Big Boyz

[cdirk]

Where to begin. About a year and a half ago I upgraded to a 95" with 37b's, and some ported heads. Did the build myself over that winter. Finished in late winter, went to fire it up, and piston smashed into a stuck valve. $1500 dollars later at the dealership put it back together and got it running again. But had this annoying ticking noise in the front head. Had same dealer tear it down again and look at it. He said there was a clearance issue in the front head. He sanded some off the head where he said it was touching put back together. Ticking still there. Ran it for about a year then decided I wanted to swap heads as I suspected the head work was messed up. Decided on Big Boyz heads in Maine since they were close and I found Bean to be very helpful on the phone. I must have called this poor guy 20 times in the past year. He was always willing to talk. Bought some heads off ebay sent them to bean over this winter, he ported them, then offered to help me put them on if I had the time to come up. I was hesitant at first but decided to take him up on it as I couldnt stand this ticking any longer. This past weekend I shot up there ticking all the way up. He agreed to meet me @ 7AM even though he was trying to take some time off. (Sorry about making you miss a day of fishing.) Springer also met us and we began tearing it down. Found the problem after getting the heads off. One head had a lip on it that stuck down into the cylinder and my piston at its high point stuck out of the cylinder by quite a bit by clearance standards. I think it was sticking 15 thousandths above the cylinder. Anyway the Piston had a small dent where the contact was occuring. (Lesson Learned, always measure piston clearance before installing your heads.) Funny thing is that only the front head had the lip on it. The rear head was smooth no lip. Head porting quality issue for sure. Bean and Springer couldnt believe it either. Anyway, we put it all back together. Took about 6 hours. I did as much as i could. Bean did the lions share of the work. This guy really knows his stuff. Perfectionist for sure. I am no expert but this guy is a maniac with a wrench in his hand. He flew all over this bike tearing it down and building it back up. Many years of experience for sure. He wouldnt let anything get past him. He made sure all issues were fixed. even the ones that had nothing to do with the top end rebuild. Anyway, we got it back together swapped out some jets got it running well. And off I went. Dyno results to follow after this coming weekend. Bike runs real strong. Can not wait to get it tuned.

Anyway, I just wanted to thank both Bean and Springer for helping me out. What a great bunch of guys. You can bet if I do buy another harley they will be the only people I call for head work or engine work. Top quality product at a great price, and the most helpful pair of guys I have ever met. That day was definitely a great learning experience for me. And trust me Bean and Springer know their stuff. If your in the market for some heads give these guys a call. You wont be dissapointed. They are always willing to give great advice. Quality product made buy some quality guys.

Thanks again. I appreciate you taking the time to help me out.

And to Quote Bean. "Run What ya brung!!!"

[YankeeBob]

I am bringing my bike there probably this coming Friday afternoon.
Gonna' wring it out!

[MaineUltraClassic]

You can't go wrong with Big Boyz.......Bean and Springer are top-notch. They are always willing to help out in anyway possible. Bean is a great mechanic, very well traveled, and really knows his ****.

Is Bean going to do the dyno tuning for you?

Steve

[springer-]

Originally Posted by MaineUltraClassic

Is Bean going to do the dyno tuning for you?

Steve,

We ran a few runs and got it close but we were out of stock on a few jets. We just wanted to make sure he was good to go and wouldn't have any issues.



Chris,

It was a pleasure having you up. We are glad you are happy with the results and wish you many care free miles.

[cdirk]

Thanks Springer. You guys were great. No question the bike runs much smoother and stronger than before. Feels like it wants to pull in just about every throttle position and RPM level.

Bike runs real strong for sure. Gas mileage seems to have increased as well. On the run up I had a full tank and was empty when I got there. On the way back filled up again, same distance, I had almost a quarter tank left.

Thanks again. I will have to come up again sometime. Maybe go for a ride somewhere with Bean on his Buell.

[BigMike]

I definitely agree with you. I had Big Boyz port my heads over the winter and I must have called Bean 10 times. He never made feel like I was pestering him, just the opposite. Very enthusiastic about sharing his knowledge and helping me keep things in perspective about my build. I ran into a head gasket problem (dealer sold me 88" instead of 95") and Springer called me up on a Sunday after reading a post I made about putting the bike back together the day before. He caught the fact that 95" head gaskets don't use orings around the studs. I was grateful beyond belief. I had to take the heads back off but who knows what that saved me down the road.

Overall, a top notch operation and two guys that know what customer service is all about.

[Qhorin]

Ditto on Bean being a good guy. He did my heads and I called several times and he was always,I mean always was as pleasant as can be and always tryed to help.