I just picked up a 2004 Roadking Custom 2 days ago. It's super nice. I bought it from a friend of mine who bought it new and took great care of it. He added a lot of chrome, vance and hines true duals, SE air filter and stage 1 download (I think thats the correct term). This is my first touring model, my first twin cam and first fuel injected model.
The bike has 28,000 miles on it. Before purchase I knew the chains are somewhat problematic and read up on the issue on this site but I still don't know that much about it. If I'm on decell in say 3rd gear the engine is totally quiet but if I crack the throttle slightly I can hear a slight rattle.
My last bike was an evo and I did pistons, cam, ignition, air filter, ignition, carb and re-jet all my self so I'm confident I can take the problem, if there is one.
If I need to tear into it I'd like to add cams but then I'm kinds screwed with the injection, I actually thought about going to a carb but the bike is just so nice I dont' really want to mess with it that much. I dont want to add hundreds to the repair with tuning so I may just go with stock cams again.
I do plan on a manual but are there any special tools required to change the chain and tensioners or should I go with a grear drive, I don't care if the gears are louder.
Basically I'm looking for some suggestions. Is there a test I can do to check these parts or should I pull the cam cover? Any advice is very much appriciated.

 

Rattle sound normal. Check tensioners at ~35k miles. Need to pull cam cover off to do this.

Check out se hydro kits rather than gear drive. This will also give you a better oil pump.

http://www.stpaulharley.com/Cam-Chai...p/25284-08.htm

Highly recommend installing a cam if you pull the cam chest apart. Yes, it does cost more to tune an efi bike. You need a 1/4" tq wrench, manual, blind hole bearing puller (Auto zone rents these for free) and can either rent or buy other special tools or do the "oven freezer method" - which I what I did.

Page 2:

http://www.harleyhog.co.uk/1550/bbonline.htm

http://www.harleyhog.co.uk/camguidepage1.htm

http://www.harleyhog.co.uk/tensionerinstall.htm

http://www.edelbrock.com/automotive_.../1000/1748.pdf

 

My cam chain tensioners went out at 25,000 and I replaced them with the upgraded hydraulic kit from HD. I still prefer it to the gear driven set.

 

I have encountered cam chain tensioners that have worn out at 20k miles (rare) and have gone 50k without issues. I would recommend checking them at about 30k as that seems to be the norm for catching them prior to huge issues, but again , they can go earlier.

All depends on how many miles a year you put on the bike and how much you want to spend to eliminate the problem. If on a budget, just check 'em and replace 'em when needed. I recommend this for those that only ride 3 to 5k miles a year as it is a long time between needing to change them. That and the second set seems to last longer than the first as the chain has been "worn in" and has a smoother surface. If you really want to eliminate the potential, gear drive will do so but you are looking at about $900 to $1k to do so including price of the cams and labor will drive it even higher. Cost for conversion to the roller chain and pump setup will run you darn close to the gear drive in cost. if you are again changing cams.

 

I had mine checked on my 02 RKC at 33k miles and the inner was shot. I chose to go with S&S Gear Drive with 510g cams and couldn't be happier. I was going to go with the hydraulic setup, but decided to go with gears and never have to worry again. I plan on keeping this bike a long time. I also went with adjustable pushrods. I really like the increased torque from the cams and the gear drive. There's no hesitation with accelerating or pulling the mountain roads that we have here in N. Ga. I found the gear drive kit for a little over $600 on phatperformanceparts and got the SE pushrods off ebay for about 120.00. Paid an indy 200.00 for the install. Best money that I've spent.

 

A DFO/TFI will do all the tuning you need to do with a cam swap. You can pick 'em up for in the 100 buck mark with some shopping around............Oh yeah, I love my gear drive. No more worries about tensioners. I can now concentrate more on worrying about when my belt is gonna break...LOL.

 

Thanks for all the replies. I think what I'm going to try to do is wait until winter to tear it down and just have that screamin eagle kit posted above ready to go in.
I'd like to do cams but that EFI is kinda stopping me, I guess I will have to research the tuning as I don't know much about that.
I normally ride anywhere from 7500 to 10,000 miles per year, just depends on how many trips I take.

 

Hey Bro,

Don't let this EFI thing or the expense of "tuning" intimidate you to the point that you ignore your cam chain tensioner issue. If you are closing in on 30,000 miles, you really need to do a visual inspection at the very minimum. You might get in there and find that you have very little wear; however, you might also find that you are within a couple hundreds miles of a catastrophic failure.

The thing is, once you tear into the cam case, you might as well upgrade to a new grind, espcially with that big ole heavy Road King. IMO, your best bet is to install a andrews gear set and put the cam of your choice in. There are packages on ebay that include the cams and an install kit for under $600.00 I did this a few years ago and now never have to worry about it again. Try calling American Classic Motors in PA. They always have fair prices and often put this kit out on ebay (888) 752-8500.

Now, if you are worried about the expense of a tune, xxxflhrci is absolutely correct when he says that can be handled with a DFO/TFI. These units aren't going to fine tune anything, and in fact do little more than add fuel. At any rate, they will cure a lean condition and make it safe for you to run your bike without the expensive tuners and dyno runs. I can tell you this, I ran one in my 2003 Road King for years and was very satisfied.

In fact, I still have the unit (DFO) in the box out in my garage and would be willing to sell it to you for $100 shipped. It is easy to install/tune without a computer or masters degree. All you need is the instructions, a small screwdriver, and your ears. Send me a PM if you are interested. No pressure, just thought I would offer.

At any rate, be sure to get into that cam chest sooner than later. By doing so, you could end up saving yourself a lot of time, aggravation, and MONEY.

 

Alright I'm getting ready to start buying parts for this. I've decided to go with the screamin eagle hydraulic tensioner kit posted above unless someone convinces me otherwise. lol. Sounds like the tools are easy to obtain. I now have my manual.
I still need to check if my bike has a tuning device on it and if so what it is. It has the true dual Vance and Hines system with elimiated cross over and SE air filter so I think it has to have something, that work was done at the dealer.
And I need to select a set of cams. Anyone have suggestions on that? Roadking with that air filter and exhaust, 88 cubes. A few local guys told me a Harley 203 cam set, opinions on that? I'd rather not change the valve springs if possible. On my EVO I just used stock pushrods after a cam swap, is that ok on a twin cam? I honestly don't really get the adjustable pushrod thing. Everything else sound good so far?

 

Everytime I work on my engine I remind myself that my Grandfather worked on his HD. I'm 73 so this was a long time ago.
He would have no problem with todays engine.

But if you are not sure about the adjustable pushrod thing take your time and be very careful. Treat the manual as Gospel. Every step.