I posted this in the softail forum, but thought I'd post here to see if this is where the most techy people hang out.

I'm going to be looking at some softails this weekend with the view to buying my first bike. Years will be between 1995 and 2001 so that will leave me looking at the Evo and Twin Cam 88 engines.

Are there any specifics to look out for that will indicate known problems with these engines? I supose this is particularly relevent to the Twin Cam 88 engine as I'll be looking at first runs of that engine.

Appreciate any help.

Cheers!

 

Just me.....but, the EVO has never let me down. It is a simple and a very reliable engine. The Twin Cam is just not my thing......

 

Twin Cam engines have a little more power but run hotter. A stage 2package oa a 80" Eproperly installed and tuned by us will give you a better number accross the board than a stock TC.

 

I know a couple Evos with over 50k on a stock setup that run every time the switch gets hit... My Evo - I wouldn't trade it for a new bike anyday of the week. I have a good Stage 1 and it runs like a sum-b!tch A key point to highlight though... if your gonna step up your Evo you can start with the air filter... step up your TC - you have to do the heads in order to see any real gains. The TC heads just never flowed real well... they look awsome, but Evo heads out did them no problem. Just my 2 cents...

Swede

 

Impossable to really check b4 you buy but IF you buy the early Twin cam first thing I would do is check cam tenshioners and change cam bearings.

 

So; how did the "Shopping" go? Probably too late to chime in now, but you know the TC's are counterbalanced and the EVO's aren't, right? There's a million EVO's out there but the ones I've ridden definately vibrate more than a TC in a softail...also, the tranny is bolted to the back of the engine on a TC; more solid esp. if major power upgrades are being considered. There was a cam bearing issue on the early TC's; a dealer should be able to give you the specifics. Also the brakes were upgraded about 2000 across the board, I believe. I had about 25000km on mine ('01 FXDXT)when I went to gear drive cams (and a whole lot more...dyno on the 1 June) and the tensioner shoes didn't look too bad but I'd have wanted to change them at the end of the season. If you're gonna ride stock the EVO's are OK but the TC's offer more performance potential. We built a 95" for my brother and his riding buddy has a 96" S&S EVO that can't beat him...

 

Thanks for the replies... Still shopping... and probably will be for a while. Don't wanna rush in just yet and could probably do with more money in the bank to make a better choice.

Some of the replies are a bit too advanced for me... I doubt I'll be looking to do anything major on the power side. I'm just in it for the slow easy going experience. Never felt the need to go fast, or faster.

 

If you are not looking for anything major on the power side or going faster...I would really consider the EVO. You can find EVO's out there fairly inexpensive and they are just about everywhere.

Harleys were designed to cruise the highway and look cool. They are suppose to be reliable and easy to work on with minimal tools. The EVO fits the bill pretty good. If I wanted power and go fast....then I would buy a Japanese Sport Bike.

 

Your analysis on the TC is dead wrong. on my '07 FXDL, I added a SE high flow intake and a Rinehart Staggered exhaust system, tuned it on the dyno with my SERT and picked up 12.19 HP and 15.12 FT/lbs TQ. You'll never see that gain on an EVO with an intake and exhaust. I know as I had one in my FXRS.