A Thought --- UPDATE
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Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2006
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RE: A Thought -- UPDATE
Baker has a 30-tooth front pulley to replace the 32-tooth stock pulley. The change in pulley also requires a shorter drive belt, which is available from HD. In conjunction with my 10K mile service, I had the dealer do the install.
The difference is not huge, but it is definitely noticable. The gear range is much more usable now since most of my riding is around town and on two lane backroads. The bike cruises quite comfortably now at 50 mph in 5th gear and at just below 65 mph in 6th gear (before I had to be above 60 to use 5th and above 70 to use 6th). The bike is also peppier off the line and has better acceleration when pulling out to make a pass.
There are two issues with this mod. First issue is it's not cheap. Pulley was about $215 and belt was $230. Labor would have been 5 hrs but I was only charged 3 since they were already doing the service.
Second issue is now I'm probably going to have to recalibrate the speedo since I'm sure that I'm going slower than the indicated speed. Just not sure how much slower.
Would I do again now that I know the cost and the results? Absolutely.
The difference is not huge, but it is definitely noticable. The gear range is much more usable now since most of my riding is around town and on two lane backroads. The bike cruises quite comfortably now at 50 mph in 5th gear and at just below 65 mph in 6th gear (before I had to be above 60 to use 5th and above 70 to use 6th). The bike is also peppier off the line and has better acceleration when pulling out to make a pass.
There are two issues with this mod. First issue is it's not cheap. Pulley was about $215 and belt was $230. Labor would have been 5 hrs but I was only charged 3 since they were already doing the service.
Second issue is now I'm probably going to have to recalibrate the speedo since I'm sure that I'm going slower than the indicated speed. Just not sure how much slower.
Would I do again now that I know the cost and the results? Absolutely.
Cruiser
Joined: Feb 2007
Posts: 219
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RE: A Thought --- UPDATE
ndotken...I'd sell it. Obviously your not happy with the HD performance, or lack thereof. I don't care what you do to the engine, it will never perform like a Jap bike. The 100-year old, 45-degree, opposing V-Twin, pushrod driven valve-train air pump is just not designedfor it. You either accept it or move-on.
What I find funny is all the "look-alike" Jap bikes out there. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall the day the "suits" told the Jap designers they wanted them to design a motor with 45-50 degree opposing V-Twin cylinders, push-rod driven valve-train, and make it sound like a Harley. I'll bet you several of them committed ritual suicide right on the spot. Heh, heh!
JMHO, YMMV.
ScooterJammer
What I find funny is all the "look-alike" Jap bikes out there. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall the day the "suits" told the Jap designers they wanted them to design a motor with 45-50 degree opposing V-Twin cylinders, push-rod driven valve-train, and make it sound like a Harley. I'll bet you several of them committed ritual suicide right on the spot. Heh, heh!
JMHO, YMMV.
ScooterJammer
Tourer
Joined: Apr 2007
Posts: 303
Likes: 1
From: SE MI
RE: A Thought --- UPDATE
ORIGINAL: ndotken
I just flipped 10K miles on my '07 RKC and I have just not been happy with the performance of the engine. This is my fourth Harley after owning Honda's. I like the feel and sound of my bikes when I'm cruising at around 2,000 RPM's, but this bike with the TC96 will just not do it. It obviously labors at anything below about 2,500 RPM's, especially in the taller gears. Yesterday I'm doing 50-55 in 5th gear and the bike isn't lugging, but I can tell it's not comfortable there either. I had a thought that the stroke is too long and that maybe boring out the cylinder to 103" will help the bike in the lower RPM's. Any opinions?
Has anyone done a 103 upgrade on an '07 and did it help? Did you change the cams or heads?
I just flipped 10K miles on my '07 RKC and I have just not been happy with the performance of the engine. This is my fourth Harley after owning Honda's. I like the feel and sound of my bikes when I'm cruising at around 2,000 RPM's, but this bike with the TC96 will just not do it. It obviously labors at anything below about 2,500 RPM's, especially in the taller gears. Yesterday I'm doing 50-55 in 5th gear and the bike isn't lugging, but I can tell it's not comfortable there either. I had a thought that the stroke is too long and that maybe boring out the cylinder to 103" will help the bike in the lower RPM's. Any opinions?
Has anyone done a 103 upgrade on an '07 and did it help? Did you change the cams or heads?
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Road Captain
Joined: Mar 2006
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RE: A Thought --- UPDATE
ORIGINAL: ScooterJammer
ndotken...I'd sell it. Obviously your not happy with the HD performance, or lack thereof. I don't care what you do to the engine, it will never perform like a Jap bike. The 100-year old, 45-degree, opposing V-Twin, pushrod driven valve-train air pump is just not designedfor it. You either accept it or move-on.
What I find funny is all the "look-alike" Jap bikes out there. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall the day the "suits" told the Jap designers they wanted them to design a motor with 45-50 degree opposing V-Twin cylinders, push-rod driven valve-train, and make it sound like a Harley. I'll bet you several of them committed ritual suicide right on the spot. Heh, heh!
JMHO, YMMV.
ScooterJammer
ndotken...I'd sell it. Obviously your not happy with the HD performance, or lack thereof. I don't care what you do to the engine, it will never perform like a Jap bike. The 100-year old, 45-degree, opposing V-Twin, pushrod driven valve-train air pump is just not designedfor it. You either accept it or move-on.
What I find funny is all the "look-alike" Jap bikes out there. I would have loved to have been a fly on the wall the day the "suits" told the Jap designers they wanted them to design a motor with 45-50 degree opposing V-Twin cylinders, push-rod driven valve-train, and make it sound like a Harley. I'll bet you several of them committed ritual suicide right on the spot. Heh, heh!
JMHO, YMMV.
ScooterJammer
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2007
Posts: 1,016
Likes: 2
RE: A Thought --- UPDATE
no matter how you wanna slice-n-dice it ..... the '07s need 2,000RPMs at a minimum. Otherwise they wanna sputter... no torque ... and sound a bit sick. I'll let 6th gear drop to 2k RPMs (right about 60mph) but most gears I don't use 2k as a baseline. 2500 RPMs is what I found really good for HP/TQ from a starting point. otherwise it feels 'sluggish' if your RPMs are below that and the HP/TQ just isn't there.
Intermediate
Joined: Jun 2007
Posts: 45
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RE: A Thought
ORIGINAL: Hardly Dangerous
I don't get it. Why ride at 2000 RPM's?They just don't like it. Bring it upa bit andall will be good. You'll just have to get used to it. It's the nature of the beast!
I don't get it. Why ride at 2000 RPM's?They just don't like it. Bring it upa bit andall will be good. You'll just have to get used to it. It's the nature of the beast!
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RE: A Thought
I used to ride with a couple of guys that were already in 5th gear by 50-55. Here I am at 60-65 before shifting into 5th. Funny though I know it will not hurt the engine but I never like hitting above 4K in the RPM's. To me it just doesn't sound good. But apparently lots of people ride tlike that.
Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,609
Likes: 1
From: Indy area
RE: A Thought
I don't get it. Will have to do some research. Seems to me that increasing displacement with larger bore would tend to shift the engine's preferences toward higher RPM while doing it with a longer stroke would tend to shift the preferences toward lower-RPM operation.
I typically shift very near 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph. The engine speed (based on measured calculations since I don't have a tach and would want to "calibrate" it anyway if I did) mostly never sees 3000 rpm. That's for "usual" operation, one or two-up. Naturally, I twist it up a time or two or three every ride but I don't need any less throttle for the same cruising speed by going to a lower gear so why do it? It just makes it sound like a Jap bike and the faster, more widely-varied piston speed during the cycle than the previous engine had would not lend itself to as much longevity at the higher revolution speeds.
I typically shift very near 20, 30, 40, 50, and 60 mph. The engine speed (based on measured calculations since I don't have a tach and would want to "calibrate" it anyway if I did) mostly never sees 3000 rpm. That's for "usual" operation, one or two-up. Naturally, I twist it up a time or two or three every ride but I don't need any less throttle for the same cruising speed by going to a lower gear so why do it? It just makes it sound like a Jap bike and the faster, more widely-varied piston speed during the cycle than the previous engine had would not lend itself to as much longevity at the higher revolution speeds.
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