Drop In Cam - suggestions wanted
Tourer
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 289
Likes: 13
From: Buell Town
I was researching this for my dads 2014 FLHX. Cyclerama CR570 was the best recommendation I received. If you look on my postings there is a very small thread about it with a few dyno sheets.
The cam was a recommendation from Scott at hillside who I believe posts on here once in a while. If he recommends it I'm sure you can hit him up for everything you need to install it as well.
The cam was a recommendation from Scott at hillside who I believe posts on here once in a while. If he recommends it I'm sure you can hit him up for everything you need to install it as well.
Thread Starter
|
Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2013
Posts: 553
Likes: 21
From: Placer County, CA
I've looked at those but for the money not a big difference over the Rushmore cam.
I guess the real answer is a "drop in" isn't going to do what I want, and I'm not ready to what is necessary money-wise.
I'll ride this motor to death or until it gets boring and then build to what I want.
I guess the real answer is a "drop in" isn't going to do what I want, and I'm not ready to what is necessary money-wise.
I'll ride this motor to death or until it gets boring and then build to what I want.
Road Master
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,042
Likes: 86
From: Centeral Coast, California
Knowing what I know now, that's exactly what I'd do also. I didn't go that route initially, and was back in Bob's dyno dungeon a year later after having done a FM top end.
Road Captain
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 574
Likes: 156
From: Big Sky Country
My experience is more with old cars, but seems to still be generally applicable. Horsepower, as a function of torque and RPM, is an almost meaningless statistic unless you're drag racing or ride like you are, so I certainly wouldn't worry about some number on a piece of paper if you're satisfied with bike. That said, many seem to be of the opinion that no upgrade is worthwhile unless you're willing to spend a pile of cash, and it seems like people get very nice results with cams and maybe a .030" head gasket when they're looking for low/mid range oomph, as head work generally becomes important only with higher RPM and/or bigger displacement. I suspect many who've upgraded their bikes to the Nth degree would never have spent the money chasing that last bit of power if they'd been in a position to compare and actually experience the results on the road. Each bump in performance costs exponentially more as you try to wring the utmost performance out of a motor, so your first $1K might buy you 15-20 ft/lbs of torque, and the next 15-20 might cost an _additional_ $2K, and the next an additional $4K. Improvements of less than 10% are generally not even noticeable seat of the pants. Guess what I'm trying to say is that depending on your expectations choosing to forgo some nice improvements in the mean time and waiting until you can spend $6-8K on upgrades isn't necessarily the best course of action, especially when you might be perfectly satisfied with more modest improvements.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 9,384
Likes: 1,776
From: Central Texas
SE 254e cams are the ticket, but see what your compression is and if you have 10.5:1 compression then SE 259e cams will be the ticket.
HD Forum Stories
The Best of Harley-Davidson for Lifelong Riders
7 Times Harley-Davidson Chucked Tradition Out the Window
Verdad Gallardo
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Verdad Gallardo
8 Best Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
10 Worst Harley-Davidson Motorcycles Ever
Pouria Savadkouei
Killer Custom's Jail Break Is The Breakout That Refused to Blend In
Verdad Gallardo
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Verdad Gallardo
Harley-Davidson Reveals Super Cool Cafe Racer Concept
Verdad Gallardo
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Verdad Gallardo
10 Motorcycles You Should Never Buy
Joe Kucinski
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 5,630
Likes: 4,096
From: Virginia
Your torque kicks in relatively late and isn't really flat, with a SE255 or several other moderate lift cams and a proper tune, you should be at close to peak torque by 2k rpm and stay pretty flat till you hit around 3500 rpm. Think off HP as power at higher RPM's (that's why high revving sports bikes are all about HP) and torque as power at lower rpms (the domain of twin cylinder bikes). So if you ride at 2k-3k rpms, max torque and a flat torque curve is most important. If you like to redline your engine a lot, you could go for max HP and lose some torque on the low end.
I asked this on the Dyno thread but haven't got any feedback so....
I have a 2015 Road Gide Special:
Stock Cams
HD Heavy Breather AC
Fuel Moto 2-1-2
Rinehart 4" Mufflers, Standard Baffles
Max TQ: 114.67
Max HP 90.81
I'm really happy about the torque I get out of my stock 103 but I'm wondering about the HP numbers.
The bike runs fantastic - I don't even know if I notice the (lack of) HP in normal conditions. I definitely notice the torque.
Is there a cam that would bump the HP number higher without compromising the torque?
At this time I'm not considering headwork or other engine work. If anything I'd be looking at a drop in cam.
I have a 2015 Road Gide Special:
Stock Cams
HD Heavy Breather AC
Fuel Moto 2-1-2
Rinehart 4" Mufflers, Standard Baffles
Max TQ: 114.67
Max HP 90.81
I'm really happy about the torque I get out of my stock 103 but I'm wondering about the HP numbers.
The bike runs fantastic - I don't even know if I notice the (lack of) HP in normal conditions. I definitely notice the torque.
Is there a cam that would bump the HP number higher without compromising the torque?
At this time I'm not considering headwork or other engine work. If anything I'd be looking at a drop in cam.