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I tore my bike down this morning and shipped the heads to Big Boyz Head Porting in Maine. Talked to Bean and he said he could get them back to me fast since most people wait till winter. I'm getting heads ported and polished along with a performance valve job including new valve seals. I'm also having the combustion chambers reduced to 83cc. I'll be going back with a .030 head gasket. I checked my deck and front piston was .007 low and rear was .009 low. I should end up with corrected compression ratio of 9.03 and ccp of 185.9 with my Headquarters 525 cam using a 4 degree advance. Looking forward to putting it back together. I'll keep everyone posted. Allyn
103 is not necessary. On any engine, the power is in the heads.
Granted, when it's apart, that's when it is the easiest to just swap the cylinders and pistons.
But a 103 with stock heads....well you just don't gain much. However, a 96" with GOOD heads will smoke a 103 with stock heads.
Most guys do the heads and bore to 103....but you really don't have to. On a bagger, I can see needing a 103 AND heads. You guys have alot of weight to throw around.
I've seen 88's with really hot heads and some good cams and tuning REALLY rip!
Heck, I'm still at 88 with hot cams (510G's) and really good tuning on stock heads and my bike rips! of course the primary gear down kit and SE pressure plate had alot to do with that!
If i wanted more power, I'd just do the heads and stay at 88. Superglides are LIGHT compared to an FL!
~Joe
Last edited by traveler; Aug 21, 2009 at 04:17 PM.
I may go to 103 at a later time but I think a smaller efficient setup usually outperforms larger inefficient setups. The twincam heads stock don't flow enough to support 96" as needed. The heads are the weak link in twincams. It would cost as much for 103 as I will have in headwork and I feel like I"ll get more return. I do my own wrenching on my bike so I don't worry about having to pay for labor and enjoy doing it. Plus I don't have to go through another break-in. Just my thoughts. Allyn
I'm using Headquarters Paul Bunyan HQ-TC-525-HC This is a new cam designed for 09 touring models with the new gearing. I'm using a 4 degree advance to make it come in sooner. This cam is a bolt-in cam that is compression friendly. My static compression should be around 9.6
Now is the time to go to 103" while it's all apart. Send Bean your cylinders and he'll bore them out for like $150, and the new pistons are like $150.............$300 and you'll gain even more power then your 96" is going to give you.
I may go to 103 at a later time but I think a smaller efficient setup usually outperforms larger inefficient setups. The twincam heads stock don't flow enough to support 96" as needed. The heads are the weak link in twincams. It would cost as much for 103 as I will have in headwork and I feel like I"ll get more return. I do my own wrenching on my bike so I don't worry about having to pay for labor and enjoy doing it. Plus I don't have to go through another break-in. Just my thoughts. Allyn
apples to apples
a 103 or 107 w/heads and cam WILL outperform your 96" w/same heads and cam. You will see a nice jump in TQ w/ the increased cubes, which is what I assume your looking for in a touring bike. The fact that you will already have the bike apart, and the very small investment needed to achieve either 103 or 107 makes it a no brainer in my opinion.
Out of curiosity, where abouts in SE NC are you at?
103 is not necessary. On any engine, the power is in the heads.
Granted, when it's apart, that's when it is the easiest to just swap the cylinders and pistons.
But a 103 with stock heads....well you just don't gain much. However, a 96" with GOOD heads will smoke a 103 with stock heads.
Most guys do the heads and bore to 103....but you really don't have to. On a bagger, I can see needing a 103 AND heads. You guys have alot of weight to throw around.
I've seen 88's with really hot heads and some good cams and tuning REALLY rip!
Heck, I'm still at 88 with hot cams (510G's) and really good tuning on stock heads and my bike rips! of course the primary gear down kit and SE pressure plate had alot to do with that!
If i wanted more power, I'd just do the heads and stay at 88. Superglides are LIGHT compared to an FL!
~Joe
Travler, what you said is bull ****.
There ain't no substitute for cubic inches. More is better, period.
Once you got more cubes, slick the heads and tweek the valve timing with cams.....
Been there-done that.
Stuff your money into cubes and save money afterwards
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