my gear drive is much quieter than i expected. may be that the gear and cam are one piece and makes tighter tolerance than the gear that slips on a cam. S&S 510Gs are what i used. S&S does have different sized drive gears available to get correct backlash for quieter operation.

 

Will do!

VicW.

 

Okee dokee, here's the update! Parts all got here yesterday (same day, believe THAT!?[8D]); 26N's from Andrews, & all the OEM stuff plus a Jims locking tool from Zanotti HD. I finished up the (pc of cake)installation this morning & fired 'er up - YEAH! This thing idles quieter'n itdidwhen it was stock (ie: before I started messing w/it). Took it out for a road test, about 30 mileslater it started raining so I headed on home. I'll reserve a final opinion, causeit wasn't warm enuff weather to get'er really good'n HOT, & of course I don't have many miles on it yet, so I'll let ya know moreat around 50K. But...so far I'm really very happy w/the results of the conversion. Engine runs QUIETER than it ever has (esp w/the gear drive), oil pressure is great @ 15psi warm idle/40 psi cruising, & the power is all there (at least if there was ANY more parasitic lossthan the gearsI couldn't feel it!). IMO MOCO has really hit a homerun w/this & anybody out there looking to upgrade from the old style chain set-up should give this strong consideration.I'm tickled w/it&gotta feeling that this roller chain conversion is really gonna catch ononceits longevity is proven. Time will tell.

VicW.

 

I just posted the same question in the Dyna section....
So ets see if theres any response to the questions...
heres the link...
https://www.hdforums.com/m_1492904/tm.htm

 

Thanks TX, not exactly over-run w/problems is it?

VicW.

 

TTT 4 Bruggy

VicW.

 

I installed Andrews 21N cams and the new roller chain/hydraulic tensioner system on my 05 Road King this weekend.

It's pretty straight forward but took me a total of about 14 hours. I double checked everything and took my time. I installed adjustable push rods instead of pulling the rocker boxes, but even that takes a little time. Bike started immediately. The timing case is very quiet, maybe even quieter than the "silent" chain stock system. I also elected to install new cam needle bearings in the case. But the old bearings looked fine and probably would have been OK and I would have saved myself about $150 in special tool costs. Minus those tools, this upgrade and cams cost me about $800 and I figure I'm good for more than 100,000 miles now before checking the tensioners again.

I went with the new chain system instead of gears because the Harley case wasn't designed for gears which is the reason so many of those installations make so much racket. And this new system, which was introduced on the 06 Dyna's, is a very clean and straightforward in its design. It also has a much beefier oil pump that scavenges more efficiently and moves oil around the engine faster. I noticed the new tensioners are made in Germany, which makes it likely that they come from a components supplier to BMW and Mercedes.

If I hadn't upgraded I would have been fine with just installing new cams in the present system. The tensioners on the old system were OK. I have 38,700 miles on the 05 Road King. The secondary was worn .05 and the primary was less than that. Harley states you should change them at 0.09 or about half the thickness. I could have easily gone to 55,000 - 60,000 miles or more before changing them out. This strengthens my contention that the cam chain tensioner 'crisis' is very overblown. I think some people have had problems, but they're in the minority.

Bike definitely runs stronger with the Andrews 21N cam. Idle is rougher due to increased cranking pressure but smooths out when you speed up. Nice exhaust note - real punchy sounding at idle with a little more lope. Exhaust is louder, too, especially when winding out or under a pull. Took wife on a ride and the low-end torque is evident on the hills. You can shift at lower speeds and the bike pulls harder. My only concern is that it may tend to ping under low rpms in hot weather. I haven't touched the MAP on the Power Commander. The tech at Andrews said it's unlikely that I'll need to fiddle with it with this cam grind.

A couple of things not clear in the Andrews instructions: you need to buy three new o-rings that fit between the crankcase and cam plate and you will need two, not one, of the spacer washers. You need one 0.100 washer for the front cam and another for the rear cam to fit behind the 37-tooth sprocket. I bought a 0.120 washer at random and it turned out to be perfect but you may need a different thickness if the crank and cam sprockets are not aligning.

 

The conversion cost me right at $600, including all new fasteners & a Jims locking tool, but I already had new Torrington B-148 inner bearings installed. I got the cams from Hardmaster Cycles ($240 w/shipping included) & all the OE stuff (& the locking tool) from Zannoti HD (right at $350 w/shipping).

I rode the bike to work & back (long way home) today & still amazed at how quiet the engine is running now. YEE-OWW-ZAAH!

VicW.

 

Anybody else done this conversion that doesn't have a bagger?

 

My 2 cents is that the amount of money and benefits could be better spent on a real solid fix that will take out 2 other issues besides the cam noise. Our R&R cam plate/ cam covers make the gear drive cams whisper quiet because they better stablize the cams and the pinion shaft and replace the stock cam plate that flexes and contorts and ruins a lot of oil pumps. Another thing it does is to remove the air from the oil which can cause a hydrology loss in the lifters. You have to here one of these with the gear cams to believe it.