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I have a 2010 Ultra Classic and until I got rid of the cats by replacing with true duals I hated the performance. Even with a complete stage 1 and tune it sucked. I don't have to worry that much about winds and the motor being choked out. I am getting what I expect from it now without doing cams and bigger pistons.
After reading these posts I'm going to talk to the service department at my dealer about doing the cams, I can do basic wrenching but wouldn't be comfortable trying it myself. Right now I have Cobra Powerpro Black tuner, Rinehart Slimline Dual exhaust with hi-flo baffles, and an Arlen Ness Big Sucker II intake.
If you put a set of cams in there you will see a difference. Kinda like the 103 vs 103HO, and even the HO could have a better cam in it but for me it was an improvement over the 96" with a set of Andrews 26H in there..I think a set of 48 might be better on the 96" but not sure if they would be that good for a 103".
IMO..
Especially the early years of the 6sp, 6th gear is completely useless unless your doing 75 - 80 mph.
Mine seems to like to shift between 3 and 4k thru the gears.
Run what ya brung the way you want to tho...
That's the way my 17 RK is most the time I forget I have that 6th gear unless I have a wide open highway run and even then I'm shifting still, bike likes the powerband between 3 & 4K rpms, hit 6th under 70 it just feels fat and sluggish.
It's the opposite to travelling the same road, but in the other direction, when as like as not you will have been looking for seventh gear, because the bike was getting such an easy time! Unfortunately for many years our bikes have come with quite high gearing, so they can meet EPA regulations, so we have to adapt accordingly. Changing down a gear is the concensus - and the right thing to do!
I hear what you guys are saying about 6 gear only over 65 - 70 or so. My bike was that way for about 5 or 6 months. The dealer guys were telling me about the options on performance upgrades from day one suited to 2 up touring. During those days, 6 gear had no purpose except on long flats, no headwinds, or down hills. Every pass of a vehicle required a downshift. I often wondered why they even put a 6 gear on the big heavy touring bikes.
Then I talked to the service manager about it. Affect on the warranty? "None". Effect on engine longevity? "None". So I said "Do it".
SE255 cam, SERT, SEAC, Power Duals, dyno pulled it all together. Basically, it's more goes in, more comes out, more juke while it's in there. The ride home was wild.
It was transformed from bike to beast. First thing I noticed was a nasty wicked snarl from the motor. It's no purring ***** cat. Rip snorts followed by a vicious decel. No comparison to the stock form I had when brand new.
2 up touring is great. 6 gear has purpose. I pass in 6 gear often, but 5 is always there if you need a whole lotta zip. I never lug this motor. I feel headwinds, but no change on the tach or speedo.
Hey, I probably would not have believed the difference, but indeed I now do.
Like they told me at the dealer, "If not for the EPA, all Harleys would leave the factory running this way - AT A MINIMUM.
MPG stays around mid 40's, similar to before the upgrade, according to my free Fuelio app on my smart phone.
I have 6 years on this build, never an issue. 5K oil changes, all 3 holes, Mobil 1 20w50 V-Twin Syn in all 3, never a leak, never need to add.
2 wheel bliss.
Ride safe!
The two cam set ups that seem to come up the most are the SE204 or the SE255's. I do already have a tuner, exhaust, and intake. What is the deciding factor between these two cams?
The two cam set ups that seem to come up the most are the SE204 or the SE255's. I do already have a tuner, exhaust, and intake. What is the deciding factor between these two cams?
I wouldn't look at either of those for what he is experiencing. The 255's is an EPA grind and can have hot start issues and the 204 is a mid range cam that doesn't come on until 27-2800RPM.
For low end boost in the 103 I would look at the andrews 48, woods 222 and the TTS 100.
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Getting the most from your bike.
