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08 96", cams only or add 103" first?

3K views 13 replies 8 participants last post by  ironmark 
#1 ·
After seeing Mark's post about 103" upgrade, it has me thinking. I have a stock 96" and contemplating cams over the winter. A good buddy of mine has a '14 SG and went to 110" kit. His 103 cylinders, pistons and heads are sitting on a shelf which means they would be crazy cheap and probably free.

If I was going to do cams only, no headwork, would it be worth the time change to 103 first?

The other part of this is I eventually want to do 107" with headwork and all the goodies. This would be several years out though. The 103 or 96 with cams only would be doable this coming winter.

What do you guys think?
 
#2 ·
Well...i have a 2010 that had the 96". I could have only done cams, but figured if i did the 107" kit and cams, i could build on that, so i went with a stock compression 107" with 555 cams, and may do heads and bump compression in a year or 2. Cams is easy to do and i think is the biggest bang for the buck. So, you may just want to do cams. a 103" isnt gonna be any different than your 96" i dont think.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for offer but if I am doing this I want some hotter cams.

I am really looking a bit more grunt when loaded down and maybe a little bit of power in 6th. No power now in 6th with my big a$$ on it. Throw a passenger on it and it's real bad.
 
#4 ·
Had an '08 Ultra Classic with the 96" motor. Did the 103 upgrade with 255 cams and SE heads and was very pleased. But, if my plans were to do a 107" later, then why do all the work now? I'd save the work and wait to do it all at once with the right parts for the 107 build instead of having 2 sets of cams.
 
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#8 ·
James,

If you plan on keeping the 08 bike a long time then cams and a free 103 kit are a good way to go while you save for the 107 with all the bells and whistles. The only real cost is your time and the consumable parts to do the cam piston/jug swap. The 107 engine kit is the cheap part compared to the other work that you want to do with the 107. You can purchase a cam install kit from Fuel Moto Fuel Moto Cam Install Kit and adjustable pushrods Fuel Moto Adjustable Pushrods If you troll here long enough you may find a set of cams for cheap, I believe some may have already been offered that would go great with that 103". You can probably upgrade to the 103 with a set of used cams for under 400$.

If you are mechanically inclined and have the tools and the space to do the upgrade, then I say go for it. It will be good practice for when you have saved the bucks for the 107 with all the bells and whistles. You can probably borrow a set of cam tools and the ring compressor from buddies or there are some folks on here that have those tools and may lend them to you for the cost of shipping. Either way get yourself a service manual for an 08 touring bike, this will be invaluable, it has all the torque values you will need and the dis-assembly and assembly procedures.
 
#9 ·
Great insight, thank you! The guy with the extra 103 stuff has the tools for it and the know how. The manual is a great idea, this may actually be my excuse to buy one. Ha! I am really hoping the 103 and cams will be enough to get me by. When you start talking much over 100 HP, the supporting mods are $$$.

I will also be limited by the true dual pipes and pc3 tuner. Neither if which I would replace right away. I am not expecting a hot rod, just some extra grunt.

Thanks again for the response!
 
#12 ·
Go for the 103 upgrade!
If you can get the 103 parts for next to nothing then why hesitate. The 103 heads and the 96 heads are the same heads so you can use the heads with the less miles, hone out the cylinders and use the stock 103 pistons and just buy a set of rings and gaskets.
I would do the adjustable pushrod mod and if your lifters are in good shape just reuse them because with the adjustable pushrods in the engine it is easy to R&R the lifters.
You may want to keep in mind that low/mid range torque cams work the best in the heavier touring model bikes, good cams would be the Woods TW-222 or TW-555 the Tman Torquester 555 to mention a few. If your buddy did a cam upgrade ask him if he has the stock cam, the 103 HO cam that was OEM equipment in the 2014 and later HD touring models isn't that bad of a cam and it will perform much better then the OEM cam used in the 2013 and earlier 96/103 touring models.
 
#13 ·
Thanks Mark! The 103 parts have less than 2k miles on them, would they still need honed and new rings? Seems like that stuff would still be good since the same rings were used in the same cylinders for less than 2k miles. I certainly appreciate the help with this stuff.
 
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