+ you can adjust pre-load on lifter.

 

Damm! Thanks for the quick responses, excellent insights and great advise. I especialy value the "pull the heads and your already 75% down the road to money pit hell" comment. I really appreciate all the advise.

Can a guy rent the cam tools? I could swing the gear lock and un-tensioner, but the other three tools are more than the cams.

 

Just did mine a couple weeks ago with no special tools other than tq wrenches. Search for oven method and cam install...

Or, this guy rents the special tools. Try this address "Perry & Pat" <pbarth@cableone.net>

 

Never mind to cut or not cut. You said you have never installed cams before. Do you have the specialty tools to press the cams out of the cam plate? Do you have the bearing installer for both the inner cam bearings and cam plate bearings ? Do you know how to align the oil pump ? There is a lot more to it then just cutting out the pushrods,
do you know how to find the base circle of the crank so the piston is at TDC on the compression stroke for the cylinder you are working on ?

Storker

 

What are you using for a fuel management system or are you carbed? If it were me and I was going to keep the bike for a long time I would pull the tank and the rockers. You don't have to pull the heads to pull and reinstall pushrods. While in there it would give you a chance to put in new breather baffles (not sure, but I think yours were the plastic ones and the new ones are metal) and you could drill out the hole in the bottom of the rocker support with a #43 bit for better oil return. You can use a blind bearing puller from Autozone and it won't cost you anything to pull the inner bearings. You can use the oven/freezer method also to change cam bearings. Go back in with Timken B148's. I don't know the mileage or if you are using gear drive or not as you didn't say, but if you're staying with chain the money you save by not buying the adjustable pushrods you can pay for the tensioners. Since you're putting in new cams you should change out the lifters also. Baisley oil spring is another thing to think about....$13. I could go on.

 

"Never installed cams in a motorcycle..."
Great Questions!
1 & 2. specialty ? YES. Brother Kumaride hooked me up! THANKS!
3. Oil Pump align? Yep, alignment pins too- see above..
4. Base Circle? Whats that? .....

I've also got a well-read service manual and about 100,000megs of instruction write ups too.

DAWG:
Bike is EFI with PCIII USB from Fuel Moto. I've got 14500 on the '02 Road King and most of that is rolling down the highway.

Timken B148's are on the next payday list as is the LMR-002 Baisley. Next will be push rods, cam spacers and gaskets. TodayI'm thinking "just the cams and cut the push rods".

I dont have the Cams yet, I hope they come with the rear roller bearing and front ball bearing.

 

Dawg, please go on! THats why I love this Forum. I appreaciate every bit of info I've read so far, and welcome comments, questions, WTFs, challenges or just damm good advise. I've done a lot of homework, but there's nothing like "experence".... I just hope I dont get too much experence at one time- if you know what I mean...

THanks for all the feedback!

 

You doing gear cams or chain?

 

You frikin go Kbore!!


If I can do it without specialty tools or prior bike experience, you can certainly do it with the specialty tools.

With 14k+ miles it is probably worth your time to replace the inner and outer tensioners. It will cost another ~$120 but you will not need to worry about them for another 30k+ miles. Otherwise you may need to go back in there after a couple seasons. Hard to say. Show is the condition of the tensioners when you have everythig apart.

Your cams should come with the two outer bearings. Definitely replace inners with b148's. The guy I hooked you up with sales them for $5!

You do not need the baisley spring with our mild builds. Some people actually remove that spring because of too much pressure... your call though.

Base circle is the lowest part of the cam - opposite of the lift or lobe part of the cam. When you cut the push rods you want the least amount of pressure on them. This is the piston combustion cycle- AKA, piston's TDC. This is when the least amount of pressure on rods and lifters occurs. Remove plugs, use a straw in spark plug hole and feel for the piston to be TDC for EACH cylender when you are ready to cut push rods.

With 14K miles, I would not replace lifters. Again, your call...

 

base circle of the crank??????