Cam, Cam, Cam!! I wanna change mine too.
Road Master
Joined: Apr 2011
Posts: 1,145
Likes: 98
From: Colorado Springs
255's or a cam like it, ie an Andrews 21, will bring the power band WAY down. The bike will be flat on it's face by 4K. Not what I'd want.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,788
Likes: 5
From: Tennessee
Just for comparasion sake, i have 203s in an 06 88ci and a 95 with 257s. The 88 with203s vs my buddies 103 with 255s is almost dead even 0-100mph. I'm ahead but about to be passed. Never ran them out past 100. The big difference is while crusing at normal speeds I have to shift a lot more than he does. The 255s make a lot of torque right in the cruise range. Running 60 if i need to make a pass quick i have to hit 4th, he just rolls on the throttle. Two up touring the 255 is a nice cam. I have no complaints with the 203s but i have learned to ride the cam. If he were to jump on my bike he would have to learn how to get the most out of it.
The 95 with head work,257s, and a bunch more stuff is a blast to ride! Its a high rpm cam and doesnt do much below 3500 so 2 up touring there is a lot of 4th gear riding and shifting to pass. Its a little dangerous in the rain if you ride stupid like i tend to do! IMO keep the 203s until you work the heads.
The 95 with head work,257s, and a bunch more stuff is a blast to ride! Its a high rpm cam and doesnt do much below 3500 so 2 up touring there is a lot of 4th gear riding and shifting to pass. Its a little dangerous in the rain if you ride stupid like i tend to do! IMO keep the 203s until you work the heads.
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Road Captain
Joined: Sep 2006
Posts: 574
Likes: 10
From: Tennessee
I am looking for more low end torque as I load the bike up and tour either by myself or two up. Still want to be able to pass vehicles at will but some more pulling on the low end would be nice.
Road Warrior
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,788
Likes: 5
From: Tennessee
If im not mistaken the 252 cam is what comes stock in the 103 and no im pretty sure it wont work in your bike. The 203 is a better cam anyway. The most bang for your buck is to lower the gearing. There are some threads on this forum that explains it . Cost is about 300 bucks.
HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,773
Likes: 2,603
From: san antonio
The 255s will work with your '06 heads, just order the cam for the '99-'06 motor. Those springs will handle higher lifts but will coil bind before the retainer comes in contact with the seals. Coil bind will occure somewhere north of .575" lift.
Your OEM heads will stop flowing above .500" lift, so you are not gaining anything with cams that have more lift. Andrews TW21 will get the job done; no drama bolt in. Change inner cam bearings while you are at it.
Your OEM heads will stop flowing above .500" lift, so you are not gaining anything with cams that have more lift. Andrews TW21 will get the job done; no drama bolt in. Change inner cam bearings while you are at it.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2008
Posts: 9,384
Likes: 1,776
From: Central Texas
The SE254e cams are at least worth a look on pages 71 & 72 of 97
here http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...bmLocale=en_US
here http://www.harley-davidson.com/en_US...bmLocale=en_US
06 Touring bike. There are no 255 or 254 cams for that application.
You can run conversion cams (new style cam plate, old style 7/8" inner bearing). Andrews 48 cams are available in that configuration, and your heads will accomodate the .550 lift.
S&S has a new torque cam (509) for the older motors that should have the powerband you're looking for.
The other obvious option is the Andrews 21, but they're not that much different than the 203s you're already running.
More lift is almost always a good thing, even if your heads don't flow significantly more air above .500 lift. Having a higher lift cam generally means having the valve open at the point of max flow for a longer period of time.
You can run conversion cams (new style cam plate, old style 7/8" inner bearing). Andrews 48 cams are available in that configuration, and your heads will accomodate the .550 lift.
S&S has a new torque cam (509) for the older motors that should have the powerband you're looking for.
The other obvious option is the Andrews 21, but they're not that much different than the 203s you're already running.
More lift is almost always a good thing, even if your heads don't flow significantly more air above .500 lift. Having a higher lift cam generally means having the valve open at the point of max flow for a longer period of time.
Last edited by Mike; Oct 24, 2011 at 02:01 PM.
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HDF Community Team
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 12,773
Likes: 2,603
From: san antonio
Forgot I was in the "touring" forum; B'dude is right, 255 won't work for your application unless you upgrade the cam plate/tensioner setup to the SE Hybrid system. If you went that route, the S&S 551 would work well. I don't know the specs on the S&S 509 but understand that it is modeled after the 551 and would produce 180psi cranking compression which is not bad for OEM heads. You should be sitting on about 170psi with the SE203. The 509 sounds like a good choice.
Still not discouinting the TW21 as a bolt in option and an improvment over the SE203.
Actually, the '06 OEM heads stop flowing about .400" lift; there is a marginal increase from .400" to .500" where they go flat. So, while I can't disagree in theory with B'dudes comment about the advantage of higher lift, any increase in torque under the curve will be marginal. On the other hand, if you are contemplating headwork, a higher lift cam will certainly make a dfference if/when the headwork is done.
Still not discouinting the TW21 as a bolt in option and an improvment over the SE203.
Actually, the '06 OEM heads stop flowing about .400" lift; there is a marginal increase from .400" to .500" where they go flat. So, while I can't disagree in theory with B'dudes comment about the advantage of higher lift, any increase in torque under the curve will be marginal. On the other hand, if you are contemplating headwork, a higher lift cam will certainly make a dfference if/when the headwork is done.
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