Tried posting this in the DIY section and didn't get much response. Thought I'd try here...

I have an '09 Electra Glide with a 96" motor, and a friend of mine who upgraded his '10 Road Glide is willing to sell me his old take-off 103" jugs, heads & pistons for $200. First of all, is this a good deal? I think so but want to hear it from others.

Secondly, is there anything I should do before installing these on my bike? I've heard of checking the run out, doing compression releases on the heads, porting the heads (although that may not be in the budget), having the cylinders and pistons honed or something (I think I've heard of that).

Is there anything else I would need aside from gaskets? I know upgrading the cam is a good idea so I'm keeping my eyes open for a deal on an Andrews 54H or something like that.

I'm not the most experienced wrench but I think I'd like to tackle doing this myself. I have the service manual, so it should be doable, right?

Any advice is welcome. Thanks.

 

You should be able to do it... I just finished upgrading my top end myself and it isn't that hard. Cams are more involved.

Sounds like a great deal for the parts, not knowing the mileage. Are the parts already off his bike? If not, have him leave the pistons in the jugs and pull the pins - saves you from having to set the rings.

Good to send the heads out and have a basic 'street port' done at least, while you have them in hand. Contact Scott at Hillside, or check out Big Boyz for basic port and polish services for cheap.

Your '09 should be good to go on the crank... unless you have real high mileage. Not knowing what pistons you're dealing with, but presuming that they are stockers, they should be low-compresssion and not an issue. Have whomever does the heads mill them a bit and install Cometic .030 gaskets to bump the compression some, and you should be happy with the results.

If you get the compression near 10:1 you will need compression releases, but if you keep it down below 9.6:1 you should be good without. Hillside or Big Boyz can also add the CR's if you're so inclined while you have the heads done.

Good luck!

Roger

 

Do not rule out a Wood 6, 555, or 777 either.
Scott

 

It's a good deal. There's no real difference between the heads you currently have on your bike and the heads that your friend are selling, other than the 103 take off heads should already be machined for ACRs, which will save you the cost of having that done. It's nice to have a spare set of heads so you can send them out for work and still be able to ride while you're collecting parts.

Depending on the mileage on the parts, I'd probably be inclined to just flex hone the jugs, re-ring the pistons and bolt them up. A new set of rings won't break your budget. If you don't have a friend with a flex hone, you can send the pistons and jugs out to a machine shop, and have them set the gaps on the rings at the same time. If you want to get fancy, (or if there's significant miles on the take off parts), you might want to consider buying a set of .010 over pistons and have the jugs bored and honed specifically to match.

 

Thx for all the responses, this is great info. I'm not sure of the mileage on the take-offs, but I think it's pretty low. I'll ask him next time I see him. My bike just turned over 20,000, so mine's not too bad either.

So now I'm thinking I might be able to start off cheap by just installing my buddy's 103 jugs, pistons and heads for now, then swapping out the cam further down the road and maybe porting the extra set of heads later too.

So with upgrading to the 103 stuff but leaving the cam alone, would I need to have the ECM flashed or get a Power Commander or some other fuel management system? I think I'd need to, wouldn't I?

Oh, and I've already put the high-flow air cleaner on it and put on SE slip-ons. (Further down the road I'm also thinking I'd like a 2:1 thunderheader, but later later.)

Thanks for all the advice!

 

In actuality, the 103"-only upgrade, is going to leave you wondering "is that all there is?"
You'll get a HUGE bang, with the install of an Andrews 48 in your existing 96"er.
When you are ready to make a move, bore to 107", bring the heads up to speed, sell the 48, and install a cam that'll compliment your riding style, and riding needs.
Scott