And lastly, an S/E 1.725 rocker arm will enhance as well, if looking for more with the existing 26's, set up correctly.
Scott

 

When I put 26g's in my 04 I had my heads reworked to 9.5:1 with a 95" kit. Ran great.

 

On those heads, attention to the exhaust port, will allow the engine to dump unwanted heat.
9.5/103"/26 cams is a good combo.
Scott

 

Replacing the O.E. tensioners and staying with 1st gen cam style is certainly a feasable/cost effective option, but check valve timing W/ wheel. I have seen some stretch in higher mileage 1st gen silent chains.

I would go with the upgrade to late model stuff, use N cams, and be done with it. You won't lose a minutes sleep again.
John @ Herko's has the most complete kit I have seen, and great to work with.
just my $.02

 

I had the 26G cams in my 2003 for about 15000 miles. The difference was significant- I had other mods, but all done at different times. The cam made the most difference, but this is all seat of the pants- my bike was never put on a dyno.

If anyone else is interested in these cams, they currently reside in a box in my garage- nothing wrong with them, if anyone is interested we can dream up a good price.

 

Now I will admit, I set my bike up for touring not bench racing or any other kind of racing. I wanted torque down low and that's what I got. If you're running a stock 88 before 2003 then your crank runnout is most likely good. I just did a friends bike and put in gear drive Andrews 21's. He looked at the specs and thought it was a waste of time until he took a ride on it. He was amazed at how smooth and torquey the engine was and since he rides a lot of miles he doesn't have to worry about chain stretch or pads wear. I myself have a 2002 RG and I bored it to 95" with Wiseco 9.0 flat tops. I removed the shelf from under the valve seats, installed bee hive springs, roller rockers, and Viton seals. I stayed with the stock thickness on the head gasket because I travel a lot and sometimes you get some nasty gas in the middle of nowhere!! I have a cold cranking pressure of 180 which is a nice compromise of torque and low grade fuel tolerance. I pull a small trailer too and along with a Baker DDR 6 speed it will pull Colorado mountains in 6th gear! Well, at least the ones on I-70!! My point is the 26 is a really nice bolt in cam for lighter machines but if you're a big boy don't discount the 21, it's a work horse.