Thanks for the tip. I would love to find someone I can deal with face to face (old fashioned I guess) but it is good to have references from people who have been there before.

 

My heads were ported for my riding style, cam selection and the items that good engine builders know. John Sachs was the Guru, well respected in the Harley world and clearly the best money I spent, John answers the phone and returns emails plus stays with you as a valid customer and not a number.

I have a 89" and alot of bigger dogs out there but the new $23,000 HD big cube bikes with exhaust and tuners are not much of a match for the White bike, a big cube engine with the same mods will take my lunch money and fully aware of that but the White bike is respected and thanks to John Sachs

 

Almost everything I described to you is something you--and I--can do ourselves. I DID have a machine shop do the overbore and match the pistons... WITH the gaskets and torque plates installed for the overbore. I can not port heads. For one thing, a proper port job is NOT just cleaning up surfaces to a mirror finish, or enlarging entrance passages. Turbulent and accelrated air is what you want. Thinking of the engine as basicaly an air pump, you want to move as much flow through the heads as you can. A good port job is a skill, and almost an art form.

Right now, with mods I've done, that bike really performs. I think a good port job would have helped, but just wasn't in the cards for me with this build due mainly to cost, and even a little bit to time.

 

I agree, I admit I know nothing about porting and would not attempt it myself for sure. I also would not let just anyone else do it either unless I had some references. I have had two strokes and automotive engines ported in the past, and I never really thought I got much out of the automotive port dollars. The two strokes however, seemed to respond well to the mods. It sounds like I better be ready to do the pistons if I go as far as the heads. I found a used S&S 107 with 7K on it, and he will possibly take my engine in on trade if we could agree on a price.

 

My 80" was posting 87 hp and 92 tq and pulls wheelies in 3rd gear. I did detune it slightly because the thunderheader was too loud. It sounded great but not if you had to listen to it all day. I switched to the Supertrapp tunable disc mufflers - my tq dropped 5 points so I could quiet it down and my hp stayed the same.


Driving at cruising speed is will get in the middle 40's all day. I think the important balance comes with the power to economy ratio. You can squeeze more power out of your engine but they tend to get awful thirsty when you start reaching for those thresholds. Mine was spec'd by Kendall Johnson and has been solid for 30K + miles.

 

You guys are right about extensive head work isn't in everybody's radar and a Evo will get the job done with good basic work as Jethro did so nothing wrong with personel preferance, that's why we have Evo's.

The idea of the S&S 107 sounds good, can put a bunch of money in the stock Evo and not touch the power of the 107, if the price is right, should be a Christmas in April

 

My bike wouldn't pull a wheelie or over 40 MPG if I threw it out of an airplane....

 

Well, I think with a ev27 and a jet kit, its realistic lol

 

I've have spent so much time looking online and talking to people about this, my head hurts. And my wallet is sweating. I stopped at the local HD dealer to pick up a couple of other parts, and of course what I needed was obsolete. Too new for the 'Old' book and too old for the 'New' book. Anyway - got those parts sourced and on the way, but of course everyone from the parts guy, service guy, sales guy, and clothes chicky was thinking an 18 year old bike is ripe for replacement. I haven't noticed the 'trade in soon' light on in the dash but it must be shining bright......

 

Be careful of the show room floor Voodoo! they will slip a payment book in your back pocket while temporarly blinded by the lights