then the cams the dealer is trying to push would be better for you. The SE 204 gives more torque mid and high range.

 

Do some research away from what Harley offers for cams. Look at Andrews, Woods, etc. and you'll get a much better cam than the HD garbage.

 

Exactly this!
There are WAY better cam choices out there than any of the SE cams. Wood & Andrews are both good choices.

Andrews 48H is a great grunt cam, Wood tw-222(I had in my last bike, which was a 96) makes great low end tq & runs out well too.

Want a little more?...the Wood 5-6 and Andrews 57H are the best bolt in cams out there IMO. I'm running the 5-6 cams in my new Fat Bob with a D&D Bobcat & it's a beast! 57H & 5-6 are very similar, with the 57H having slightly longer durations & the 5-6 slightly more lift. Both of these cams will give you lots of low end tq and will also make great power up top....can't go wrong either way.

Do some more research before going with SE cams..

 

Thanks for all the advice so far but SE is the only option for me

 

my rpm is mostly from 2500 - 3400 ( so maybe I describe low end wrong) with some traffic light racing now and then.
With the standard cams it out of breath too fast

 

If SE is your only option....the 204 will out perform the 254E all day long throughout the entire rpm range.

 

2500 to 3500 is considered low end and just reaching mid range. Your bike is nowhere near out of breath!

 

Power is dropping off too soon now

 

Not in my experience. HD make some really good cams that perform as well as any others.

Some people just don't want to buy HD because its stock-like or something I don't understand. It is true for some HD parts but not for the cams. Check out real-world (i.e. not the maker's) dyno charts and SE cams are as good as any out there.

Also there are a couple of other reasons for some people to stick with them:

1. Most dealers will honor the whole-bike warranty with SE cams but will not if another brand is used.

2. If you have a SEPST tuner then you can use the canned maps with SE cams. There are none available for other cam brands.

I'm not saying the other makes are worse and some are marginally better - I'm just saying there's nothing wrong with HD cams.