I did the Stage II upgrade on my Fatbob last month. The dealer had a special where the install was free with the parts purchase (can't beat free). I went with the stock upgrade, then added the Vance & Hines Pro Pipe. I asked about the ACR, and everyone on the forum recommended them, but the installer and the shop doing the dyno said I wouldn't need them. I ended up NOT going with ACR. No problem, the engine starts fine, doesn't seem to be taxing my starter at all. VERY PLEASED with the upgrade. Notice a lot more power. A lot depends on your riding style. I went on a long ride this weekend, and on one country road I really punched it .... no complaints.

 

I myslef have done the 103 w/ 255's. Beast of a motor now and I love every ride i take on her. Only big issue i had was i needed to install a new starter. Went with a Terry Comp. Starter, now it starts on a dime every time.

 

Kinda repeating what everone is sayin but whatever, LOL! It's a pretty damn easy decision to make if ya ask me...it's border line for compression releases no doubt! My thought on this is anytime you're doin something & you're on the edge, (no matter what it is) ya gotta step it up while you're in there! None of this it's good for now stuff...that'll bite ya like a rattle snake & we all know it! If the releases aren't done from the get go, you're fu**ed...I mean why not, it's not gonna hurt anything at all to have them! Dealers for the most part don't know sh**, been prooven over & over again...good info on these forums, whats spoken on here is mostly personal experience not the hearsay BS from dealers! Damn...not raggin on anyone here...dealers just **** me the fu** off!

 

i just finished 103 build on my 08 SG i used 255s with SE head gaskets and just polished the ports so far no problems runs good need to get tuned yet hopefully the tuner can streatch the powerband alittle has plenty of low and mid but it does fall off early starts easy i hit the starter as soon as the fuel pump stops

 

I have posted before on this starter issue, it is my feeling the stock starter is not even strong enough for the 96 let alone the 103, its an issue . I will soon find out. If the replacement fails it will be on my dime and will go HD starter or just do more engine mods and install ACR at that time.

 

I had the 103 and 255's done when the bike was new. I didn't know anything about the ACR's cuz I hadn't been hanging out on here. So far 5000 miles and 18 months later never had a problem. The 255's aren't what I had expected. I think they are a higher RPM cam set but the set up has plenty of stuff.

 

I rather enjoy pushing my buttons!

 

they actually start falling in the mid to upper 4000 range

 

I'm really wanting to put cams on my bike. Its a 103 softail, and I'm considering the 255's. Seeing as I don't like to ride too much in high rpm's (more of a cruiser kind of guy) I'm thinking the 255's are the best unless anyone can prove otherwise. Also, I've heard that some of the SE cams like the 211's will void warranty. Thoughts?

 

Old thread, but still relevant.

I have SE255 cams and I'm very pleased. You're going to get a lot of opinions and many of them nay-sayers.

Here are a few facts.

• The 255 cam is not intended for high-revving horsepower. It's intended for torque and it does a very good job producing it. See the attached picture for the power curves.
• Someone's going to say that they "drop-off" or "quit working" at 4000 RPM. This is not exactly what's going on. Again, see attached. The torque curve does start to tail off at 4k, but you still have far more torque and HP throughout the rev range as compared to stock. It's not like the motor cuts out and stops working.
• If as you say, you are a cruiser type and you don't rap out your motor, the 255 cam is a very good choice for producing torque.
• Someone will say that they create heat, but I haven't noticed any more heat than my friend's bikes.
• You will want to tune the air/fuel ratio properly with either a dyno tune, or an auto-tuning setup, or both.
• There are plenty of aftermarket cams from Woods, S&S, Crane and others that perform better in terms of high end HP, but they all compromise at least a little on torque to achieve the high revving output. There are also a few that come close to the 255 torque numbers and still produce better high revving HP.

Your warranty is subject to a lot of subjectivity depending on the warranty work being done, but I doubt any dealer will deny warranty over a HD cam. I doubt they would deny warranty over any cam unless you really have a lot of aftermarket motor work done.