The next Harley I will own will be a FLHRS Road King Custom. I like the dress down look and the touring line. The decision I'm trying to make is what year. I am comfortable with a wrench and enjoy the work. I know from a couple different threads I have read about some of the pros and cons.

My sig shows that I did have an '09 FLHX so I know about the 96" and 6 speed. I am looking for some actual numbers to compare the 96"/6 with the 88"/5. Gear ratios would be great but I can't find them to make a comparison.

Opinions are welcomed but stats are desired. Most of my bikes have been import cruisers but I really loved my FLHX. My initial thought was to go with the '07 cause of the 96"/6 but I'm willing to change my mind if I can get some facts to compare my previous experience to. Thank you in advance.

 

TC88 FLHRS

DRIVETRAIN
Primary Drive Chain, 36/25 ratio
Final Drive Belt, 32/70 ratio
Clutch 9-plate, wet
Transmission 5-speed
Overall Ratio:
1st 10.110
2nd 6.958
3rd 4.953
4th 3.862
5th 3.150

07 FLHRS TC96

Drivetrain
Primary Drive Chain, 46/34 ratio
Final Drive9 Belt, 32/66 ratio
Clutch 9-plate, wet
Transmission 6-speed Cruise Drive™
Gear Ratios (overall):
1st 9.312
2nd 6.421
3rd 4.774
4th 3.926
5th 3.279
6th 2.790

 

WOW!!!!!! Talk about ask and ye shall receive. I guess if I would have done a little more seeking I might have found what I was looking for. Now can someone interpret these finding a little for me. It looks to me the numbers are the exact same with the exception of the engine itself plus 1st and 6th gears.

If my memory serves me correctly the mileage of my Glide was somewhere near 40 and I probably used the 6th gear more than I should. But from just the shear numbers the old tranny was made to do burnouts off the line compared to the new one. Was this mostly because of the shorter throw of the engine or was something else going on?

Also, could someone also let me in on what the ratios of the engine mean? I was really just curious about the tranny but now my curiousity has been peaked.

As stated before, one of the primary purposes for this search is to figure out if I could go with the older RK Customs or if I should stay with the 2007. Obviously older means cheaper which leaves room for more toys. Thanks again for any and all information.

 

Remember that you can also get an older one and change the comp and clutch basket with HD parts to achieve 3.37 gearing instead of 3.15 gearing. Do that and drop in a six speed tranny and you would have a good little runner.

 

Get a pre 07' for better gearing and take the 88" out to 95" w/ SE 203 cams. This will run circles around a stock 96" or 103". The gear ratio's on the 07' and 08' suck and will need to be changed but, why spend money on that? Having had an 09' you won't like the gearing on those years. JMO

 

Thanks for the information. I've always heard about hear ratios in trucks (4.10 vs 3.?). What exactly does that mean?

Someone also said something about changing cams. Does just the came change take it up to 95"? Never really understood how that was figured as well.

 

Just for arguement sake, how does the cruise control work on the carb models?

 

Cam change doesn't take it to 95. To go from 88 to 95 you need to have the cylinders bored larger and install larger pistons. To go along with that, if you were to get something like an 02 it was the last year for forged cranks and Timken engine bearing so it would be a great candidate for gear driven cams. Any year though can use gear driven cams as long as you have the crank runout checked and is in spec (.003 or less). If you were to get an 07 you could change the gearing quite easily. The 49T ring gear conversion is simple, that's what I did on my 08 to change the ratio.

 

To be honset I'm coming of a VTX 1300, so an 88 that has been let out to breathe will probably be ok.

A question I have never had answered is why changing the cams helps performance?

I know what a piston, valve, ignition, spark plug combustion sequence is but what does the cam do and why does it matter? Sorry if this has gotten too tech, but you never know till you know.

 

For a rough explanation.....cams have lobes on them and when they turn, the lifters that ride on the lobes push up (lift) and in turn push the pushrods that reside on top of the lifters that open and close the valves at certain times during the cycle. Depending on where the lobes are situated on the cam (grind) it determines when the intake and exhaust valves open and close. This can give you power at certain RPM ranges. For instance I have a 575 cam that "comes on" a little later in the RPM range, others come on lower. If you are looking for torque, get a certain grind. Looking for power higher in the range, get a different grind, etc.