95" piston and cam selection
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Novice
Joined: Jun 2017
Posts: 17
Likes: 1
From: cali
95" piston and cam selection
Hi guys, I'm looking at taking my 04 fxst from 88" to 95", and have a few questions.
First off, I work for my local dealer, so I get a good discount on SE parts, so the pistons and cams I've been looking at are SE, plus I live in California so getting aftermarket cams is more of a pain.
im looking at either se-204 cams and 9.4 cast pistons, or se-211 cams and 10.25 cast pistons. It's a carb'd bike, and will be ridden 50/50 solo and two up. I ride aggressive when solo. Planning on hard bags, and possibly a t-sport of even a road glide fairing. Combined weight of me and my wife is around 350-375lbs, so I know I need mid range torque. I've talked to a few guys and they all agree either setup will work pretty well, with the 211 setup being a little higher in the rpm range but packing more punch. I'm just looking for more power in general, right now two up there isn't enough to get out of its own way.
im not married to SE cams. Will go aftermarket, but want to know what piston and cam combo will perform the way I need. 80-90hp and 90-100 ft lbs is the goal. No headwork at the moment, but have access to newer heads, as well as a couple local guys who are well known builders who can do mild port work for very little $$$. I will likely do the 95 kit and cams at one time, but the head work will be later.
Any opinions and experience is appreciated, I know this subject is beat to death but I'm just torn on what to purchase. I can only afford to do this once, so I will sacrifice a few ft lbs to make sure the motor will last over time. Thanks
First off, I work for my local dealer, so I get a good discount on SE parts, so the pistons and cams I've been looking at are SE, plus I live in California so getting aftermarket cams is more of a pain.
im looking at either se-204 cams and 9.4 cast pistons, or se-211 cams and 10.25 cast pistons. It's a carb'd bike, and will be ridden 50/50 solo and two up. I ride aggressive when solo. Planning on hard bags, and possibly a t-sport of even a road glide fairing. Combined weight of me and my wife is around 350-375lbs, so I know I need mid range torque. I've talked to a few guys and they all agree either setup will work pretty well, with the 211 setup being a little higher in the rpm range but packing more punch. I'm just looking for more power in general, right now two up there isn't enough to get out of its own way.
im not married to SE cams. Will go aftermarket, but want to know what piston and cam combo will perform the way I need. 80-90hp and 90-100 ft lbs is the goal. No headwork at the moment, but have access to newer heads, as well as a couple local guys who are well known builders who can do mild port work for very little $$$. I will likely do the 95 kit and cams at one time, but the head work will be later.
Any opinions and experience is appreciated, I know this subject is beat to death but I'm just torn on what to purchase. I can only afford to do this once, so I will sacrifice a few ft lbs to make sure the motor will last over time. Thanks
Last edited by scuba_steve; Sep 26, 2017 at 01:39 PM.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,773
Likes: 2,603
From: san antonio
Many ways to skin that cat; here is one.
Don't stop at 95", bore to 98" and fit a set of CP pistons with a 6cc dome, have heads worked (need springs for higher lift cams), keep compression about 10.2:1, install S&S 570 cams, install a programmable ignition, throw on a decent exhaust and, if you have access to a dyno, tune the carb on the dyno so you can "see" AFR across the rpm range and fine tune as needed to get the best compromise between partial and WOT. You will exceed your target 90/100 numbers.
I have run the 204 in a 95" motor with head work ("street" port) and a Python 3 2:1 pipe; it made 1043TQ/96HP and is a decent cam, one of the better SE cams. However, there are much better choices in the aftermarket. If you do stick with the SE204 cams, bump compression up close to 9.8; that's the max for the 204 IMHO. It will still be doggy riding two up.
Don't stop at 95", bore to 98" and fit a set of CP pistons with a 6cc dome, have heads worked (need springs for higher lift cams), keep compression about 10.2:1, install S&S 570 cams, install a programmable ignition, throw on a decent exhaust and, if you have access to a dyno, tune the carb on the dyno so you can "see" AFR across the rpm range and fine tune as needed to get the best compromise between partial and WOT. You will exceed your target 90/100 numbers.
I have run the 204 in a 95" motor with head work ("street" port) and a Python 3 2:1 pipe; it made 1043TQ/96HP and is a decent cam, one of the better SE cams. However, there are much better choices in the aftermarket. If you do stick with the SE204 cams, bump compression up close to 9.8; that's the max for the 204 IMHO. It will still be doggy riding two up.
Last edited by djl; Sep 26, 2017 at 03:33 PM.
Stellar HDF Member
Joined: Aug 2012
Posts: 2,664
Likes: 184
From: Indiana, USA
This worked well for me... roughly 99TQ and 94HP on paper
SE 95" 10.5:1 Forged Pistons 22868-00
SE 211 Cams
Adjustable Pushrods 17997-99A
Performance Heads 16953-99C (Silver)
or
Performance Heads 16952-99B (Black)
SE 95" 10.5:1 Forged Pistons 22868-00
SE 211 Cams
Adjustable Pushrods 17997-99A
Performance Heads 16953-99C (Silver)
or
Performance Heads 16952-99B (Black)
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,773
Likes: 2,603
From: san antonio
I wish I had a dollar for every guy that has said "not looking to win any races" or "not looking for bragging rights" or "just need a little increase in power". As soon as the butt dyno registers the new power, that attitude changes completely to "why didn't I................................" (fill in the blank) and hindsight kicks in. Cost is often a factor that drives the process which is understandable. Good luck with whatever you decide to build.
Last edited by djl; Sep 26, 2017 at 05:16 PM.
Tourer
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 497
Likes: 8
From: New Egypt, NJ
I agree totally with djl. ESPECIALLY if yoi can only afford to do this once, get as much displacement as you can now. Like djl stated, you already need to buy pistons. So buy 98" pistons and bore the cylinders you have. More displacement is the most cost effective way to get more power.
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Grand HDF Member
Joined: May 2014
Posts: 3,822
Likes: 1,170
From: florida
if you are willing to bump your compression, a lot of folks like the Andrews tw37,,,to me the numbers on the cam dont look like much, but the dyno sheets that i've seen with a good pipe and tune look like they might be what you want,,,,headwork always helps and should not be overlooked since you are going to have them off anyway...lots of guys out there for that too, and quite a few here on the forum so you can contact hem easily.
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,773
Likes: 2,603
From: san antonio
if you are willing to bump your compression, a lot of folks like the Andrews tw37,,,to me the numbers on the cam dont look like much, but the dyno sheets that i've seen with a good pipe and tune look like they might be what you want,,,,headwork always helps and should not be overlooked since you are going to have them off anyway...lots of guys out there for that too, and quite a few here on the forum so you can contact hem easily.m
