Used cams could be stock take offs. Some guy might of bought a SE bike, had the dealer take the 255's out before delivery and put in other cams. Who knows.

With that said, I would use take out stuff only if I new the history. (How many miles etc.) Cams are pretty easy to tell by looking at them if they are good or not. Lifters are a wear item and used ones need to be tossed in the trash. Don't ever re-use wear items.

 

You must be very careful transplanting flat-tappet cams, but there is no practical reason why you shouldn't install used roller-tappet cams in another bike. It is a very common practice to install used cams and I've heard of no one who's had problems relating to that, including me.

 

I thought I was doing well getting my 255's for $110 (shipped, 2½ years ago), but you have to win the prize for best score on a set. Congrats! Did you get the lifter blocks too with the lifters? If so, you could reuse the lifters too, possibly even if not even though most recommend matching lifters with the block it came out of. Did you get the tensioners?

 

That's usually what happens. A new CVO owner wants more power and the route to that end is usually more compression, head work, hotter cams, etc. The 255's are good to only about 10:1 compression, so as a result they are commonly available on Ebay. It's everyone's gain, as they are excellent in stock 96 or 103" engines.

You wouldn't want anything from a cratered motor, of course, but roller-tappet cams wear very little even in relatively high-mileage bikes. Lifters should last the life of the engine and could be reused if mated to their original lifter blocks, although it is possible that installing used lifters in another bike (different blocks) might be okay. I would have to research that before doing that, though.

 

I have some buddy's that trade cams back and forth. They never had a problem. I would do it if i snagged a good deal.

 

I change lifter whenever I change cams. A little known secret, HD used GM cams, you can get 16 of them for a small block Chevy for a very resonable price from summit racing, they are only expensive when they are packaged in a 4 pack for HD's.

Here's Cranes for 18 bucks each http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...%2010530&dds=1

Here's competition cams ones for 15 bucks each. http://www.summitracing.com/search/?...%20875-1&dds=1

 

I have 18000 miles on a set of previously owned set of Andrews 26H and i had a HD service Mgr. and a local Mechanic that i trust and they both said no problems.... bike runs like a charm....It's just a set of cams, if the look and feel like new then slap them in....