2008 Road King, 103CI, 10.5:1, 114 HP, 102 TQ
SE CNC Heads, SE260 Cams, 58 MM Throttle Body( HPI'd) High Flow Injectors, SE Roller Rockers, SE Lifters,SE Adjustable Push Rods, Bassani Road Rage, Zippers Max Flow,SE Race Tuner
Valve Train NOISE that's scary.
Tuner said it sucks too much air at low RPMs?
I'm not pleased with the cams, in the process of looking for something that will work well when going to 113 this winter.

 

Have you tried anything to quiet the valve train noise down like pushrod adjustment or rocker arm end play?

I don't know if I would be so quick to blame the cams. Those heads and throttle body look like overkill for a 103" build to me. Was this combination something a dealer or indy recommended? I'll admit I'm not that familiar with SE parts, but I have read often that those heads have way to big of ports and valves for street use.

Not trying to be too critical, just don't see that combo of parts very often.

 

Ok, so I am feeling bad about everything going on in the world, and I wanted to bring some joy to my life. Can only take just so much bad news, declining markets, blah, blah, blah.

Did not have all the money to do the entire upgrade yet so I went and had some cams installed. Here are the before and after sheets -

First sheet was when I added the PC -

Second sheet today - Nothing too major but some good numbers I think - And just in time to ride in the 110+ degree weather -

02 Ultra 88
Power Commander
Hooker Tuned Flow
Stage One
S/S 510g

 

I post the dyno sheet shortly,

 

im runin the s&s 570g and they do pretty good for me... my hp is only 108 , but my tq is 125....tq is over 100flbs from 2400rpm thru 5700rpm....peak is reached at 3700

 

I haven't gotten into the end play or adjustment yet, I'm getting the stehoscope out today & see if I can find the noise source.

There were no recomendations made by dealers,etc. just economics. I figured on having to make some changes to get to a respectable running machine using 103 cylinders, everyone has their own ideas, some are proven others not. But that's the fun of it. You don't know till you try.

Yes, I've heard/read the negatives about these heads & throttle body. And you might very well be correct about the overkill. I talked with some of the well know head fellas, they seemed to think the combo would work well. I got a nice discount on a SE 113 race kit, but did not want to burn the time for the case rework, thusly the quick build 103.

I'm not blaming the cams for the low end stuff, the grind is for higher rpms, it's a steady power climb, reaches max hp at 6000 rpm or so, torque maxs at 4500-4600 rpm, then drops off some. The cams work like they're meant to. I've seen some dyno sheets on the Wood Carb web site pretty close to my 103(different cams, exhaust)that makes me think this combo with different cams might do well.

My thoughts are a low/mid range cam, 2500 rpm on up, I'm leaning towards Wood or TMan, but since Andrews does the cam grinding for a large percentage of the major builders, I might go with their cams. The engine is coming out this winter for complete 113 or ??? rework. I just got to tinker.

For now, I'll run down the noise, have the tuner clean up some other issues, and collect information for this winters rip apart.

 

That all makes sense. I especially appreciate your "don't know till you try it" approach. Admitting to yourself that it may not be an optimized solution on the first attemp and continuing to look for ways to improve it is a great way to find something that could really work, that no else has.

While it is true that Andrews manufactures cams for a lot of the aftermarket, they do not duplicate those grinds under the Andrews brand. For example, the T-Man TR590 and the Andrews 59HG both share a .590" lift on intake and exhaust, but the timing and duration of the two cams are drastically different. It's worth looking at everything out there.

Good luck on chasing down the noise. Let us know what you find.

Zach

 

I have a stock 88" motor that put out pathetic numbers on the dyno. 67hp and 74tq. This was after the breather, exhaust, and tuner upgrade.

I have a buddy who has SS parts to rebuild my whole upper motor with a couple thousand miles on them. He mentioned I can still use my motor case. He bought a complete custom built motor to put in his FLHRCI. He wants $500 bucks for the parts, which I know is a steal because the parts alone cost over $2K. I wonder if it's worth building this motor up, or dumping the bike and buying one with a 96" or 103"? What I am looking for is that deep "Harley rumble" that the new bikes do not have. I think my bike sounds awesome when I twist the throttle, but at a stop light, all I hear is the breather sucking in air and my pipes tapping behind me. I want to "feel" the motor turning.

 

Had the sethoscope out, and couldn't pin point the clatter. Guess the tank/seat are coming off & digging in. The noise is not too offensive at idle/low rpm, but does create concern at high RPMs. I'm going to fire it up with the top rocker covers off,(&what a mess that will be) and discover I might have to do a little more grinding on the boxes. I will also check end play & pushrod clearance, etc. while I'm there. I just love to tinker

 

What parts does he have ?? tough to give advice without knowing what parts he has.