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Gear drive cams??

2K views 9 replies 5 participants last post by  SickRick 
#1 ·
I spoke to our local Big Dealer which has some of the best mechanics in the area about going to a gear drive setup. They had quoted $1900 for the setup. Which included:

Gear drive kit: cams, gears, etc...
adjustable pushrods
power commander and dyno
labor

Dos this sound about right, just seems more than I expected? In going with these guys they will still honor my extended warranty on my 09 RG.

Thoughts??
 
#2 ·
Gear drive cams were pretty popular with the older twin cams because of the shoe wear problems. When H-D did away with the spring tension shoes and went to the hydraulic tensioners the demand and or need for gear drive cams dropped to almost zero. Unless you just want them to say you have them its a waste of money.

Oh and seeing as how its your first post, welcome aboard.
 
#3 ·
From what I was reading about the earlier TC's you are right. The article did say in the later TC's with the hydraulic tensioners the issue still exists, it's just been pushed back to 40k to 50k plus miles before signs can appear.

I'm sure everyones experience will vary, I was concerned because I have 44k on it now. The other added benefit would be the larger cam, less friction with the gear drives, PC and tune would net around a 10HP gain and the motor being happier with it being dialed in and not a ballpark stage 1 download.

I just don't know if it's worth $1900....

Thanks tmd. :)
 
#4 ·
The other issue with going to gear drives,after 2002 or so,they went from a forged crank to cast,and runout became more of an issue.I believe the spec is .002,anything over .003 causes noise from the gear drives.

On the later cranks,harley changed the spec for "acceptable" runout to .015.I think that's part of the reason gear drives aren't as popular as they once were.
 
#5 ·
I didn't know that. So does that mean gear drives are not a good option then? If not, do I keep the stock setup and hope for the best?
 
#6 ·
you can measure your crank runout and see...but most just switch the older ones to the hydraulic tensioner setup.

on my 02,the original spring loaded tensioners went 75,000,and it was the middle of riding season so I just put new ones in and called it good to get back on the road.

I honestly think the problem with the older style isn't as bad as the stories on the intertubes would have you believe.
 
#8 ·
Thanks for the info everyone. Sounds like ill just wait on the cams and do the power commander and dyno tune for now. When it comes time for a new cam ill change out the tensioner, or vice versa, whichever comes first... :)
 
G
#9 ·
It's likely that there's too much run-out in your stock crank for gear drive cams. They do make more power typically though because there is less drag and the valve timing is more precise. In your case, the hydraulic setup is likely the most feasible option.
 
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