After a summer of abuse the Road King is in need of some love over the next few months while the weather changes here in the UK, at the moment i have a leaking inner primary as well as oil pooling at the end of the left hand exhaust so im guessing the rings are in need of doing on the rear pot at least.

Question is, is there a point in me doing some upgrades while i am in there, mainly a new set of pistons either high comp or not, i am planning on sending the heads of for a bit of mild head work to match my EV13 cam as well as some new lifters, push rods and maybe some rockers as well if i can afford it.

Just thinking while i have it all stripped down i might as well get some other work done as well.

Also will be pulling the swingarm out for a shot blast and powdercoat so new bits going in there as well. Gonna be an expensive winter!

 

Neil,

If your proposing to have your heads done it is reasonable to expect the tuning shop to ask what cam you are using, even advise which one to use, so they are matched to each other, along with the right compression ratio. Those three are directly linked and I am a firm believer in finding a friendly tuning shop, to talk through what you want of your bike.

So yes, it is certainly worth doing more in there, but get local advice from someone like fastlaneheadwork (ref HDH in the UK). It is not difficult to get general advice for matching cam and CR, but getting the porting right is something only an expert can do.

 

As long as you are having your heads done, make sure they CC them to ensure that they are equal and set at the right number. That way you will be reasonably sure that the compression ratio will be what you think it is. Making sure they are the same will help in making the engine run a little smoother. Be sure to make sure the bottom end is within specs because as you increase the compression ratio you will stress the lower end more.
GR gave you the best advice that you can get. an engine with components that are meant to work together. I would also add an exhaust to compliment the rest of the package, as an engine is nothing more than a self powered air pump. The more air you can get through it efficiently, the more power it will make. Hope this helps.

 

If ur gonna up the compression, be sure to use a head gasket with a fire ring. Otherwise u will be blowing head gaskets. James Gaskets are the best. They have the fire ring.

 

An EV 13 is a great lower end cam. Gives ya loads of snot off the line, fuel economy is still good & you can run stock lifters with it. Hone your lifter blocks & check the clearence before you buy new lifters. You might need oversize! Same with the rings if your not boring the barrels. I ran oversize in mine & my compression is around 180 both cylinders.
Take your time!
Hatch.

 

Ok Thanks for the responses guys, Graham, i am indeed going to use fastlane for the heads so will be speaking to him about matching everything together, the bike at the moment is running great has plenty of mid range punch, just feel it could do with a little bit more!

Have a few months now of working on the old girl and a long list of work to be done, its going to be a fun winter

 

Just make sure you can get the gas to match the comp ratio or it will be an expensive summer too ;-)