Cams or Big Bore?
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 791
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
I tend to agree with Firetender. You already have 15k on your bike. And, when it hits 25k, you'll need to have your cam chain tensioner inspected for wear. This inspection is NOT covered by your warranty. So, my suggestion would be to do the cams on or before the 25k inspection. This will increase your torque noticeably. Then, if you feel you need more power down the road, you could do the full Big Bore kit. And, most likely your cams and gears can still be used in the new build (if you select your cams appropriately at the beginning).
The downside to doing just the cams first would be having to buy new adjustable pushrods. Since the heads will not be removed, the old rods will be cut and discarded. Good luck!
The downside to doing just the cams first would be having to buy new adjustable pushrods. Since the heads will not be removed, the old rods will be cut and discarded. Good luck!
ORIGINAL: Firetender
I first chose the 95" Stage II with bolt-in SE cams, MM EFI This provided gobs of power, flawless performance, and the chainwas reliable and inexpensive to maintain. Adding gear drive and headwork years later just makes sense now, but if I did it all over again, I would have had the headwork and gear cams first, and the 95" upgrade years later.
I first chose the 95" Stage II with bolt-in SE cams, MM EFI This provided gobs of power, flawless performance, and the chainwas reliable and inexpensive to maintain. Adding gear drive and headwork years later just makes sense now, but if I did it all over again, I would have had the headwork and gear cams first, and the 95" upgrade years later.
Intermediate
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 46
Likes: 0
From:
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
I was told by a local repair shop that doing the 95 kit with head work was far better than just doing cams, and if your going to do the cams properly you allready have the heads off anyway to replace bearings and seals, puching the jugs and adding pistons is notthat much more.
Road Master
Joined: Mar 2006
Posts: 791
Likes: 0
From: Arizona
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
Yes, you are correct. If getting the best bang for your (big) bucks, doing the 95 or 103 kit is the best bet. Plan on about $3,000. However, for those with brand new, low-milage, bikes, any modification can void both the factory and extend warranties. I guess it depends what kind of money one wants to spend and whether or not he/she cares about warranties. But, if a rider is looking for a good performance upgrade that will not cost him an arm and a leg, cams change is right up there. Most folks normally start with a Stage I kit and mufflers. The next best (to the previous) is dyno tune and a fuel management system.
ORIGINAL: old558
I was told by a local repair shop that doing the 95 kit with head work was far better than just doing cams, and if your going to do the cams properly you allready have the heads off anyway to replace bearings and seals, puching the jugs and adding pistons is notthat much more.
I was told by a local repair shop that doing the 95 kit with head work was far better than just doing cams, and if your going to do the cams properly you allready have the heads off anyway to replace bearings and seals, puching the jugs and adding pistons is notthat much more.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 4,307
Likes: 9,428
From: Twin Cities Minnesota
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
YOU WILL END UP DOING BOTH. ITS THE HARLEY DISEASE.
Think out your build before doing and you can do in stages. If you are looking for torque the Andrews 26G cam is not a bad choice that will work for standard bore and 95 inch. The cam and gear drive is not a bad first step.
Think out your build before doing and you can do in stages. If you are looking for torque the Andrews 26G cam is not a bad choice that will work for standard bore and 95 inch. The cam and gear drive is not a bad first step.
Cruiser
Joined: Jan 2007
Posts: 210
Likes: 0
From: Corpus Christi, Tx.
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
I had the 510g cams installed on my bike. Got 75hp & 88tq. The 510g cams are only good up to 9.7:1cr. If heads are addedthe crwill go up to 10:1 or 10.5:1 depending on what pistons are used. This is what I have observed in the screamin eagle catalog. I am no mechanic so someone in here might be able to shed more light for you. With this said I am very pleased with the cams. I don't know if I will go for the 95" build.
Ultimate HDF Member
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 6,007
Likes: 2
From:
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
I know this isn't one of the choices, but have the heads port and polished or buy a set of heads because if you don't do the heads the other add on are minimal once you get past the stage one upgrade. I know, I've done it. In other words, anything past stage 1 without headwork brings minimal returns in the actual feel of the bike.
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
So is the consensus that the cams alone are a waste? Not enough difference to notice? I was hoping with my T-Max and Fat Cat the cams would get the low end torque I am looking for. I have enough "power" as far as acceleration goes, I just want a little more low end grunt off the line. Since I have a 96 from the factory, I would go with a 103 or 107 correct?
Elite HDF Member
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 4,391
Likes: 10
From:
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
I think a 110" is the biggest that the dealer would do, but, I could be wrong.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 2,282
Likes: 52
From: DFW
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
My experience is that if you don't do some kind of headwork, you don't get any real leaps in performance which keeps you on that long expensive road to what you really want. Do the Heads, the 103 and the cams.
Road Master
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 1,058
Likes: 6
From: Omaha Nebraska
RE: Cams or Big Bore?
Save your money and wait until you can do it right. You will be the most happy with a modified engine if first you can answer this question, "how fast do you want to go doing what"? If you just want very low RPM take off grunt, amore aggressive cam coulddecrease such performance. If someone states that a given cam has more torque, this means nothing ifwe don't know at what RPM this increase occurs, such a cam may havemore torque at 3000 but less at 1500 RPM where atwo up, loaded bagger really needs it taking off from a stop sign going up a hill. Yet such a cam could be just the ticket for alight bike, single rider who likes upper RPMperformance. With a loaded bagger, that 1000-2500 RPM range isvery important whichis the area that most cam upgradersdon't like to talk about. I have an UC riding buddy who added a cam, no more 1000 RPM launches with two up, he'll be replacing a clutch soon.
A case I would like to makeforadding cubic inches is, unlike most other mods, especially cams, youdon't have torob Peter to pay Paul, robbing performance somewhere to gain elsewhere, thus the old engineaddage, "there is no substitute for cubic inches".This, like withanysingle performance upgrade,we havejust created a newengine breathing bottleneck which is whyit is best to do complementorymods in other areas to maximize the first mod, it's all in the combination. Also,the extra cubes have set up a good enginefoundation for future upgrades, such as heads, cams etc. Again, if justlow end grunt is what you're looking for, properly tuned,I can't think of a better single mod.
A case I would like to makeforadding cubic inches is, unlike most other mods, especially cams, youdon't have torob Peter to pay Paul, robbing performance somewhere to gain elsewhere, thus the old engineaddage, "there is no substitute for cubic inches".This, like withanysingle performance upgrade,we havejust created a newengine breathing bottleneck which is whyit is best to do complementorymods in other areas to maximize the first mod, it's all in the combination. Also,the extra cubes have set up a good enginefoundation for future upgrades, such as heads, cams etc. Again, if justlow end grunt is what you're looking for, properly tuned,I can't think of a better single mod.