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A few weeks ago I posted about changing my cam and trying to find and eliminate the valve train noise I've been dealing with for years. Changed from a SE54 cam to a Comp Cams 3010, replaced my worn out lifter blocks and after extensive test rides I can now say with authority most if not all of my lifter clattering was coming from the worn out lifter blocks and the resulting low oil pressure that was causing at the lifters. Engine is now very quiet with the new lifter blocks and much smoother with the new cam, pulls smoothly from as low as 1800. At both highway speeds and backroad speeds the power is much more useable with the 3010 cam. Also my hot, idle oil pressure went from about 3psi to 15. All in all a huge improvement and now I have the quiet running ( valve train wise ) engine I'd always hoped for. The idea of trading or selling and getting an M8 is gone. I'm extremely happy with the results and to the guys that offered all the advise and suggestions THANK YOU! and to the guy who suggested measuring my lifter blocks, a BIG THANKS! I now feel I can ride this old bike for a long time more, comfortably and without the nagging valve train clattering. Hell, I might just go ahead and invest in those Ohlins shocks I've been drooling over since I'll be keeping this bike for a long time more, and they're a LOT cheaper than a new M8.
Last edited by bentparts; Oct 30, 2025 at 02:35 PM.
Reason: Add pic
Must have been very poor lifters/stools...I have (and still) witness the oil pressure light ON, and No Lifter noise, nor Problems..
Good you got it sorted...
Must have been very poor lifters/stools...I have (and still) witness the oil pressure light ON, and No Lifter noise, nor Problems..
Good you got it sorted...
Thanks, Actually this is the third set of lifters I've tried in it in the last 5 years. First a set of Jims Big axle lifters that have been a few years , then a set of Johnson Hylifts which I only kept in for a few hundred miles now the S+S which i put in hoping they would stop the noise. Turns out the lifters were fine all along, the blocks were worn way past the service limit. New blocks, No more noise. Loving the new cam too.
Mission accomplished! I wish HD would have kept replaceable lifter blocks on the later engines, my Twincam wouldn't shut up until I carefully measured and went with oversize lifters.
Mission accomplished! I wish HD would have kept replaceable lifter blocks on the later engines, my Twincam wouldn't shut up until I carefully measured and went with oversize lifters.
I had to measure my lifter blocks 4 times as I'm no machinist and I was using 80 year old inherited tools. They still seem to work though but I did confirm all readings with a digital caliper. Maybe it's just me getting old but I found it damn hard to read the tiny numbers and scale on a micrometer, even with my glasses cleaned. I the case of your TC glad there were oversize lifters available for you. Even after measuring everything over and over I kept second guessing myself and my measurements, hell they're probably wrong, but the new replacement lifter blocks did the trick. All I can be absolutely certain of was I could wobble the lifters around in the old guides and that couldn't be good. Best money I've spent on this old ride in many years.
Last edited by bentparts; Nov 1, 2025 at 10:25 AM.
Since that pic was taken I did make a few changes: The modified swingarm now has an under brace, old school superbike style and not running a belt guard. I also swap between the Bullet fairing in the warmer months and a Batwing for the colder months. Nice that they swap in about 1 minute. If it's really hot and I'm in the mood I run it with no fairing at all. Love the clean look naked.
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Cam change and no noise
