2015 RGS Cam, oil pump etc. questions
 

I have a 2015 RGS Rushmore with a 103, I am looking at adding cams, I have a SE Elite Breather and D&D Fatcat 2-1, plus the SE race tuner. I was looking at the S&S kits, with quickie rods, lifters with the HL2T kit, easy start cams, cam plate and oil pump. Is this a good route to go, should I replace the plate and pump, and maybe even the tensioners while I am in there, or would that just be pissing money away. I have read that the harley pumps are not that good. I am looking for low to midrange power, and not really sure what cam to go with. any opinions or help is appreciated,

Yup...keep you pump and cam plate. You're wasting money on easy starts...your bike has acr's already. Get adjustable pushrods...pick a brand, s and s standard lifters are more than sufficient ...no need for limiters. New cam bearings and a cam to match your compression and riding style. Oh and of course a quality tune.

Your OEM pump and plate are more than adequate for your needs.
S&S standard lifters are all you'll need.
An Andrews 57, for instance, would deliver the low-mid nicely, at 10.2 cr.
Scott

I see a lot of good feedback on the Andrews 57, will these give me good oomph from a stop, are the S&S quickies a good choice for the pushrods, I like not having to pop the rocker covers off.

I have seen where some recommend replacing the oil pump spring, would this be wise or is stock good enough

Stock spring is good enough. SE pushrods PN 18404-08 will also work; install from the bottom. Andrews 57 gets a lot of attention but the Cyclerama 575 is worth a look also.

I am also in the midst of deciding on whether I want to do a cam upgrade - but this is driven by some feedback I've received from several respected shops.

I am at roughly 50k on my 2015 RGS so as preventative maintenance I thought I’d take a peek at my chain case components as well as my cam chain tensioner shoes. I’m also due for a fork rebuild, next on the docket.
Now, I know the new hydraulic tensioner design is less susceptible to failure in comparison to the old spring style, but it’s not that much work to at least have a look at the outer shoe to get a gauge of the amount of wear, so I’ve taken off the camchest cover & had a look.
Overall, the outer shoe looks good (maybe .015” of wear), and by deduction, I assume the inner is in similar shape so I was planning on just buttoning it back up as-is; however, I was considering this as a possible opportunity for a cam upgrade. I already have a stage 1 with a power vision, Fuel Moto A/C & Dragos Dragula 2 2-1 pipes, so it’s a natural progression. With that being said, I was really thinking of holding off another year, just because I hadn’t planned on spending the dough quite yet.

Here’s the conundrum... With all of that being said, I started calling around to a few shops just to get some pricing ideas, and the consensus from the shops is that not only are my lifters suspect & could be subject to failure, but also that the inner cam bearings could also be a possible “ticking time bomb” at my mileage. Part of me thinks that while there may be some kernel of truth behind the shops comments, they are also in the business of selling things, so of course there’s an opportunity for them to sell some goods. By no means am I saying these places are merely trying to sell me on scare tactics, I’m just trying to be mindful of that aspect and keep it in perspective.

So I guess the question is, what’s the general consensus here about these specific internal components that are being specifically called to the mat and could hold a real potential for failure, or would y’all just button it up & ride it, taking the chance that nothing will go wrong? I know it’s a bit subjective since there are a lot of variables that come into play.

For reference, I am pretty darn religious about changing oil & filter every 5k, and have used either Castrol 20-50 vtwin syn or schaeffer 20-50 vtwin syn oil after the 1k break-in oil was changed. I don’t do burnouts or wheelies, but do twist the wick and have fun when the mood strikes. Ride to & from work everyday (about 50 mi round trip - mostly highway) with some long road trips mixed in every year.

It’s tough because, would I like cams? Absolutely. Do I need them? Not really - but these comments coming from some respected shops have me a bit concerned about the chances I would be taking, according to them, by running it as-is for another season, so approx. 15k miles.

I've also received some suggestions that I should go ahead and also switch to a higher quality cam chain tensioner assembly - such as zippers or maybe Fueling - but I was thinking I'd just get new shoes and keep the existing stock hydraulic tensioner assemblies.

along with the comments about the tensioners, it was also suggested that I get a baisley oil spring or maybe even a new plunger/spring assembly for the stock cam plate/oil pump

What say you?

If these internals should be changed, I'm looking at Fuel Moto's package with woods lifters, etc - they suggested the TW-555, but I've been reading good things about the Cyclerama CR-570-2's as well.....

A cam upgrade would wake things up and, IMHO, worth the expense particularly if DIY project which is not a major project with basic tools and the service manual. So, if a cam upgrade is in your future, might as well replace tensioner shoes with an aftermarket set, new lifters like S&S, full compliment inner cam bearings to replace the INA OEM inner cam bearings and, depending on cam choice, adjustable pushrods. Once parts are in hand, this is a Saturday project for anyone that can read and follow instructions, has basic hand tools and mechanical skills. The only "special" tool that would come in handy is the R/R tool for the inner cam bearings. The money saved by making this a DIY project will more than pay for the tool but there is a work around as well. Of course, a proper dyno tune is necessary to optimize the benefit from the cam upgrade. The CR 570-2 has an early intake close and might push the CCP envelope out of your comfort zone but the CR 575 has a later intake close and might be a better fit; dealer's choice. You don't need the Baisley spring but polishing up the pressure relief valve would be a good idea.