Well, I finally decided to do the cam change. I was really worried about going with too much of a torque cam and raising my compression to unhealthy levels, so I opted to go with the Andrews TW55's and new fueling lifters. My mechanic called me this evening to come check it out. I took it for a spin to listen to the top end noise it has been making lately, and I was impressed with the change it made to the engine and the overall sound of the bike. The torque comes on earlier and the exhaust tone is throaty and mellow. It's a lot better than the SE 258's that were in it before.
The clicking/tapping noise is still there though. This noise sounds like it's coming from the head area and goes away when the engine is under load. You hear it most when you back off the throttle or just try to maintain a certain speed. It doesn't really make this noise at idle either, or it's so faint that it's not noticeable. He's going to pull the rocker covers in the morning and try to see if the rockers have any play in them. I'm hoping there's nothing serious going on in there.

 

I have a similar build to the 103 HO which calls for a 258 cam, but the 258 seems awful long for a V-Twin. I made the mistake youre talking about and used Crane HTC 290s. The worked S/E heads still have 80cc chambers, and even with the flat tops and thick gaskets it has 10.24:1 C/R. The motor feels like its on steroids and makes 100ft lbs by 2200 rpm, but it pops back hard without the compression releases in when its warm.

 

dark06 and
SERT tuners.
I found my bike hard to crank when hot. Looked and looked and found that somehow while tuning this thing and fooling with spark and VE I managed to put too much advance during the starting process. I had 10 or so degerees in between 750-1000 RPM and60 MAP and above. Timing should be in the 0-2 degrees at 60-100 Map. I actually have 60 MAP at 2 degrees and 70-100 MAPat zero degrees. Engine was fighting itself to get started. Both cylinders. Starts easy now. Just a touch.

 

Well I got the bike back today, and I love the way the bike runs now. The exhaust is definately mellower and deeper, and the bike feels smoother when pulling. I'm getting a bit more grunt on the lower side and for sure in the mid range.

The tapping/clicking sound is still there, and we think after closer examination that it might be the compensator nut working loose. I'll try to look at that tomorrow since my mechanic is going to be out of the picture for a while. He's having to move this week. and he won't have a place to work on bikes where he'll be living. Hopefully he'll get to move back and I'll get him again to keep my bike in top shape. Hopefully I'll find the noise problem tomorrow and it will be an easy fix.