I know Andrews makes them and I'm pretty sure S&S does too. Both are excelent quality and you can't go wrong with either one. Are they real noisy? Probably more so than the chain but the timing will be DEAD ON with ZERO variation and you won't have to worry about adjusting chains and wear on chain tensioners and all that other crapola. If you have performance pipes you probably won't even notice them. I can't figure why Harley didn't just use gear drive to start with, but I suspect noise may have been the reason. Cost may also be a reason why they weren't installed. I can't give you the parts list for all you'll need but you ARE gonna need some cash to make the conversion. You'll also need some special tools to change the cams but if you've bought them already you are $$$ ahead.
It's something I plan on eventually doing to my '99, since I have one of the bikes involved in the cam bearing problem.

Dep
P.S. Don't be surprised if this thread gets moved to a different location.
General Talk is not exactly the right place for it

 

Deputy, I'm not questioning your advice because it's good stuff. Andrews and S&S are good. I, myself would probably go with S&S(if I had a TC). The part about the noise is what I'm questioning. I've heard just the opposite, that the gear driven cams are quieter. If not, I need to tell a buddy of mine about that. I would go gears(like I said if I had a TC) only because it's more sure timing. I don't worry about noise on a Harley.

 

Side Note About Gear Driven Cams

Gear driven cams will be TOUGH on your motor oil. It will shear down quickly (at least it does on autos, such as Toyoto's infamous sludge monster motors). If you go with gear driven cams, use only a quality synthetic motor oil and change religiously.

 

Skin: I'm basing it on gear driven cams in cars. I would think it also applies to bikes, but I'm not 100% sure. If this post was in a different location we could get a lot more input on it. Hey pasadenajim...can you send this over to the TC engine section?

Dep

 

The gear driven cams are louder. That was the reason for the change over to chain. The EPA has noise level regulations for motorcycles and they measure the total noise, hence the restrictive air cleaner and mufflers also. The gear driven cam noise is more of a whine than anything else.
Preformance wise, gear driven cams are the way to go, no chain tensioner debris, less drag, more valve clearance since the cams rotate in opposite directions, ball bearings for both cams, there really is no downside.

 

I'll put my .02 in here.
I spent a LOT of cash having andrews TW-55 cams put in my rig after the motor build and opted NOT to do the gear driven approach.
I will be selling my chain driven cams this winter (at a loss of corse) and installing the gear driven.
The tensioners in the stock set up CANNOT support high performance cams and I have learned a VERY expensive lesson. I can only guess at what the end result of my tensioner shoes and a LOT of steel that is Missing in action will do but I can be sure the debris will rear its ugly head here sometime.
SPEND THE CASH on Gear driven if you go to anything past stock valve springs and slightly more than stock lift because the lifters will BIT*H slap those tensioners around on the backside of the cam lobe and it gets ugly quick as well as the tensioner springs getting a work out that they are NOT designed for!!!!
I am going to keep the revs down until the gears are in so I have a grand worth of motor that I am afraid to use until this issue is resolved.
JMHO.

 

Dyna: Good advice and sorry you learned it the hard way
I can certainly put up with the whine (pretend it's a blower or turbine...that's what guys with gear driven cams in their cars do).
I'm already using synthetic so that is no problem. My only concern is finding a decent independant shop in my area to do the changeover to gear cams. I got one possibility but have to check them out.

Dep