Hi guys please bare with me as I am new to the site however not new to riding bikes.....Have a 13 Street Glide and Im trying to decide between the 254E cam and the 259E cam.....My usage for the bike is mostly cruising alone however sometimes with a passenger as well. Normally I dont rev the bike any higher than 4k as of right now as Im still trying to be gentle and break her in. Im being pushed towards the 254E cam by Harley and just dont wanna get it and feel like I left too much on the table. I want the added HP and TQ but at the same time I dont want the bucking or surging from a cam at around 1500-2000 RPM. Bike is brand new and under warranty so SE is the way im going. Any advice as to which cam (254E or 259E) and why would be greatly appreciated....been reading up on both and just trying to get REAL WORLD opinions and suggestions.Thanks

 

Ryan you can do a search and pull up all kinds of cam threads. I'll say though for your bike and what your looking for here are my 3 choices.
1. SE204's
2. Andrews 48
3. TW222's
Either one of these cams will get the job done with #3 the most expensive cam. The 204's will net you around 93-95hp and 105-107tq. If your not doing any more mods to the valve train or heads I'd stay away from the cams that you mentioned. A friend of mine installed the 254e cams and is not happy at all. They keep showing him a dyno sheet that's just a little better than mine but when you ride the bike it sure doesn't fill that way. You have to look at the closing of the intake to see where the power will be. Personally I wouldn't want anything closing sooner than the 48 cams and to me the 34 intake closing of the 204's are perfect for a stock engine and the valve train will run forever. The TW222's close at 34 also and they are a awesome cam as well but again about $100 more I think.

 

Cam descriptions are often optimistic in what they can do! Go to the SE catalogue to review your options, as there are plenty of cam kits available. The alternatives I would consider are 204 and 255, not 254E.

How about:

"SE-255 cam KIT
The ultimate in torque cams, this cam offers substantial increase in low-end torque for engines up to 110 cubic inches with compression ratios up to 10 to 1. The low- end torque increases are great for heavy bikes or for the person who routinely shifts below 4500 rPM and wants the power available to pass without downshifting. The cam still makes peak power above 5000 rPM so people with lighter bikes will enjoy the torque increases without feeling like the bike runs out of air at higher engines speeds. These cams are used in the ’07-later street-legal 103 Stage II Kits and the 110 Stage I Kits. Compression releases may be required depending on displacement and compression ratio."

 

If ya have to stay SE? I'd put 204s and high ratio rockers in your 103. IMHO Andrews 57h is the best bolt-in for a 103. Do not waste your time & money on 255/254! 259 is a bad choice, especially without compression bump and headwork.

 

Agreed I am partial to the 204. So much so, that when I went with the stage 4 cnc heads and TB and injectors I opted to keep the 204's.

 

As discussed above the 1.725 rocker arms work wonders with the 204 cam.

 

The 254 is pretty low performance compared to the 259. The 259 is what they sell with the stage 4 kits. It would probably give you problems at low speeds with loping in a stock engine. Would be very difficult to tune compared to a SE204. The 204 will out perform the 255 and the 254. I would chose the 255 over the 254. The SEPST has good maps in it also and I would recommend it over a stage 2 or 3 download. If you have to stick with Harley get the SEPST and the program software and cables and learn to tune it yourself. That is rewarding also. The SEPST and Power Vision are very similar in functions. The Power Vision is more user friendly and not proprietary as the Harley stuff is and you get everything you need. The SEPST does have one thing I like and that is better selection of good maps if you buy the software. Hope I haven't confused you. I do understand the reasoning for staying with SE stuff. Don't agree but I understand. My choice would be TW 888, directional lifters, Power vision, True duals and 4 inch slipons, and SE air cleaner. Oh yes 30 tooth pulley and 139 tooth belt and hang on. Son-in-law has this very setup and it will make you grin. Twist the throttle in 6th at 60 and it will take up the slack in the forks on 2012 FLHTK. You can't adjust your speedometer with the SEPST. If you can I haven't figured out how. PV yes you can adjust.

 

Yea I had been looking at the 259E cams which are in the Stage III kits that I saw....didnt wanna go with too little cam but didnt want something extra wild either. Was being pushed hard by the stealership on going with the 254E stage 2 build and I wasnt sure on it. They keep saying its an all around cam and its what I would like, basically I just want a cam that will add some nice power but not be crazy when riding around town and bucking and surging all the time when Im doing like 1500-1700 RPM. The intake and exhaust will be done as well and Im just looking for opinions on the cam......The bike is brand new and still have a 4 year warranty so staying SE is a evil NECESSITY. Still recommend the 204's after everything I've mentioned? Also lets say I did wanna go with the 259E cam....what all would need to be done to have a machine that performed optimally?

 

Have you read the descriptions in the SE catalog? They will answer most of your questions. Do not know much about the SE204, but if you are not doing headwork or raising compression I would stick with the 254e or 255. The 254e is almost identical to the 255 but moves the curve slightly to the right. I am running the 255 with Catless pipes, V*H slip-ons and SE A/C and am very pleased. I did encounter some ping with the canned map but was able to tune it out with the SEPST. Yes, there are lot's of other options but sounds like you want to stick with SE.

 

OP, my personal recommendation for your case is the SE255. It has a very low overlap at 13*, which means it won't have any problems with bucking or surging down low. The intake closing relatively early at 25* will keep your torque very strong down low. That cam will feel very strong off the line and from relatively low rpm's around the street. It's not going to have a lot of top-end, but you said you don't wind it out that much.