Cams and valvetrain life, stock Vs aftermarket?
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,682
Likes: 9,162
From: Snow Hill, NC
At 50000 miles i took my stock cams out to replace with 26H and the stock looked like new...the ones i put in were used and looked like new also...I think if you go with a mild bolt in cam set you should have no issues with longevity.
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 24,682
Likes: 9,162
From: Snow Hill, NC
Here are pics of stock lifter rollers and cam lobes from a 2012 RGC 103 with 15,000 miles on it. Mobil one VTwin oil changed regularly. As you can see problems are not too far down the road with stock components. I put Andrews 57h cams in with a good used set of HD "B" lifters in it. One thing I noticed was that the stock cams in this 2012 HD are made of several parts welded together instead of one piece of quality steel. Previous stock HD cams from a 2000 Road King and 2006 Deluxe were the one piece design - I wonder how much money the MOCO saved from cheapening out on a vital engine component. BTW my crank runout was .006 - really sucks - the crank runout in my 2000 RK was .001 Slowly but surely my love of HD is reduced by this cost cutting BS
Seasoned HDF Member
Joined: Oct 2007
Posts: 56,052
Likes: 88,112
From: Western South Dakota
I dont have a lot of experience yet. I just had cams installed in my 103 limited a few days ago. I went with the Fueling 525 cams. They seem to be a mild cam that would be easier on the engine. The little bit I have rode has shown me a huge improvement in power. Dyno at about 90HP and 103 Torque.
The numbers look about the same all in all.
I wanted something that did not stress the valve train too much, but something that would give me a bit more punch.
It seems to be good so far.
MPG could be a bit better. Getting 33-36 depending on hard I throttle.
Runs great though.
Did a lot of reading on cams, had TW6-6's sold them as they come on too late and then 48H's as they're a lot like the 255's, but go out furher.
Sold em' both before installation.
Happy with the 525's for time time being.
It's a bagger..not a ninja. lolol.
Last edited by lionsm13; Jan 22, 2013 at 08:38 AM.
Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
I was/am looking for feedback from guys that put a lot of miles on heavy touring bikes with aftermarket cams. I ride a Limited, would never go beyond a cam somewhere between a 255 and as an example a tw 555, and more than likely a cam very similar to a tw 222. (as a possible upgrade from my current se255s)So to be specific , would the average life drop 50 percent? 25 percent? Not at all? Are there proven components that are better than stock that will keep the same reliability as stock or improve it?
The problem is there are MANY answers to these questions, because there are many cams to choose from. Maybe cam company A feels that they need to keep reliability above say 75,000 miles, roughly. Cam company B might figure that 50,000 average miles is OK for the same type of cam, so they build in a little more ramp speed to up the torque and widen it a bit. Company C figures that they can sell very aggressive torque cams, and maybe 30,000 miles is the average life of the valve train with their cams.
So I hope there will be a ton of feedback from guys installing various cams, and how many miles they have ridden with them. After a LOT of feedback, patterns will form!
Elite HDF Member
Joined: Jul 2008
Posts: 4,741
Likes: 45
From: Indian Land, SC
I was/am looking for feedback from guys that put a lot of miles on heavy touring bikes with aftermarket cams. I ride a Limited, would never go beyond a cam somewhere between a 255 and as an example a tw 555, and more than likely a cam very similar to a tw 222. (as a possible upgrade from my current se255s)So to be specific , would the average life drop 50 percent? 25 percent? Not at all? Are there proven components that are better than stock that will keep the same reliability as stock or improve it?
The problem is there are MANY answers to these questions, because there are many cams to choose from. Maybe cam company A feels that they need to keep reliability above say 75,000 miles, roughly. Cam company B might figure that 50,000 average miles is OK for the same type of cam, so they build in a little more ramp speed to up the torque and widen it a bit. Company C figures that they can sell very aggressive torque cams, and maybe 30,000 miles is the average life of the valve train with their cams.
So I hope there will be a ton of feedback from guys installing various cams, and how many miles they have ridden with them. After a LOT of feedback, patterns will form!
The problem is there are MANY answers to these questions, because there are many cams to choose from. Maybe cam company A feels that they need to keep reliability above say 75,000 miles, roughly. Cam company B might figure that 50,000 average miles is OK for the same type of cam, so they build in a little more ramp speed to up the torque and widen it a bit. Company C figures that they can sell very aggressive torque cams, and maybe 30,000 miles is the average life of the valve train with their cams.
So I hope there will be a ton of feedback from guys installing various cams, and how many miles they have ridden with them. After a LOT of feedback, patterns will form!
Cruiser
Joined: Mar 2012
Posts: 157
Likes: 0
From: North Shore of Minnesota
I have SE-264 cams and just looked at them last fall after 15K miles they look like new. No signs of spalling like in the photos. These are hard cams and I know I most likely wont get 75K out of them. I think springs play a huge role in all of this! My valves / lifters are what some would say are "loud". With those types of failures you have in the photos it really comes down to load and lubrication. You lost the hydrodynamic lubrication barrier needed to separate the two surfaces. Because of the amount of oil in there I doubt it was quantity but more quality of the oil. A higher base oil viscosity and EP package might be needed. If base oil viscosity gets to low due to heat or breakdown from age, the oil will not maintain a sufficient film thickness and barrier to separate the two sliding surfaces. As load and temp increases in mineral oils the ability of the oil to perform it's function decreases. Synthetic oils with additive packages are sometimes an easy solution to this. They often have extreme pressure and other additive packages to help deal with extreme operating conditions like load and temp.
Extreme HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2011
Posts: 14,731
Likes: 2,536
From: Mountain Top, Alabama
I decided to go with the SE255 as part of my performance upgrade after talking with my dealer about your very same question. They told me they have had zero problems with that cam, and it would not shorten the life of the motor in any way. They said, in fact if not for the EPA, all 103's would probably leave the factory that way.
My setup could not fit my riding style any better. I wanted more torque at lower RPM's for two up, twisties, and hills without always giving up on 6 gear.
It's all good, 15K with Mobil 1 V-Twin 20w50, no problems...
My setup could not fit my riding style any better. I wanted more torque at lower RPM's for two up, twisties, and hills without always giving up on 6 gear.
It's all good, 15K with Mobil 1 V-Twin 20w50, no problems...
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Thread Starter
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Cruiser
Joined: Aug 2008
Posts: 211
Likes: 0
Anything mechanical or electrical can fail at any time for many reasons. In my opinion, what your asking for is almost impossible because there are to many factors that can affect longevity. Pick the cam that best suits your riding habits, install it yourself (if you have the knowledge & tools) or have it installed by a trusted indy and ride on...........
Last edited by gregsdart; Jan 22, 2013 at 10:38 PM.