Anybody have some advice on the different SE Cams out of the SEcatalog for my 06 fxstdi? I'm looking at getting a pair cheap (258's) but wonder if I would be better off with the 257, or 204's. I know they perform at different RPM ranges, i'm wondering if anyone knows how they feel riding around and the best way to go-save money or don't bother, etc.? Thanks!

I eventuall want to get the 95 in. big bore, forged pistons, and hopefully the SE performace heads (these are alittle pricey!)-I'm just wondering how to match up the different CAMs available for my bike and the difference in how it runs-where the "realistic/usealbe" gains are on the road. I appreciate any feedback.

 

First things first...where or what rpm do you ride at, are you a cruiser or a twister, do you like going through the gears hard or get through the gears just to get into 5th? Once that is known a cam can be selected for your riding style and displacement. I will tell you this, there is more bang for the buck with an Andrews grind or a Woods grind,SE cams are what I call a little soft in the pulling dept.

 

I do a little of both. Sometimes I just cruise and then when riding with others, we'll hot rod it up to about 90mph on straight aways from any given gear. I'm a little leary of aftermarket cams because after you buy them you find out that you need something else because it doesn't go with other parts-or it just don't plain fit. That's why i'm looking at SE parts and the deals i'm able to get on ebay. thanks!

 

If you pick the right cam then you build around it...this way there are no mistakes. But if it's ebay for you so you can get deals, so be it. Good Luck

 

Well, I'm sorry to hear that Doc has such a low opinion of the SE cams. My experience has been just the opposite.
I had a 2003 Heritage that ranperfectly for the 45,000 miles that I owned it. It's still running perfectly for the guy that bought it from me. It pulled just fine through all six gears and was great to ride.
The bike was equipped as follows: Big bore kit, SE 203 cams, V&H ProPipe, Harley remap and Power Comander III. And an SE 6 speed trans. The bike would just flat pull stumps.
The bike dyno'd out at 92 Hp and I enjoyed every one of them. I didn't even have to buy the SE heads, the stock ones flowed just fine for my use.
As Doc stated, if you build your bike with the proper components your results will be satisfactory.

 

I didn't say the SE line didn't perform....I said there is more bang for the buck with Andrews and Woods cams. Believe me I worked with SE products everyday on the dyno for the past 5 years, I get 95' bikes to run at 114 hp with the SE line of products...the problem I and many other builders have with the SE line is they are slow to come on. The 251 cam is the only one that hits hard and early in the rpm range and that can be seen easily on a dyno. Harley has their cams made this way so the customer will get more power but there will be very little valve train noise over stock...to do this the cam can not be aggressive, this is why I say there are soft. An aggressive cam will pull your arms out of your shoulder sockets but they will be noiser than stock. The SE 204...SE 251... like alot when I'm doing a build that will fitthe profile of that style cam. So yes I'm sure your happy with your build, I'm sure your bike kicks butt....92 hp is very respectable for your build. Didn't mean to say you choice was wrong.

 

I am also not a fan of SE cams, partialy for the reasons stated, but they do match up with an all HD build very well. The 203 comes on a bit later than the cams I am running, but it is a pretty good option for a basic build with stock heads and compression.

I have built two very healthy engines in the last few years and have gone with Woods cams both times, for the 95" build, went withthe TW5G, gobs of low end torques and ended up with 102hp and 115 tq, but that was a complete build with HTCC Heads and HTCC pistons, and Bob Woods gournd the TW 5G to work specifically with the build.

Currently have a 103" with the TW-400-6 and again, loads of low end tq, but this cam is ground to work well with the CNC ported heads. Dyno numbers coming soon.

Both Woods camsare noisy, , both high lift, TW5g = .575 lift, TW-400-6 = .650 lift so the ramps are fairly aggressive and require heads with springs that can handle the lift, which equals a bit more valve train noise, but the trade off for power is well worth it IMO.

 

ajwatt I would suggest that you listen to Doc and Dalton here, in reading through their previous posts they seem extremely knowlegeble. The SE cam you mentioned here will most likely under perform without the others complimenting components, ie.
Heads, Throttle body, good exhaust etc.. you may want to wait and do all of this at one time.

And Doc your right about the pulling your arms out thing. I have a Zippers 80/80 kit in my bagger
and that bike pulls hard past a buck twenty. Dynoed close to 90/90 which I think aint bad for an 80" Evo
plus the whole build was less than 3K.
Getting set to do the 107 on my Train, can't wait to twist the wick on that puppy

 

Good luck on the 107...it's an awesome build. If you use a Woods TW6H cam it will pull you off the seat....lol I hav had up to 127tq with that set up, of course you need good heads and good Exhaust system to reach those numbers.

 

Doc,
There are not a lot of us running Woods cams as a lot of the people are buying GMR and HQ , even Kuryakin kits, or building a straight HD build. The kits are great, matched components, and great numbers, but IMO, I dont think you can beat the TW5G, TW6H or G, for building 95 incherand for the07's, the TW-400-6 or Gfor brute low end performance. As I said before, these cams to me are quite a bit noisier than the HD cams but there is no comparison inTQ if that is what you are looking for. Woods also makes some killer HP cams for the lighter bikes, but for my Ultra, and the previous RKC, torque is where it is at !!

Even with the other kits, or piecemealing a kit together, call Bob Woods to get the lowdown on what cam works with what heads, intake, pistons, etc. BTW, he is not a fan of Rineharts but I have run then, although changing this week to the LSR Blackholes 2 into 1, should be in Wednesday, so more wrenching to do. We will also see how quickly the DTT tuning system automatically reels in the changes necessary for the different pipes