[Custom Gliden]

I have a buddy upgrading his SE 110" with new cams and he is willing to give me his SE-255 cams. My question is they have 16K on them already. Is there any reason for concern regarding reliability/longevity when using used cams? I'm sure there is some with anything used but can't beat the free99 buddy hook up deal!

 

[PF120]

iff your looking for low end torque,get them

 

[Desertwndrr]

No problems using them with those miles. Just look over the cam lobes well and check for any damage. If his bike had the "C" lifters you may see some frosting from the rollers. I had some on mine. If your bike is a 96" then you will be just fine using them. They may be a touch much for a 103", but I run them without issue in my wife's softail.

 

[ironmark]

If the cams are in good shape then you can use them. The SE 255 cams works well in a 103 touring model. The SE 255 cam has a lot of low end/mid range torque and they turn on early (about 2200 rpm) but they turn off (about 4200 rpm) a little early too .

 

[TLKurtz]

Free is *almost* always a good price, and the SE255's pull like a freight train. My '12 RGC made 107.7 TQ with those cams. That being said, I'm not a fan of day-old bread, leftover food, or used parts.

 

[harley75]

good cam

Exactly what he said. I ran them in my bike for about 3 years and loved them. I would bat everyone ff th line but by 3rd gear everyone was coming past me

Great for touring

If the cams are in good shape then you can use them. The SE 255 cams works well in a 103 touring model. The SE 255 cam has a lot of low end/mid range torque and they turn on early (about 2200 rpm) but they turn off (about 4200 rpm) a little early too .

 

[Custom Gliden]

For me the 2200-4200 rpm range is exactly where I spend most of my riding. I've got a 13' RGC (converted to ultra) with the 103. I'm looking for the extra punch mainly when riding 2 up. Not much into being the fastest guy out there or running away from my riding buddies just better low-midrange power. Most guys seem to run these cams for good touring performance. Just what I need.

 

[TLKurtz]

Run it like it's a big block. Keep the RPM's in the pulling range, shift at the top of the range for those cams, and let that thing pull.

 

[Custom Gliden]

With the SE-255 cams and future head work will I suffer keeping my rinehart pipes or should I go to something like the V&H hi-outputs/ons? Don't want to have anything limiting the hp/tq. I read a another post which made claims that the rineharts don't make good power beyond stage 1.

 

[Desertwndrr]

The V&H High Outputs are designed for bigger engines and wont work well on your bike. Keep the Rineharts. They will not limit you one bit for the 255 cams. Besides, they cost you nothing.

 

[ironmark]

Keep your exhaust it will work just fine!
No need to waste money on head work unless your going with a high compression performance build, the stock heads work just fine.
If you want better performance a aftermarket cam is a better choice then the HD SE cams. For example a Woods TW 222 cam will provide the same or more low end/mid range torque as the SE 255 cams will but the Woods cam will pull harder for more rpms because they won't turn off until they get around 5200 rpms which is about a 1000 rpms more then the SE255 cams will give you.
There are other cams to choose from but they are not free and your SE 255 cams are free. But if you want better performance and you only want to open the cam chest once and you only want to pay for one dyno tune it may be worth it to go with a better cam.

 

[Desertwndrr]

OP already has a power vision. I'm sure that there are plenty of Stage1/255 maps out there without having to spring for a dyno tune. On the cheap he can use what he has for a long time and be pretty happy with the power and torque increase.

 

[ironmark]

OP already has a power vision. I'm sure that there are plenty of Stage1/255 maps out there without having to spring for a dyno tune. On the cheap he can use what he has for a long time and be pretty happy with the power and torque increase.

Didn't see that in his sig but still why do the work twice if you can get better performance out of a aftermarket cam why not just spend the $350 or $400 on the cam and do the work once, unless the OP has the specialty tools and is doing the cam swap he will have to pay for the cam install. The SE 255 cam will only keep him happy for awhile then he will be looking for more especially after he finds out the SE255 cam falls on its face after 4200 rpm.
I do understand the OP wanting to do this on the cheap, but labor to do the install and the extra parts needed (like adjustable pushrods) is not free. Also a cam upgrade is the best performance upgrade that can be done and the SE255 cam is a mediocre cam at best. JMO

 

[Desertwndrr]

Without trying to get in a pissing match. If it were me, I'd try the 255 cams with a canned map. Free cams, few gaskets, canned tune and time and he is out $100 if he does his own labor, $300 if he uses adjustables. Other option is to change cams ($300+), Dyno ($400), etc. adding at least $700 or more to the costs. I'm with you if he is paying for labor and a dyno, then he should consider a bit better cam, but he can change cams out in his bike using the parts that he has with just some time and a few gaskets for right around $100 and be plenty happy with the bike.

I have a softy with the 103" and 255 cams. I love it. Stock it was pretty lethargic but with the cams it runs great and has plenty of power. Power range is great for touring. I'm not running high RPM's and racing and thats exactly what the OP says that he runs as well.

To the OP. Two things to really look at are the cam lobes and the lifters. To keep things on the low side of cost, Comp cams 850 lifters are great to use and I have yet to read of them failing or having issues. Since your bike came with the HD "C" lifter I would seriously consider upgrading them. I've had two bikes with frosting issues on the rollers.

 

[Road dawg]

+1 on that, I had the HD "C" lifters and they failed at around 10500, I went with S&S premium lifters and SE adjustable pushrods. Not to piss anyone off with SE255 cams but I agree with ironmark, better choices out there and SE cams runs HOT! , there EPA, if your already in the camchest get what you want and are not going to pull out for an upgrade after a year, I paid 219.00 for my feuling 525 cams on DCP, why do it twice. IMO.

 

[Custom Gliden]

That's for sure. Thanks

 

[Ohiobellboy]

Interesting video to watch about changing cams.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5KvamRqCis

 

[Mountainman]

255's

If I was installing Used 255's (which I have done a few times now) with the rhineharts I would spend what little $ I have on a tune with a tuner that will take the time to really dig into the timing and fuel of the entire rpm range.

255's don't necessarily fall flat, many, many, many make 95 hp and hold 100 ftlbs from 2200/2400 to 5000/5200.

The 255 is most underutilized cam for touring bikes.

 

[Custom Gliden]

This is exactly the kind of info I was looking for. I am planning on doing the work myself so I can definitely save some money there. I watched many YouTube videos and read many posts to make sure this is something I could tackle. The one I didn't consider is the TW222 cam. I'll have to check into the specs for that cam. With doing the swap myself I may be willing to spend a few bucks on on a different cam. Especially considering I may not be falling into as good of a deal as I was originally let on to believe. Sounds like I will buying cams instead of getting the hook up. I appreciate all the input/suggestions though. Gave me plenty to consider.

 

[Hillsidecycle.com]

FWIW, the Andrews 48 in the non-emissions version of the school-bus 255, and it seems to carry out a bit farther as well.
Scott