Hey guys. I eventually got paranoid of my TC tensioner issues as my miles climbed above 20K. So, I was hoping for some advice on cams.
Though I love torque, I do not mind it if I have to rev my bike a bit. I was looking at an 030 gasket job and maybe throw in some 510's on my 2005 FXDCi. But I was wondering - is there something else I could throw in that would give me some nice lope, plenty of power all around(for a tc88), and be livable with? I don't really tour or bag it, and I rarely have another rider. What other cams should I look at where I won't have to mod the engine besides maybe some new springs and a gasket?
Obliged!

 

S&S 509 would be a better choice. You need an early intake close cam with the small TC88 bore to bump up the CCP. The 509 closes at 18* and the 510 closes at 38*; about the same as the OEM cams. Might as well upgrade the inner cam bearings to Torrington B148s (not Koyo IIRC) replace all cam plate O-rings and outer cam bearings will also need to be replaced. Replace the tensioners with CYCO tensioners. Pay attention to the chain rotation and re-install so chains are rotating in the same direction. You didn't say but assume you are pulling the pushrods from the top; if not you will need a set of adjustable pushrods. If the bike is carbureted, re-jetting may be required as well.

 

PSH. I ain't do the work myself. I got no place to do it even if I wanted to.

So words that I understand are: a 509 will give you more low to mid range TQ and HP, and maybe idle better(I assume that's what you are saying?)
What I was looking for is more mid and upper end HP and torque, and a more lopey idle.
I am adding a .030 gasket for more compression and might deck the heads depending on the costs.

 

the 510 is the mid to high cam and runs pretty well, can use tock springs and don't take much more than .040 off the heads. i've run this before. you could also think about the andrews tw37's, if you are going to bump the comp up. choose one way or the other for you comp increase, either the gasket or milling the heads but not both. you want to make sure that you have a safe margin for you valve to piston clearances.
m

 

Ahh, OK. The gasket is the easiest and cheapest after all. I don't mind revving her, and rather like the sound of it revving. Even now with the stock cam, and short shots(quiet baffles), the DynoJet map I have from FuelMoto lets this thing rev happily until whatever it's rev limit now is. I am just hoping for more of that and more middle, with enough low end to chug about in traffic here and there. The videos I have seen on line - the 510 sounds pretty damn good at idle, even if the idle is set a bit high like the EFI seem to like.

I'll poke around and check on the 37's.

Another question regarding going to gear drives is, if runout isn't perfect, will it effect the reliability, or is it mostly gonna add that gear whine?

Thanks, guys!

 

I love the 37s. Very nice idle. They were a little soft on the bottom when my engine was stock.

 

The OP was looking for a cam only upgrade and for a Stage I TC88 the S&S 509 has proven over and over again, it is the best choice for such a configuration.

Now, if the OP wants to open the discussion to shaving heads to increase compression to run cams with a later intake close, that's another subject. To run the 510 or the 37, even with a .030" head gasket and a .040" cut on the heads, the motor will be soft on the bottom, come on in the mid and upper range but the stock heads are going to hold TQ/HP back as the motor revs.

We still don't know if the motor is carbureted or EFI or the model year; not that it makes a big difference but if we are talking 05 up, the beehive springs can handle higher lift cams, which, again, without head work higher lift won't help much. If we are talking '06, better heads.

For the 510 and 37 cams to work well, static CR should be 9.6; 9.8 would be better but would require a severe cut on the heads and valve to valve and valve to piston becomes an issue; those two work much better in 95"/98" motors. I have cut heads to 76cc and run SE204 cams which have a high TDC lift, higher than the 510s or 37s with no issues. Intake manifold fitment can also become an issue with a .060" cut on the heads. A .040" cut on the heads certainly helps and if the OP goes that route, the SE204 would be a better choice than either the 510 or the 37 and will provide the OP with the "lope" he is looking for, be not quite as soft on the bottom, very strong in the midrange into the upper range where the heads come into play and start holding back the HP as previously stated.

The OP would have to pull the heads and measure the chambers to be able to actually predict the results; I have seen TC88 heads measure 89-90cc.

JMHO but I don't think the OP really knows what he wants or how to get it.

I stand by my original suggestion; run the S&S 509s, replace the inner/outer cam bearings and replace the tensioners with the CYCO tensioners. Fuel management of some sort should be part of the plan as well if the bike is EFI; if carbed, a rejet will be required.

Everybody wants to over cam these motors and when the do, the little TC88 can't pull itself out of its own smoke and they wonder why.

Gear drives require crank runout to be .003" or less. With the chain driven hydraulic tensioner, roller chain options available, gear drive is not as popular an option as it was when it was the only option to eliminate the early OEM cheesy tensioners.

 

while i'm not downing the 509 cam, it runs very well in the low to mid range, the 510 is the mid to top end cam, even according to S&S. the OP's bike is an 05 Dyna model according to his first post, hence the lighter weight bike can live with the 510, to me.
I dyno'd an 02 RK @89 hp and 95 tq with true 2-2, stock heads milled 40 and stock everything else and that bike ran killer from 2800 up. (with the 510 cams)
The OP should think, in my opinion of changing his pipes from the short shots which in my experience have been great sounding, but a power robbing system, much better performance from a better pipe choice. the 030 head gasket is not really going to do squat for a comp increase, the stock gasket is 045, so going to the 030 is not going to give enough to make it any better, to me taking 040 of the heads and cc matching would be a better approach as I too have seem similar volumes as large as 90cc.
i also do agree that the SE204 would not be a bad choice either, the bike will just need a good tune, IIRC the 05 dyna's were all injected, so some sort of fuel management is gonna be a must.
in closing, to the OP, if you are going to remove the heads, just do it right, go to a big bore, 95 or 98 your choice, 510, 204, or tw 37 cam, better exhaust, try to get 9.75 to 10-1 comp and tune it up. should make you grin and stay healthy for a good long time, asssuming that you dont ride like a bone head!!
m

 

OK, Dr. Google came up with only Amazon and they were out of stock for the Torrington B148s, any sources that anyone knows of out there?

 

andrews 48 is a good choice too for a 2005