gear drive cams
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
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From: Moline, IL
gear drive cams
i have been reading up on gear drive cams, my indy want to inst all a set on my RG. i know i read about the run out on our cranks being out of tollerance for them. my question is what does it actually take to get gear drives to work in the new bikes? not saying im running gear or chain at this point and this is not a debate of which is better. im asking for my own knowledge if i want to put gear drive in my bike whats required??
Tourer
Joined: Sep 2011
Posts: 256
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From: western N.C.
i have been reading up on gear drive cams, my indy want to inst all a set on my RG. i know i read about the run out on our cranks being out of tollerance for them. my question is what does it actually take to get gear drives to work in the new bikes? not saying im running gear or chain at this point and this is not a debate of which is better. im asking for my own knowledge if i want to put gear drive in my bike whats required??
Advanced
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 80
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From: Albuq. New Mexico
I just had mine done by an indy last month. The only requirement was for the run out on the flywheel to be less than "3" (Cant remember if its .03 or .003?) But while your in there, you will want to do the bearing, lifters, cam plate, etc. Im sure if you wanted to you could just replace the gears and leave all the old guts in there, but you will eventually have to go back in there. So might as well do it now when you change out to gear drives.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
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From: Pasadena TX
If the runout spec is too great, it's expensive to fix it. Cases must be split. I don't know how they true up a crankshaft. Bend it in a press? Machine it on a lathe? However it's done, when it's true they then weld it together to prevent future movement. Chains are much more forgiving, plus they are affordable relatively speaking. Not to mention downtime. If you order gear drive, only to find .005 runout at install time, you're pretty much dead in the water until the crank work is done. If you order chains, and find .005 you're on the road in a couple of hours. Either way, I'd do bearings for sure. As late a model as yours is, I'd risk the lifters and camplate and run them as is if the budget was tight. You'll also need gaskets. I went through the top to save on adjustable pushrods but if I do it again I'll cut the stockers and replace them with adjustables.
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Outstanding HDF Member
Joined: Jun 2010
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From: Moline, IL
thanks for the info guys. this is sometihn im going to tackle this coming winter. sop i have plenty of time to decide for sure. doing my stage 1 now for this year. gonna see how i like it and may not even want cams
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Club Member
Joined: Jun 2007
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From: Bedford UK
Very first thing is to check your crankshaft runout. Everything follows on from that. If it is good enough you can go gears, if not you have two choices: stay with what you have, but change cams; or have your crankcase stripped and the crank trued into spec.
IMHO the main reason the gear cams came out was as an upgrade for the TC88s, which had the cam tensioner problems, which were put right by the MoCo with the TC96s. The gear drive hum mentioned was one reason the MoCo went to chains, to reduce engine noise, there are a lot of noise generators on the right side of the bike, what with induction, exhaust, cams etc.
IMHO the main reason the gear cams came out was as an upgrade for the TC88s, which had the cam tensioner problems, which were put right by the MoCo with the TC96s. The gear drive hum mentioned was one reason the MoCo went to chains, to reduce engine noise, there are a lot of noise generators on the right side of the bike, what with induction, exhaust, cams etc.
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Road Warrior
Joined: Jun 2012
Posts: 1,672
Likes: 18
From: Orange, VA,
You can go gear gear drive if your within .003, but remember, if it ever goes past .003 after you get the gear drives it could destroy them. You have a newer bike and there is no reason to go gear drive. Older bikes 99 to 02 are the best to put gear drives in, they have Timkin crank bearings plus the cranks were forged and hot pressed together unlike the newer cold pressed cast cranks, thats why they slip so much easier.
Last edited by fwb35; Mar 31, 2014 at 07:35 AM.
Grand HDF Member
Joined: Nov 2012
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From: Pasadena TX
Lol, yes you will