Jim

[JimLaflin]

My first post. I am considering S&S Gear drives and a 570 cam for my
2009 Ultra Classic it has the 103 and Vance & Hines Monstor Oval Slip ons
with a race tuner or power commander. I am going on my first long trip to Reno Mid Sept. to Good Vibrations Bike Week and thought it might be a great
upgrade any thoughts?

 

[NEWHD74FAN]

Welcome JimLaflin to HDTimeline...where we help new and old riders and enthusiasts to troubleshoot and make their rides better. I am sure will be plenty of fellow riders who will weighin on this shortly...as for me, I would not do mods JUST prior to going on a long trip...! It increases the risk because you put your mods on a time table, and just because everything is new does not mean they will successfully integrate together with proven reliability for the long haul. Be patient as major surgery in the bowels of the new machine is fairly risky, especially if riding two up and it being a 1st "shake down" cruise.

Better to enjoy this 1st one "stock" so you can prioritize what comfort and safety mods you want to put on the bike FIRST...performance mods are next, though I would go thru Stage I first, rather than raising the bar to Stage II which is what the Cams and Gear Drive mods are a part of...JMHO.

 

[JimLaflin]

Thanks for your honest opinion. May be a winter project? Stage one has already been done when the bike was delivered so all that is left at this point for me are the right cams
and gear drives if they make that big of a difference? Thanks Again

 

[kemo]

Why would you want gear drive cams. Go to the 570's if you want but you have an excellent cam drive system now. My opinion stay with the hydraulic chain tensioners and save that gear drive money for something else.

 

[Caper]

I agree with kemo....a lot of people are upgrading their olderTC's to the hydraulic system your bike came stock with. Gear drive is falling out of favor since the hydraulic tensioner system came into being and your crank runout may not or probably is not within spec to run gear drive. Go with the cam change and enjoy the ride. BTW.Cam changes are a lot easier to do with your current set up too.

 

[Buddha]

Your ride you decide.
I would however recommend some home work before going to gear driven cams.
It is one of those things they do a good job of sell because they say what we want to or expect to hear.
Truth is the chain driven cams have a lot of advantages and are more forgiving.

smitty, could you list some of the advantages of chain driven cams and how are they more forgiving? I was thinking of gears but not sure. Thanks

 

[kemo]

Buddha the big advantage of the roller chain conversion is that you don't have any issues with crankshaft runout. Runout is very common. Runout is when the crankshaft is running off center causing a wobble. When runout is out of spec the gears will move back and forth against each other causing loose and tight spots. To compensate for tight spot you have to run under size gear or for a loose spot you need an over sized gear. This can cause a very noisy whine if the gear play is incorrect. Because the chains have a tensioner the tensioner will keep correct tension. I hope that this has helped you a bit.
Kemo

 

[B-1B_Guy]

I certainly wouldn't do all that motor work prior to a long trip, you're just asking for trouble. If you're looking at cams/heads & TFI, please talk to a COMPETENT builder so you get the right combo prior to buying. JMO but I believe you build the motor around the cam....so proper cam selection is crucial. When I do my motor this winter I'm going to go with Cyclerama, they are pricey but they are VERY good. Lots of good builders out there so look around.

 

[Buddha]

Buddha the big advantage of the roller chain conversion is that you don't have any issues with crankshaft runout. Runout is very common. Runout is when the crankshaft is running off center causing a wobble. When runout is out of spec the gears will move back and forth against each other causing loose and tight spots. To compensate for tight spot you have to run under size gear or for a loose spot you need an over sized gear. This can cause a very noisy whine if the gear play is incorrect. Because the chains have a tensioner the tensioner will keep correct tension. I hope that this has helped you a bit.
Kemo

Kemo thanks so much. Your explanation makes it very clear thanks again.

 

[dolt]

I have to agree with those that advise against taking a road trip after a cam drive/cam change. Although it isn't major surgery, a couple of shakeout runs not far from home are in order before hitting the road.

I would also agree that substituting gear drives for the new factory cam drive system is a waste of money, particlarly on '07 and later models.

I think it was previously posted but another advantage of the new HD cam drive system is the simplicity of making a cam change. No bearings to press on/off, no gears to press on/off; a cam change is a piece of cake with the new drive system. I believe the noise factor was also mentioned. I run gear drives on both my bikes, one is less noisy than stock but other was louder than I liked. I converted the noisy one to the new drive system and couldn't believe how quiet the cam chest is now; I can't hear it at all.

JMHO but there are better cam choics for the heavier touring bikes than the 570 which, IIRC, is only available in gear drive. You will need more than stock compression to wake that cam up. If you are looking for torque the SE255 is not a bad choice. I am not a MoCo fan when it comes to performance but this cam make torque quick and produces a real nice torque curve. There are other alternatives but for someone just looking for more low to mid range power with stock components and not looking for much north of 4500rpm, the 255 would work well. If you were looking for a little more than what the SE255 has to offer, the Andrews 54 works well with stock components also.