I've been researching cams and have reviewed many past post here and elsewhere on the subject. I'm only looking to do cams, not a BB build.
I have a 2006 FXSTI, it's entirely stock except for the VH Big Radius 2-2, and the Cobra PowrFlo aircleaner.

From my gathering my 2006 TC88 has fairly good flowing Heads for OEM. They have the beehive springs which permits greater lift than earlier Heads. However I understand the 06' models was the first year for the EPA cams and therefore is a a bit weak performance wise. HD literature says my 06' FXSTI has a 5800 rev limiter, 8.9 compression and makes 60HP/70TQ...

My riding style 99% of the time is one up. I generally ride below 70 mph, though I have been known to twist the throttle upwards to 95 mph. However the latter is very much a rarity and then it's only for a few miles. Most of my riding is spirited stop light to stop light with leisurely cruises 50-80 mph.

I've contacted a few cam companies but I don't think they grasp my riding style. Some of the grinds they've recommended seem to me, to be way beyond what's best. Andrews recommended a 37, and S&S suggested the 510. Both of those call for much greater compression than my TC88 has to get their full benefits. Plus they appear to favor the upper rpm band and being weak on the lower band.

I'm also told because my bike is lighter a bagger cam would be a poor choice. I'm not sure I fully understand the reasoning on that philosophy? What gets a heavier bike moving ought to make a lighter bike get to moving all that much faster, right?

Some of the Cams I'm considering:
Andrews 21
Andrews 26
S&S 509
HQ0034

Here's some dyno numbers I've found during my research: [Yes, dyno numbers can be misleading,, but it's still a handy tool]

RPM 2500 3500 4000 4500 5000 5500
Stock 32HP/70TQ 45HP/70TQ 52HP/68TQ 55HP/65TQ 58HP/62TQ 59HP/60TQ
Stock: 32HP/70TQ 40HP/70TQ 52HP/68TQ 55HP/65TQ 58HP/60TQ 56HP/55TQ
TW21 38HP/72TQ 48HP/84TQ 63HP/82TQ 68HP/78TQ 70HP/70TQ 70HP/68TQ
TW26 38HP/73TQ 57HP/82TQ 65HP/85TQ 70HP/82TQ 73HP/77TQ 76HP/75TQ
TW37 38HP/83TQ 52HP/80TQ 63HP/87TQ 78HP/91TQ 84HP/87TQ 87HP/83TQ
WD 6-6 32HP/65TQ 57HP/84TQ 68HP/87TQ 74HP/85TQ 77HP/82TQ 79HP/76TQ
S&S-509 42HP/85TQ 64HP/95TQ 70HP/90TQ 76HP/86TQ 77HP/79TQ 78HP/69TQ
S&S-509 42HP/86TQ 62HP/94TQ 70HP/90TQ 74HP/88TQ 75HP/82TQ 76HP/72TQ
S&S-510 40HP/81TQ 62HP/95TQ 70HP/93TQ 75HP/90TQ 75HP/82TQ 76HP/75TQ
S&S-510 32HP/68TQ 55HP/82TQ 65HP/83TQ 70HP/82TQ 73HP/78TQ 75HP/70TQ

I'd appreciate any experience , suggestions or recommendations any of you might have. And please share what HP/TQ numbers I can expect with a cam upgrade.

 

Andrews 26 is a great choice and a great price, good low end and mid range power.

 

TW26 is your sweet spot, unless you’re a big boy and want the torque more in your usual operating range, 3500-4000 upper end. 509 shines there.

You’re not riding a dyno, don’t get too hung up on internet numbers. 68.7% of them are made up.

 

My recommendation would be the S&S 509's...

 

You are missing what I think is the best choice for your bike. The Andrews 48. I put these cams in my 05 fatboy ( first year with the beehive springs ) that would accommodate this cam and it is a beast. It pulls hard from off idle to redline. The torque is amazing. Other then the stage 1, tuner and cams the bile is stock

I can outrun a stage 1 96 and 103 bike all day long.

 

I will be the outlier here; I think the OP is missing something. None of the four cams being considered has more than .500" lift but the beehive springs will accommodate up to .600" lift and with the better breathing '06 heads, the OP can take advantage of the additional lift. So, IMHO, two cams that should be on the list, in addition to the Andrews 48, are the TTS 100 and the S&S 583. Well suited to the OPs riding style.

 

No I'm not a big guy, I weigh about 185 most days. LOL. That still don't mean I don't like loads of pulling power, torque is what gets you moving. Ever watch an Indy car? Extremely high horsepower race vehicles that can do 250 mph, but fall flat on their face and stall in the pits. My bike is a Harley not a Ducati.

True the beehives can go much higher lift than 500, However, pushing a spring to it's limits gives it a very short life. Furthermore what good is a lift of 600 when the head can only flow 500? All that extra lift is a waste... Worse than that is having a cam that really needs 10.1 compression to do it's best, and you've only got 8.9 compression. You'll get better performance with a cam that's matched with all the other components. That's what bolt in cams or baby cams as they're often called attempt to do. They're designed and tested to work with what's stock internally.

I had been leaning towards the Andrew 21, but the 509 might be better? I really don't know? Which is why I was asking for other people's opinion.s . It's true Dyno sheets can be misleading but as I said they're a still a valid tool. The same exact bike tested on two different days will have different results. However several different bikes with similar set ups, worlds apart and varying dyno's can give you a ball park estimate.

Andrews 21 states it's good from 1700-4800 rpm
Andrews 26 says 1800-5200 rpm
Whereas the S&S 509 claims 0-4500

I know car cams way much better than motorcycle cams. So, I'm in uncharted waters on this matter. I do know a few that did the Andrews 26 & 37 cams, most were disappointed with the results. I know some who did the 510 cams and said those too were a disappointment claiming it was because those cams like much higher compression than stock.

Thanks for the input fellas, just trying figure out what would work best in my application. This has turned into a much more detailed research project than I suspected it would.

 

Forgot about the 48 Andrews...I had the Andrews 26 in my 07 FLHTC with the 96” and it was a good change and behaved very well with about 500-600 lbs only loaded in the mountains and on the interstate. I think the 48 is a bit more aggressive.. somebody correct me if I’m wrong.

 

I look at dyno sheets like I look at women, it's not so much about the numbers as it is about the shape of the curves

 

LOL, that's a good way to put it.

Dyno's are merely tools, and should be taken as such. The same exact bike will produce very different numbers on different days. The same is true when dynoing a car. However, dyno readouts can give you a nice ball park figure to gauge things. This is especially true when the dyno's have been performed by two or three different shops, worlds apart. This helps to eliminate several of the mitigating factors that would fudge the numbers. When HP & TQ numbers are within a number or two of each other through out the run, one can be fairly confident you'll have a similar experience with the combo being tested.

I still haven't managed to figure out what cam I should select? I'm not wanting to do a BB kit on the bike . Many of the bigger cams require more compression than what my bike has. A big lift cam needing 10.0 compression won't be much of an improvement, as a lower lift cam that works best with 8.9 compression. And I'm not interested in big HP numbers at 6000 RPM as I'm never revving my engine that high. I don't think I've ever hit the rev limiter which is set at 5800 from the factory, but maybe once or twice in the 13 years I've owned this bike. What I do know is it ain't got much get up and go from 0-70. About the only time I've ridden at 95 MPH is when I was on the interstate and that was only for a short while. The bike just isn't much fun riding at high speed, so I tend to keep it below 80 MPH. The vast majority of my riding is normally between 35-75 MPH. I do live in the city so there's lots of stop and go and when I do manage to get out for a back country ride it's usually 60 MPH and under.

Making more HP/TQ from 1500-5000 RPM would suit me best. I was hoping someone here had some experience in swapping cams on a stock twin cam 88.