What is the difference between an EV-13, EV-23 or EV-27? What's a good cam for long life and touring power?

 

If you search this Evo forum for each of those numbers you will come up with many threads about each. The EV27 is probably the most popular in here and I used one in my Glide for many years. The EV13 is said to be suitable for heavy touring bikes and will probably give even better low down torque that an EV27, especially if you ride mostly 2-up. I'm personally less sure about where the EV23 fits in, but I'm sure our experts will be along soon!

 

I like the EV1. Made a significant improvement over the stock cam in my bike. Those are the only 2 cams I have to compare, so can't help you on the other choices.

 

I used this. I picked a vthunder based on feedback and specs. Select Evo then click list and the chart comes up. Based on feedback and research the vthunder has similar specs with quieter operations.


http://www.nightrider.com/biketech/camdb.htm

 

I can't compare the differences, but I can tell you that I have EV-27s in both my evo dressers and it is a big improvement over stock.

 

I have nothing to compare it to since this was my first evo (Heritage). The PO had the ev-27 installed along with the a new bearing ( I hope). But my opinion is that I wish I had a little more power through lower gears. I believe the "27" is for mid-range power and I do notice that from around 50 mph up she really gets up and goes. 2-up I have no problem cruising 65-80mph. No other mods on the bike. Hope this helps.

 

From the Andrews website:

EV23 Mild bolt-in street cam with more torque and HP for all around riding with stock comp ratio. Similar to stock L cam but more output. Pulls from 1800-5200 RPM.

EV13 Bolt-in street/touring cam for heavy bikes. Much more low and mid-range power than either stock cam. Best cam for 2 up riding with camping gear and side cars.

EV27 A great bolt in cam for stock EV80 engines using state of the art design. Very strong, broad torque band which will pull hard from 2000 to 5500 RPM.

 

Google Andrews Cams ., they provide more info. than you really want to know !
I went for the ole tried and true EV-27 .

 

i dont want to start a pissing match BUT i never liked andrews cams i have come to accept them as a user frendly unit to install and the bike goes away

for me i do not install anything smaller then the 13 i have come to like the 27 now apples is not apples in different shops as to what is actually going on

we have a cam doctor that we made up in my shop - and i check the cams we install and the reason we do that is most are not on center some are - having said that does it really matter Just a bit Maybe but we do it and have for years

both the 13 and 27 are small user frendly units for the masses that want more power and with out the reliablity issue coming with it - its as simple as that

 

I struggled with the cam decision for a while and ultimately went with the EV13 in my 95 Heritage. I did a few minor things to enhance what I would get out of it. I always ride solo.

The EV13 sacrifices a little horsepower at the higher rpm's in favor of a lot more torque at the lower rpm's.

The EV27 sacrifices a little torque at the lower rpm's in favor of more horsepower at the higher rpm's.

Both of these cams are good and are just about equal in the mid rpm's.

The EV23 is not that different from stock cams in older bikes (read pre-EPA) to be worth considering.

It comes down to being honest with yourself about how you ride and at what rpm's. That is what lead me to choosing the EV13.

My engine vibrated more than I liked and felt like it was screaming on the interstate. This had me thinking about getting a six speed. Most of my research indicated that the six speed would work much better with a higher output engine. This lead me to see what I could do to increase the engine output without going crazy and spending a lot of money, especially since the six speed was going to cost a lot as it is.

EVO's respond well to higher compression. I also know that most performance cams will cause you to have a lower cranking pressure. Even though this reduction in cranking pressure is fairly minimal with the EV13, I still wanted to do something about it since the stock compression is already low. I didn't check it on my bike, but just in general they are designed that way.

Also worth noting is that the EV13 will make your engine run cooler. This was a consideration for me. And yes, it did make a very noticeable difference.
I had .025" milled off the heads and went with a thinner head gasket. The machine shop did a good job. Harley had very sloppy tolerances for combustion chamber volume. Apparently my two heads were quite different from each other but I didn't really confirm this. Needles to say, they are now the same volume.

I also did the usual, rejet the carb, change ignition, etc.

My bike now runs smoother than its solid mounted Evo pedigree would indicate that it should. It pulls hard right from idle with no dips. I have taken it to 90 mph without a problem although I typically ride much slower than that.

About that six speed on the interstate. I did not buy it because there is need for it. Bathe bike runs so smooth and is no longer screaming for mercy on the interstate.

So, I am very happy with my results with a lot of bang for the buck that suits my riding style perfectly.

I have never had it on the dyno. If I did, the printout might look disappointing compared to all the charts posted with big numbers. Sometimes how you make power is more important than how much power you make. Perhaps someday I will put it on a dyno just to see what it does.