21g 26g 31 G tw5g tw6g

[Some Guy]

A buddy is inspecting his bike at ~22k, and the rear cam tensioner has about 1/16 inch worn off it!? I figured that it's time for me to put in a gear cam set in my Road King as I don't want any suprises (haven't looked at mine yet though).

I had a stage II 95" kit put in with screaming eagle mufflers when I bought the bike, and then put on a power commander as it pinged like crazy, even with the flash.

Looking at the Andrews page http://www.andrews-products.com/Down...motorcycle.pdf (page 8)

The 21g and 26g seem to have more lift and less duration on the 21 compared to less lift and more duration on the 26.

They also though have a 31g which seems to be a combination of the two but with more lift and also would run with stock springs.

In comparison the Woods cams http://www.woodcarbs.com/geardriv.htm

tw5g and tw6hg both have a large lift and require hi-lift springs, whereas only the tw6g uses stock springs, and seems like a cross between an andrews 31g and 37g.


Looking at these, I'm tempted to go with an andrews setup, but have a few questions for those who really know what they are doing, as opposed to me.

1. I mainly cruise along, but on a bagger, heavily loaded with its rider ;-)
would the 31g be too much cam for low rpm torque in an otherwise stock 95" motor?

1a. if the 31g is too big, which would be the better choice for stock heads, less lift and more duration (26) or more lift and less duration (21)?

2. Airflow is a tricky thing, and more isn't always better (or everyone would use drag pipes). If these cams were designed for stock heads, is it worth it to have headwork done, or use screaming eagle heads? Again, I'm not generally trying to peg the rev limiteer, just cruise at 2k-3.5k or so, generally.

3. Any reason NOT to use roller rockers and adjustable pushrods? I thought they might get rid of some upper end noise.

4. I was thinking of NOT using a baisley spring as I want to keep the basic oiling the way its engineers intended, does anyone think this is really a bad idea?

5. I was going to keep the stock compression, I really shouldn't need compression releases with these cams, should I?

6. Do I have to re-break in the bike for 500 miles or so before having the DFO optimized? I thought I'd find someone to do that for me after this is done.

7. Anything that I should do at the same time that I'd kick myself later for NOT doing when the engine was apart?

[nidan]

I have a TW31G, but run SE perf heads at 10.2:1 , if you are running stock heads or not high compression , the 26 is a good choice. The Tw6 and 37 will work a bit better with higher flow heads and compression under 10:1 . The TW5 and TW6HG have more torque , but it is recommended you have roller rockers and higher flow heads.

[Scurvy]

No doubt going to SE adjustable pushrods in mine quieted down the valve train noise on mine. I also just dropped in a set of lifters from AMS when I did my cam upgrade, and highly recommend those as well.

[HDWRENCH]

You did not list much about the 95 kit. What pistons do you have?? If you have the 9.1 kit then use the 26 if you have the H/C pistons then use the 37.

You did not list heads being as part of the install, you do not really have enough compression to support the woods 5, or 6h.

Provide a list of the items you have installed and we can go from there.

[Some Guy]

Nidan,

At this point I will probably go with some Andrews set up, the woods ones seem like they are for more raced-out bikes.

Scurvy,

Never thought about replacing the lifters, there's something else to look into.


HDWrench,

I don't know specifically what the pistons were, When I got the bike I had the dealer put in the non-street legal big bore kit with the 203 cams #29775-02, at least that was the part number then. I've still got that year's catalogue, and they unfortunately don't list the component part numbers individually. That and SE touring mufflers and a power commander III is about it, performance wise.

Is there a way to tell by looking at the pistons which they are? Looking at the picture of them they are pretty much flattops with minor hemispheres carved out of them at the periphery.

[Ozzie In Arabia]

Originally Posted by Some Guy

A buddy is inspecting his bike at ~22k, and the rear cam tensioner has about 1/16 inch worn off it!? I figured that it's time for me to put in a gear cam set in my Road King as I don't want any suprises (haven't looked at mine yet though).

I had a stage II 95" kit put in with screaming eagle mufflers when I bought the bike, and then put on a power commander as it pinged like crazy, even with the flash.

Looking at the Andrews page http://www.andrews-products.com/Down...motorcycle.pdf (page 8)

The 21g and 26g seem to have more lift and less duration on the 21 compared to less lift and more duration on the 26.
I would choose the 26g as it is bot in and highly recommended by many who are using it on here for your riding style
They also though have a 31g which seems to be a combination of the two but with more lift and also would run with stock springs.

In comparison the Woods cams http://www.woodcarbs.com/geardriv.htm

tw5g and tw6hg both have a large lift and require hi-lift springs, whereas only the tw6g uses stock springs, and seems like a cross between an andrews 31g and 37g.


Looking at these, I'm tempted to go with an andrews setup, but have a few questions for those who really know what they are doing, as opposed to me.

1. I mainly cruise along, but on a bagger, heavily loaded with its rider ;-)
would the 31g be too much cam for low rpm torque in an otherwise stock 95" motor?

1a. if the 31g is too big, which would be the better choice for stock heads, less lift and more duration (26) or more lift and less duration (21)?

2. Airflow is a tricky thing, and more isn't always better (or everyone would use drag pipes). If these cams were designed for stock heads, is it worth it to have headwork done, or use screaming eagle heads? Again, I'm not generally trying to peg the rev limiteer, just cruise at 2k-3.5k or so, generally.

Deweys or Bad Boys head porting and the TW5G will give you the most tq/hp and in the rpm range where you ride.

3. Any reason NOT to use roller rockers and adjustable pushrods? I thought they might get rid of some upper end noise.

You simply do not need adjustable pushrods if you are keeping lift under .550" and NOT shaving your heads and pushrods adjustable or otherwise do not contribute to the noise in the valve train. Adjustable pushrods are good if you shave heads and go to higher lift cams as they are easy to install but they dont contribute/not contribute to valve train noise.

4. I was thinking of NOT using a baisley spring as I want to keep the basic oiling the way its engineers intended, does anyone think this is really a bad idea?
Using the Baisley oil spring helps lubricate the bike at low rpm as well as assisting the engine to run cooler, particularly at idle.

5. I was going to keep the stock compression, I really shouldn't need compression releases with these cams, should I? No, not if you are staying under 10:1 as a rule

6. Do I have to re-break in the bike for 500 miles or so before having the DFO optimized? I thought I'd find someone to do that for me after this is done.

No, but like any mechanical equipment, you need to give the time to the mating surfaces to settle in so for a short trip just ride normal and then you can go at it.

The DFO should be adjusted right now to suit the changes as it will not harm anything because it only adds fuel

7. Anything that I should do at the same time that I'd kick myself later for NOT doing when the engine was apart?

Yeah, see HD Wrench and go 98" as you will get the performance bug and never stop wanting more ha! PS: Dont forget to order the "HDWrench the movie!" DVD when you call him, just dont view it around the family........got lizard juice recipe from Dewey in it and a couple of sewer pickles , and a shot of his pork sword etc.etc.

All the best, Ozzie

[Some Guy]

I heard back from Andrews today, they were very helpful and recommended the 26g as the best cam for my bike, especially between 1800-5000 rpm. They did *NOT* think that new lifters, adj. pushrods or a Baisley spring would be useful, and think the stock heads will work fine.

Also, he would NOT recommend the 31g, and noted it was for compressions of 10-10.5:1, and could be used as a fix-it cam for people unhappy after putting in HTCC heads & high compression and having poor usable performance

[GRock]

The difference between the feel of the 203 that you have now and the 26 is negligible, or damn close to it.

[Some Guy]

Probably true. I was just thinking along the lines of getting rid of the cam chain, and will probably put in an automatic primary tensioner too, with the hope of making a bike I can just change the oil in.

I also like the idea of gears of having the timing always "on", and not potentially flopping around a bit.

Ah who knows, by the time I go down and buy them I might change my mind again.