Hey all,

New to the forums! Have been doing a moderate amount of research regarding my options for some powertrain upgrades. I have a handful of questions, and am also seeking suggestions (Please, only from experience) regarding what options may be best for me. Im hoping not to find too many contradicting opinions, just mostly facts. Ill begin with some info you'll likely need right off the bat, and try and format this as not to become confusing!

Current setup -

• 2014 Dyna Low Rider (FXDL) 103"
• 28k miles and counting
• Stage 1 (Arlen Ness Big Sucker / HPI Hi-performance exhaust / Fuelpak 3)
• No current engine modifications
• Other various upgrades, but they don't pertain to powertrain or transmission
• Belt driven - Will likely do a chain swap in the near future since I like to pick the front wheel up

Riding style

• I ride hard. Lots of canyons and twisties. Burnouts on occasion and getting the front wheel off the ground is part of my throttle therapy.
• I like to keep it in the power band as much as possible. More responsive = better
• I ride two up 10-15% of the time. As much as the lady wants to go for a putt..
• I DO tour on occasion. I rode from Los Angeles to Brooklyn last year (amazing trip btw)

What im looking for in my build

• Bulletproof reliability
• Longevity
• Solid mid range power.
• Low end torque is great, but I feel that will come naturally with the build. So I think perhaps aiming for a bit more top end would be nice?

Here are some notes.. Im getting LOTS of blow-by. Each ride creates a small puddle between my pushrod tubes. I think I caused some cylinder wall damage when checking if my front piston was at Top Dead Center. I was very stupid and used a metal rod to feel for the piston, rotated the back wheel (forgetting it was down the plug hole) and jammed it up pretty good. Yes I know, very stupid. Should have used a straw.
I used a bore scope the other day and couldn't see and noticeable damage, but I will say the piston heads are absolutely caked with deposit. Looks pretty wet too. Plugs indicate the bike is running lean. Which sounds about right because it runs HOT. Fuelpak shows head temp around 360 degrees in casual riding through the city.. Not even on a hot day. I am overdue for an oil change, and I hope bumping up oil weight will help mitigate both issues, to some degree..

Anyway, here are my thoughts and some questions sprinkled throughout. Im looking at the "Fuel Moto 107" Complete Big Bore Kit" with Woods 555 Cams, paired with "Level B CNC Cylinder Head Porting". This seems the most logical IMO. Along with this, is a new cam plate recommended, and how many of you would say upgrading the fuel pump is highly advised as well? Can I get away without incurring these additional part costs, or is it not a big deal if I wanna do it some time later down the road?

Has anyone installed this combo in their bike? If so, im curious as to what kind of gains were made..

Also, can anyone make a recommendation for a reputable, trustworthy, and experienced tuner in the NYC area? Im willing to ride a couple hours away if needed. Id much rather fork up a bit extra and have peace of mind that im getting a proper tune, instead of taking the cost effective and sometimes volatile route.

BTW I plan on doing the work myself. If anyone wants to lend a hand ill supply beer, music and food!

Thanks so much for taking the time to read all this, and thanks in advance for any help you might be able to offer. Much appreciated!

 

Based on what you have provided, you will not be happy with the gain from 4 more cubic inches, cams and head work. You will get over the extra performance in less than six months if it takes that long. Sounds like you beat on the bike a bit as well, so whatever you do should include a bullet proof lower unit; Timken conversion and a Darkhorse Man-O-War crank. JHMO but I am thinking you need to call Scott Palmer at Hillside Cycles in Munnsville and talk to him about building a 124" motor on your cases. Get your check book out; gotta pay to play.

 

Thanks for the quick reply. Im not looking to create a monster, nor pay the additional dollar amount required for that type of work to be done. I just wanted to replace the cylinders/rings since they may be damaged, and I figured while I was at it, a bore kit and cams would be a worthwhile investment. Of course the bump in power would be welcomed as well though, but its not the sole cause for me taking on this endeavor. Its more for peace of mind (having new internals) and mitigating the oil blow-by issue. Ill be sure to reach out to Scott if the day comes where I want to build out a 124" though!

 

Do a compression test and go from there. Hard to say where that oil is coming from and blow by could be from the breather valves being shot too.
Running thicker oil doesn't fix anything and could make **** worse.
If lived in my neck of the woods, I'd help ya out. I'm not in it for the $$$.

 

Compression test but more importantly for "LOTS of blowby" leak down test. Doubling down on calling Scott at Hillside; he can help with 107" package and will help you develop a build plan. Hillside doesn't just build big motors; they do it all.

 

I suppose I should have started there to begin with, then determine the next step based upon the results. This is the insight I needed, as I tend to look past things! Thanks again

 

Didn't think of the breather valves. Clearly I still have a lot to learn.. Was making the assumption it was worn rings or damaged cylinder wall, based upon what little I do know. I appreciate the input and will look into those as well

 

What you described as "LOTS of blowby" is not likely from the breathers, particularly a later model with the stamped units.

 

No but is the oil coming from leaks? Bad breathers are the #1 cause of oil leaks.

You might want to consider a gearing change. Best thing I did to my 103. Along with a decent cam, it's the best bang for your buck increase in rear wheel torque across the entire rpm range.
These things are geared for highway cruising not hotrodding.
Too bad more builders here don't look at riding styles and realize this simple, cheap, approach.
As much as a 13% increase in rear wheel torque across the entire rpm range and still run cams that make power to 6000rpm. Most builders want to talk you into a cam that's dead at 4500rpm citing needs more compression blah, blah, blah.
Greatly increases the fun factor.

https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...p-to-13-a.html

 

So it's been some time but I pulled the trigger. Bike is up at Hillside being worked on by Scott now. We went with the 110" kit, stage 2 heads, S&S crank, HPI 58mm TB, Tman 660ps-2 cams, etc etc.

He said we could probably get away pretty safely with the stock crank and bearings, but I opted to throw in the flywheel assembly and SE Lefty bearing just for additional peace of mind, cause I guess I do beat on the bike from time to time.. 😅

Hoping to see numbers in the range 130/130, give or take. Reliability is equally important as the performance aspect, so I'm hoping to find a nice balance between the two.

Either way, I'm very happy to have this all underway and am excited to see what Scott turns out for me!

Cheers