2000 FXDWG, replaced pretty much the entire cam chest around 8000 miles ago in response to a disintegrating cam chain tensioner shoe, caught it just in time. Checked again yesterday and it appears the replacement outer shoe has some pitting and wear already. Within spec but will probably need to be replaced again next year. Getting tired of worrying about them and want to keep the bike so I'm considering the S&S 510G gear-drive cam kit. Read the instructions and there's nothing there I can't do, except there is one instruction I don't want to do and wonder if it's really necessary- the valve-to-piston clearance test. Will reuse the stock pushrods and lifters. So- if I'm installing the gear drive kit on an otherwise stock bike, is the valve-to-piston clearance really an issue?

And while I'm at it, is that gear drive kit worth it, i.e. reliable?

Thanks for any insight you can provide.

 

Check crank run out before pulling the trigger on geared cams; should be .003" max; probably OK but worth checking. Upgrade inner cam bearings to B-148s and replace outer cam bearings; ball bearing in the rear for geared cams in lieu of roller. Piston to valve clearance should be fine; TDC lift of the 510 cams is .187" on the intake and .176 on the exhaust. By comparison, the SE203 TDC lift is .182" on the intake and .152" on the exhaust and the SE203 is a "bolt in" replacement for the OEM TC88. Based on that and the fact that I run Andrews 44G cams with similar TDC lift to the 510 cams in my '05 95" Deuce with heads that have been cut .060" and a .030" head gasket and have no valve to piston clearance issues, I would say valve to piston clearance for your situation is not an issue.

I would however, suggest that you consider the S&S 509 geared cams in lieu of the 510 which will be soft on the bottom in a TC88.

 

DJL,

Thanks, good info. I'll take a look at the 509 as well.

 

Spot on as usual Dj..... The 509 would be better than the 10..... In a stock configuration...

 

Another great plug/play cam an 88" is an Andrews 21.
Jumps up the torque quick, and stays.
Scott

 

you could also use the SE cam plate upgrade kit, updates cam chest to hydraulic tensioners with hi flow oil pump. should be no piston to valve issues if the heads have not been milled. If they have been, you might want to check it, but if not i have installed several sets with no issues, and i have checked some that have been decked 30 and still no clearance issue. the 509 grind is for low end torque where the 510 is mid-high.
m