[Ehrgeiz]

About ready to dig in to the engine on my 883. I have 10:1 Weisco pistons so far. Looking into cams. I dont want to have to spend too much on head work, cuz I have some other bike projects as well (paint and tank). Looking at bolt ins like the SE. Opinions on the SE bolt ins or equivilent? And If I went with a cam where I had to do a little head work, not radical.... like new valves springs. I am bascially looking for as much practical performance as possible... 1200 conversion, cams, S&S carb, SE ignition are on the list. Any help or opinoins would be greatly appreciated!!!! Help me out.
Also see alot of ppl with 10:1 compression and SE bolt ins and having prob with pinging. Am I making a mistake with 10:1 compression? I was under the impression that 10:1 was still pretty good with pump 93 octane....

 

[Ehrgeiz]

Pics

HEY! Got some pics of the torndown engine on my Sporty!
Here they are...

 

[Ehrgeiz]

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[Ehrgeiz]

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1 More pic

 

[VincentH]

Let me know what route you end up taking with it. I'm thinking very seriously of the same mods you are and I too am leery of too much compression causing pinging.

I would think that 10.5:1 would be a pretty safe bet with premium fuel.

I cant wait to get my sporty uncorked and punched out to a 1200!

 

[Misguided]

cools pics, top ones look almost medical

 

[Ehrgeiz]

hehe... Funny to put a Red Cross on the dolly that the bike is on... Frankensteins work bench.... Gonna get the original cyllinders bored out this week or weekend, sending the Rocker Boxes out to be chromed as well. Dont know what I am going to do with the heads yet. Prob leave them stock for now... I dont know how much it would bust the budget to
do a small job on the heads. Anyone have any suggestions for head work - something to compliment 10:1 compression and SE bolt ins?

 

[newhere]

I have several posts on this. I went with the bolt se cams and 10:1 from Harley. I've had pinging issues, apparently the cams up the compression abit more. The bike VOES advances the timing too much for the combo, I found my fix by adjusting the VOES so the advance comes on later, unfortunately my VOES will only adjust to a bit under 5" pounds. Soo I had to get a new ignition that allows adjustable advances and the bypasssing of the voes. I believe with a 10:1 "and" cams you will be well off to add an adjustable ignition which you need anyway cause the bike pulls way over stock rev limit. The combo is stout though it has incredible midrange, and really more power everywhere, for example the bike pulls the front wheel off the ground in 2cnd and 3rd and still hits the 6,000 limit easy. Also cruising speeds are alot more comfortable. If I did it again I would go 10:1 no cams, or 9.5-9.6 cams. Enjoy,your gonna love it. Keep me posted

 

[Kags]

1st off our the pistons 10:1 with stock 1200 heads? The 883 heads have much smaller chambers and would requaire some work to get the CR down to 10:1.
The Thunderstorm heads are by far the best heads for Sportys. Back when Buel frist introduced then on there bikes they where making a little over 100 HP stock! You can still get those heads from a Buell dealer, at about 700 + bucks for a set and sometimes alot less on ebay.

Personaly I would save your $$$ and drop the S&S carb. Your stock can suport a 90 HP motor.

The most bang for the buck is a simple reverse dome pistons with no cams and some home porting to the heads gets you 65 HP with no pinging, and a highly reliable motor.

 

[Ehrgeiz]

Update

Went and got the dished 10:1 pistons. The pistons that keep the 10:1 compression ratio in the stock 883 heads. Also want to send out heads to hdhammerheads and get the Stage 1 job done. Any opinions on the head job? What should I expect out of the heads after they have been worked on. I have a little budget to work with, just want to make sure I am putting it in the right places... Thanks...

 

[Kags]

The porting needed for 5 HP gain can be done at home. the other 5 HP you might get from a good shop is up to you. Then again there is 10 HP total(or so) from pro work that would include larger valves. Of course I am talking stock cams too. Its all about what you want, but 500 bucks is alot of cake for 5 HP.

 

[newhere]

I read the stock carb can do 90hp so I wouldn't waste cash on the carb either. The bolt in se cams are the same grind as the n4 also. Good gas, adjustable ignition with voes bypass, and carefull timing adj. will cure the pings.

 

[Ehrgeiz]

Hey Kags,
How would you port your heads at home? Dremel tool? Any further info would be nice on this subject... sounds pretty cool.

newhere,
Same grind as the n4? What would that do for me? I am familiar with duration and lift, but its a little iffy about the cam grinds.
Thanks...