Well I havent bought one yet, because im going to wait on 2012 models to see if anything will change with the street glide.

But if you had 4-5k to spend on the motor what would you do.

I will have around 4-5 grand to spend whether i buy the 96" or 103" motor. Would you get the 103" motor and spend an additional 4-5 or should i just stick to the 96" motor and spend 4-5k. You dont have to include the cost of pipes in the 4-5k. But suggest some

Any input would be helpful. So what would YOU do

 

Bore the 96"er to 107", with a good set of heads, correct t/body, pipe(s), and cam combo for your particular riding habits.
Not that hard at all, to see 120/120, and more, built/tuned correctly.
Scott

 

120 SE Crate Motor -- buy the time you finish it would be more closer to 6k but you will have a spare motor

 

...............and with that 266 cam being almost a full point of compression, you need to get inside those to pull it all out, via more compression, or cam change, and they also do not come with a t/body, best of my knowledge.
Scott

 

Good advice.

 

Well, I'd start at the other end. Harley has cheapened the lower ends in the post '03 bikes. Before I'd add more horsepower to an already marginal low end, I'd pull the motor and have the crank pin welded and Timken bearings installed. That alone won't win any races, but it will pretty much guarantee a very dependable long lasting engine. After having built a solid foundation you could safely build a 107 with the rest of your money and not worry about the flywheels scissoring or the compensator coming loose causing the bearing on the pinion shaft to come out into the cam chest.

I know that there are a lot of guys running big power on these flimsy lower ends and doing okay. We all know of plenty of stockers with lower ends failing simply because it's not an adequate low end.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with you -- I have had 07 SG HQs 103, 08 RG HQs 107 and currently have a 09 RG HQs 107 total over 80k miles -- not one bottom end or motor failure this is with burnouts wheelies racing and general mayhem --- also I have about 100 - 200 friends and associates most with built motors ONE documented crank failure on 05 -- now either we getting very lucky with the bottom end or the it's not as big a problem as portrayed

 

Yup.
The later model cranks are not moving around, or at least that is what we also see.
Got a sneaking suspicion that the Moco was well aware of the issues,(and did not say anything) and has now tightened the fitment of those press-togather flywheel assemblies, as we too, have some mighty stout builds rolling around all over the country without a hitch.
Scott

 

What I'm saying is these newer low ends are inferior to the earlier ones. The double Timken bearing set up is superior to the newer straight roller bearings. Hell Harley upgraded from that in 1955! As I said, I know a lot of guys are doing fine with hot rods motors with the later flywheels, I'm one of them, but quite a few aren't. Lately I saw an '05 Roadglide with over .030 runout and broken S&S cam gear drives. Then a Dyna with less than 10,000 miles that the right side bearing came into the cam case, and wallowed out it's bore. That whole flywheel assembly is just floating in there. I know the throttle by wire is helping with the jolting the low end takes. Maybe they have tightened up their press together set up, and I read somewhere that the 11s have a snap ring to hold the beaaring in place, but it's still a lousy design. It's for cheap manufacturing to eliminate a guy truing the wheels and setting up flywheel end play on each motor. Now even Harley will sell you a kit to bring the low end back to at least a double Timken setup. I built my house on the best possible foundation, is my bike worthy of anything less?

 

Read about your 97 inch Fat Boy in American Iron Magazine. Great numbers. Congrats.