[Fulldraw]

From what I gather the motor company is now giving the go-ahead for stroker kit installs in the TC88B engine. In July at the dealer show they will even have a download for the EFI cartridge on the "B" engine for the stroker kit. You still can't rev past 6200 due to the counterbalancers.

I was curious if anyone is running a stroker kit in a "B" engine?

A friend has a "02" FXSTS, a softail standard that's a carb model. He has made several mods to the engine. The bike has a big bore kit with the HTCC heads and pistons, SE-211 cams, SE ignition module, 42 mm flatside carb, and runs a thunderheader. .

Now my friend is considering installing a stroker kit. Would the juice be worth the squeeze? What's your take on this? Would there be a significant gain by dumping another $1500.00 in parts and labor for a stroker kit over and above his current engine set-up?

 

[logical]

Only your friend can decide that one. I can't believe going from what he has now to this upgrade will be night and day. Personally, I wouldn't pay $1500 to go from "fairly slow" to "a little faster but still slow"......but I'm not a speed freak. If he is one than I suspect it is as good a choice as any other $1500 mod.

Maybe it's just me but I can't relate to trying to squeeze performance out of what will still be a cruiser bike.

 

[nickp]

The 103 kit

A buddy of mine just installed the 103 stroker kit from HD on his 2001 Deuce. Its absolutely a rocket ship. Night and day from the 88 ci.
My other riding buddy has a 2001 Fatboy with the 95 inch kit.
His is a lot faster than the 88 ci that I have, but the 103 isn't a whole game.. Its got more get up and go than the Fatboy w/ 95 inch kit.
Overall the Fatboy can keep with the 103 Deuce, but the Duece gets a better jump and seems to have a much stronger pull through second and third gears. I think your buddy would love the 103 kit if he's into performance.
I would like to eventually upgrade to 95 inches, but if you go from 88 ci and want to goto the 103, its an expensive upgrade. My buddy since turning his into a 103 has spent almost $4k doing so. Igntion, carb, cams, pistons, cylinders, crankshaft, pushrods, and whatever else it takes!

nickp.

 

[Fulldraw]

Logical,

I agree with much of what you say. There is fast and then there is Harley fast. If fast is important you can spend six grand for a crotch rocket that will dust any Harley away.

My friend's softail runs very strong, but I just don't think a stroker kit would give the bike that much more of a noticeable punch over the present set-up. Especially since a stroker would require the whole bottom end cases being split.

 

[JFScheck]

Interesting that they will have a mod for the EFI for the July 2002 show. Can this be because they have increased the displacment for the 2003 88 and 88b engines?

Oh, the conspiracy begins!

 

[manny]

Just my opinion...but...if I wanted to build a go fast (kind of) Harley...I'd put the money into an EVO.

The same mods will make an EVO a faster bike than the TC. I think 6200 RPM on a 'b' motor will shorten the life considerably...all those moving parts are going to go south eventually.

I think $ would be better spent to buy a few year old softail...or Dyna model bike and make a 'go fast' out of it. You'll realize more bang for the buck from an EVO than from the 'b'.

My EVO gets shifted at 7000 RPM pretty often and it has held together just fine...I would be scared that that kind of abuse would be harmful to a counterbalanced motor...even at 6200 RPM.

to each his own, as they say...

manny

 

[HIPPO]

We have built a few 103" B's, but you only get so much out of them, if the current setup stays the difference would even be less.

If you want really big power the EVO is still the way to go like Manny said, mainly due to the better availability of aftermarket cases, but the A engine is catching up real quick. We have a 117" Delphi that is making better numbers then a equal displacement S&S EVO, and we are not done yet, but using a lot of S&S parts.

 

[JFScheck]

The same mods will make an EVO a faster bike than the TC. I think 6200 RPM on a 'b' motor will shorten the life considerably...all those moving parts are going to go south eventually.

You know, they use Counter Balancers on all types of engines in the racing world, and even many of the "metric" bikes have counter balancers in their engine compartments. Hell, the new Victory 92c I think has them...

Do you think "Harley's" 88B engine is just a bad design and that those counterbalancers are going to go bad because there are more moving parts? What about less stress on the engine when running? Has this yet to become a problem?

Just curious, thats all

 

[HIPPO]

No it's not a bad design within the parameters they were given to work with, but there are some peculiarities.

There must have been some concern during the design phase, because the drive pinion for the balancers is a press fit on the crank and this might avoid engine lockup if a problem with the balancers were to develop.
Problem is on very rapid accel or deccel, like during a missed shift at high rpm or a accidental double downshift, the inertia of the huge balancers can cause the drive pinion to slip on the crank and throw the whole thing out of phase requiring splitting of the cases.

The japanese pin the drive to the crank, and the balancers are usually much smaller.

Some of the limitations are given by engine architecture, and the main objective apparently was to retain the softail styling above anything else, and this might have been lost with rubber mounting.

 

[Fulldraw]

Ah, how I love a lively debate! I wish Hippo would adopt me so that I could play in his shop. Remember the V-Rod? Yeah it's liquid-cooled, but it is rubber mounted AND counter-balanced! It certainly will rev higher.

If I were to go the stroker route it most likely would be in a dyna series bike. Plus I have often heard reliability is a key issue when a stroker is installed.

There's Harley fast and then there's fast. How many of set out buying a Harley to go fast? A lot of us certainly like to tweek them for a little more...

 

[Big Al]

I prefer using the term Quick. My Suzi is quick, my Deuce is fast! Need I say any more?

 

[HIPPO]

I wish Hippo would adopt me so that I could play in his shop

You can move in tomorrow if you can guarantee the checks will keep coming in.

 

[JFScheck]

From what I gather the motor company is now giving the go-ahead for stroker kit installs in the TC88B engine. In July at the dealer show they will even have a download for the EFI cartridge on the "B" engine for the stroker kit. You still can't rev past 6200 due to the counterbalancers.

Check out the Thread I started, complete with pictures of the new kit and description straight from Harley, or go to the parts section for softails on their web site!

 

[rherlaar]

high rev versus longer stroke

Sorry to chip in here a bit late , but I am confused now .
I always have been thinking that you get decent recs out of big boreand small stroke . I have been contemplating the stroker kit for my 88B
as well , but actually more to restore that evo sound then for speed /
performance reasons . I would like to learn something so correct me if my reasoning is way off.

Rik "woodchuck" Herlaar

 

[JFScheck]

There must have been some concern during the design phase, because the drive pinion for the balancers is a press fit on the crank and this might avoid engine lockup if a problem with the balancers were to develop.
Problem is on very rapid accel or deccel, like during a missed shift at high rpm or a accidental double downshift, the inertia of the huge balancers can cause the drive pinion to slip on the crank and throw the whole thing out of phase requiring splitting of the cases.

Now everything makes sense! Was not expecting the explantion as detailed as that, but I guess I forget how well you know these engines (like in biblical sense as they would say in the old days)

So, now that they have the screamin eagle "Stroker Kit", think that will run with no problems? I never imaged the counter balancers would be so damn big!