Budget 88” horsepower question
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 17
Likes: 9
From: Tacoma, WA
Budget 88” horsepower question
Hello all, i have a stock 88” in my ‘02 Road King, with S&S 509 cams/fueling lifters/powervision that i installed last year when i had to fix the cam chain tensioners... bike has a Baker OD6 and while i can hang with the new bikes, my little motor is on the struggle bus. Get about 36 mpg’s and really falls on its face on the top end. Crossing the pass isnt its favorite activity, but it happens alot.
I’d love to go 98” and ported heads but i just upgraded to a pro-pipe, enforcer wheel, and paid the tax man quite a bit, so a full step-up isnt in the cards this year. I am now looking at some budget friendly ideas to bump up my power just a bit.
im hearing that 06+ heads flow a bit better, and i found a clean set locally in great shape for a steal of a deal. Im thinking of snatching those up, using a 0.030 head gasket to bump the compression up slightly and helping the flow, as well as opening the door for bigger cams if i wanted to.
Will this actually yield any tangible results? According to the bigboyz calculator, ill be at about 8.6 cr corrected. If i were to swap to an s&s 551 cam maybe later this summer, i would then be at about 9:1 corrected.
I rack up alot of miles and would love just a bit of a boost if possible. This wont break the bank either.
I’d love to go 98” and ported heads but i just upgraded to a pro-pipe, enforcer wheel, and paid the tax man quite a bit, so a full step-up isnt in the cards this year. I am now looking at some budget friendly ideas to bump up my power just a bit.
im hearing that 06+ heads flow a bit better, and i found a clean set locally in great shape for a steal of a deal. Im thinking of snatching those up, using a 0.030 head gasket to bump the compression up slightly and helping the flow, as well as opening the door for bigger cams if i wanted to.
Will this actually yield any tangible results? According to the bigboyz calculator, ill be at about 8.6 cr corrected. If i were to swap to an s&s 551 cam maybe later this summer, i would then be at about 9:1 corrected.
I rack up alot of miles and would love just a bit of a boost if possible. This wont break the bank either.
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 3,903
Likes: 1,122
From: 48.067222,12.863611
Hello all, i have a stock 88” in my ‘02 Road King, with S&S 509 cams/fueling lifters/powervision that i installed last year when i had to fix the cam chain tensioners... bike has a Baker OD6 and while i can hang with the new bikes, my little motor is on the struggle bus. Get about 36 mpg’s and really falls on its face on the top end. Crossing the pass isnt its favorite activity, but it happens alot.
I’d love to go 98” and ported heads but i just upgraded to a pro-pipe, enforcer wheel, and paid the tax man quite a bit, so a full step-up isnt in the cards this year. I am now looking at some budget friendly ideas to bump up my power just a bit.
im hearing that 06+ heads flow a bit better, and i found a clean set locally in great shape for a steal of a deal. Im thinking of snatching those up, using a 0.030 head gasket to bump the compression up slightly and helping the flow, as well as opening the door for bigger cams if i wanted to.
Will this actually yield any tangible results? According to the bigboyz calculator, ill be at about 8.6 cr corrected. If i were to swap to an s&s 551 cam maybe later this summer, i would then be at about 9:1 corrected.
I rack up alot of miles and would love just a bit of a boost if possible. This wont break the bank either.
I’d love to go 98” and ported heads but i just upgraded to a pro-pipe, enforcer wheel, and paid the tax man quite a bit, so a full step-up isnt in the cards this year. I am now looking at some budget friendly ideas to bump up my power just a bit.
im hearing that 06+ heads flow a bit better, and i found a clean set locally in great shape for a steal of a deal. Im thinking of snatching those up, using a 0.030 head gasket to bump the compression up slightly and helping the flow, as well as opening the door for bigger cams if i wanted to.
Will this actually yield any tangible results? According to the bigboyz calculator, ill be at about 8.6 cr corrected. If i were to swap to an s&s 551 cam maybe later this summer, i would then be at about 9:1 corrected.
I rack up alot of miles and would love just a bit of a boost if possible. This wont break the bank either.
Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 17
Likes: 9
From: Tacoma, WA
I'd just bore to 95" or 98" Don't know what the 509 would be at CCP wise at 98", but I'm pretty sure they were just fine in the 95". Doesn't cost much to bore or for pistons. Don't know if this is out of your price range. I'm kind of a believer in saving your money to do it right once. Or else you do it twice and spend more money. Some people enjoy the doing things in stages. I don't like to waste money.
In essence, im suggesting a simple head swap for better flow, wondering if theres any legitimate power gain from that simple change. Cost would be heads plus gaskets, i have a powervision with autotune so dyno wouldnt be necessary.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,780
Likes: 2,609
From: san antonio
the heads are 200 for the pair and in great shape. I havent found any pistons cheaper than that... i found a pair of SE cast 95’s that were about that range i think. Next year i’d like to go all out and go 98” with nice forged pistons and ported heads, so i dont really wanna half-butt a 95” right now (along the lines of your logic, not duplicating work).
In essence, im suggesting a simple head swap for better flow, wondering if theres any legitimate power gain from that simple change. Cost would be heads plus gaskets, i have a powervision with autotune so dyno wouldnt be necessary.
In essence, im suggesting a simple head swap for better flow, wondering if theres any legitimate power gain from that simple change. Cost would be heads plus gaskets, i have a powervision with autotune so dyno wouldnt be necessary.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 21,123
Likes: 7,643
From: Poolville
There's the best bang for your buck.. add those $200 heads and a better cam and now you have something
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 10,841
Likes: 7,474
From: OH
those heads won’t “spoil” sitting on a shelf!
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Cruiser
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 204
Likes: 61
From: Arkansas
Ill echo what others have said here. Dont waste your time putting those newer heads on your 88. Not much improvement. Now down the road when you bump up to a 95 or 98 those heads will make a difference. I got a take off set of 103 heads and sent them off to be ported and polished. Turned out real nice.
Also, your current stock intake manifold will work on those new heads but you will need the 06+ style intake flanges as the bolt pattern changed.
Also, your current stock intake manifold will work on those new heads but you will need the 06+ style intake flanges as the bolt pattern changed.
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Thread Starter
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Novice
Joined: Sep 2017
Posts: 17
Likes: 9
From: Tacoma, WA
Thanks for the input fellas, ive spent the last few days researching from this site what would be a good, budget friendly build. I learned there were more options than i thought- i called the local machine shop/builder and discussed a few services based on the info ive read here. so ive settled on a plan i can probably pull off before the full swing of summer:
3 angle valve job/seals/balance chamber cc’s by local machine shop on my 06+ 96” head
Stock set of cylinders bore to fit SE cast 10.25 pistons
S&S 570CE cams (i really dont wanna mess with releases if its avoidable)
assuming these heads don't need much of any milling to equalize, the BigBoyz calculator puts me at 9.77 corrected compression and just a hair over 205 ccp. What do you guys think? Seems to be streetable, torquey, probably sound wicked and would probably run well on 91 octane right? Any info is appreciated, this is my first top end build on a Harley, and hoping it would provide enough power to take full advantage of the baker i installed last year. Hopefully will pair well with my Propipe and big sucker. I have a powervision w autotune as well.
thanks in advance guys! This group is awesome!
3 angle valve job/seals/balance chamber cc’s by local machine shop on my 06+ 96” head
Stock set of cylinders bore to fit SE cast 10.25 pistons
S&S 570CE cams (i really dont wanna mess with releases if its avoidable)
assuming these heads don't need much of any milling to equalize, the BigBoyz calculator puts me at 9.77 corrected compression and just a hair over 205 ccp. What do you guys think? Seems to be streetable, torquey, probably sound wicked and would probably run well on 91 octane right? Any info is appreciated, this is my first top end build on a Harley, and hoping it would provide enough power to take full advantage of the baker i installed last year. Hopefully will pair well with my Propipe and big sucker. I have a powervision w autotune as well.
thanks in advance guys! This group is awesome!
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2019
Posts: 10,841
Likes: 7,474
From: OH
[QUOTE=Andrewsreed;18879208] the BigBoyz calculator puts me at 9.77 corrected compression and just a hair over 205 ccp.
I would add manual compression releases just to be on the safe side. Or EZ start 570`s
Others may disagree.
I think your combination will run GREAT !
I would add manual compression releases just to be on the safe side. Or EZ start 570`s
Others may disagree.
I think your combination will run GREAT !
Last edited by eighteight; Feb 16, 2020 at 04:42 AM.
