When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
I have my 97 Ultra in the shop getting a new cam. We were planning on an EV27 but when he opened it up there is a Head Quarters HQ-0024 rumble stick already in it. Will I notice a difference putting in the EV27 or should I leave the HQ-0024 in it? I was planning on a cam because the bike seems kinda doggish even with air cleaner/pipes. My 89 Softail has an EV46 and would run right over this bike. I know there's a big weight difference and I'm not expecting the Ultra to compete, just looking to wake it up. Thoughts?
Last edited by 90Ultra; Feb 11, 2022 at 08:40 AM.
Reason: attachment
Never used an HQ cam but have run the SE-1 with long duration in a Dresser. It was a dog until you got well over 3500 rpms. Also ran the SE-3 for a long time which is near identical as the EV27, got great fuel mileage.
You would likely "feel" a bit better with the EV27 over the HQ, but the EV13 would give it much more consistent torque curve from lower to higher rpms. I can't explain it from a cam spec/timing, just from running one (13) for a year now. With it, I didn't give up anything in mid-high speeds but gained a bit in the lower speeds. Fuel mileage good also.
Running a tick lean or rich especially, can make them sluggish. If it's a CV carb, 45/185 w/ N72S or N72R needle works well with free flow exhaust. I get 52/46 mpg low/high speeds respectively.
Here is my experience which may or may not be helpful.
I recently rebuilt my 1994 FLHTCU; when I got into the cam chest, I found a prior owner had installed a Crane cam. I had already purchased the EV27 for installation, so I went ahead and installed it anyway. It is wonderful.
Looking at the numbers the HQ and EV27 have the same intake valve closing which controls cylinder pressure so no help there, your only going to a get slight slight performance gain from the EV27 exhaust valve closing earlier creating a little bit more cylinder fill from the exhaust valve closing earlier. With stock compression the engine will still be sluggish 2000-2500 and hit around 3500, if you jump the compression up both those cams come to life. EV13 works better with stock compression due to earlier intake valve timing (more cylinder pressure) and less duration but will fall off @ 5000 or less
Thanks for all the input. An interesting thing he said this weekend (and I hope I'm saying it right) He said that the timing was all messed up. He said it was advanced as far as it could be but still running like it was retarded. (Before he did anything to it).? Thoughts?
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
Cam Switch
