You NEVER change a cam with out replacing the bearing - period!

If you value your time at all, do it right. Would it be worth 8.00 (for a bearing) for you to spend the time to take it all apart the second time and possibly have to buy another cam in the process? Has nothing to do with an "upgrade" it's just good common sense.

 

Order the tools and replace the bearings it's very easy.

 

Hers a link to the puller and installer you need to do it at a little cheaper price than jims tools sells it for. I think the quality of georges tools are probably as good as jims. www.georges-garage.com

 

I agree with everyone else. The bearings should be replaced. The cams should start life with new bearings. I would take it a step farther and also replace the lifters. You also should replace all the oil pump and push rod tube o-rings.

Do it right = do it once

Zach

 

+1 on the lifter replacement, i think just about any motor builder will tell you that lifters should always be changed when you change cams.

 

The stock bearings should be none the worse for wear changing the cams and I would assume these bearings will last a long time in a stock bike. What persuaded me to change them is (1) the Timkins are better and very inexpensive, (2) you are already in the cam chest and the bearings easily accessible, and (3) the 255 cams have a much higher lift than stock that put more stress on the bearings.

In the old Evo days we always installed Timkins, and that was considered mandatory for any aftermarket cam change. Early TC's had larger inner bearings (7/8" IIRC) than Evos making the bearing change to Timkins less urgent, and the TC96 bearings are even bigger (1"). That might suggest you could be more flippant about leaving the stock bearings installed, but I would rather just do it the best way, especially since it doesn't involve much more money.

 

Good point. I practically memorized the procedure in the service manual (2007 FLH) before doing the job and don't recall seeing a reference to changing the bearings being a necessary step in the procedure. Reviewing those sections of the manual there is a procedure outlined for removing/installing the inner bearings using the HD puller/installer, but I haven't run across anything that says they must or even should be replaced with a cam swap.

 

I really don't think a lifter change is necessary as long as they're working properly. These are the same lifters used in Chevrolets and they typically go 100K's of miles without problems. I can't think of a time I've heard of a lifter problem in a modern car. I would think problems would be few and far between. Before doing my cam job I did ask a friend who builds race engines about replacing the lifters and he said "no need." So, I just re-used mine and oriented them in the same direction as original.

 

I used this puller/installer which costs much less than the tool sold at George's Garage. It's very well made and worked perfectly, with the pull/install process taking maybe five minutes. The cost was $85 plus shipping, insurance, and a 3% Paypal charge.

 

I just finished installing s&s 510g's in my 07 rkc. You can use the old cams as an installer for the new bearings. Slide one old bearing on the cam, and then slide the new bearing against the old bearing and gently tap the bearing into place....works perfect. Putting the new bearing in freezer will make install even easier. By the way, the 510g's added great low-mid power.