Would you take financial advice from a kid running a lemonade stand over Warren Buffet?

Most of the people suggesting the S&S 124" motor over the SE 120" motor are from people who repair & build engines everyday.

 

I take it you prefer the S&S version then?

 

S&S all the way!

 

It doesn't matter what I prefer because I am not the one paying for your engine and/or repairs afterwards.

My point is that you asked for opinions on the SE 120" engine and didn't like what you heard so you decided to ask a different group of people the same question.

 

You bring up a good topic for discussion- this is JMO, for the costs involved the S&S 124 would be the far better choice vs the 120. But realistically, how much power do you need in your bike? Have you ever ridden a dialed in 107 kit bike from Hillside, FM with good low/midrange torque cams, solid 115hp/120+ TQ and more optimal belt pulley ratio? I really doubt you'd want more than that.

One of the things that is completely shooting you in the foot right now in terms of performance is the too tall drive belt pulleys, and the stock "de-tuned" timing map in areas of off idle and roll on. makes your bike feel like a moped taking off from a stop or rolling it on in any gear. 6th gear is totally useless.

Again, JMO, you should call and talk to the following builders:
1. Dave Mackey (Ventura)
2. Hillside Cycle
3. Bennett's Performance (Signal Hill) - they are located next door to Branch Flowmetrics so they could do your heads, cylinders etc
4. Fuel Moto
5. AMS MotoMachine

I think you'll find the general and ongoing consensus is to not invest in the 120 motor, and for less $ you can build something very reliable and quite powerful. Regardless of what you end up going with for engine upgrades, be sure to get rid of the too tall belt pulleys for a 30/68 or 30/70 combo. uses the same stock belt. makes a massive difference.

 

one other thing to add as well- with the full enchilada SS 124 kit (including welded crank etc), you can really push that SOB and get crazy HP out of it. You cannot do that with the 120 motor. the 120 needs to be kept at a more tame level or it will have problems.

but keep in mind that you have a stock HD transmission so the more crazy HP and TQ you throw at it, the more you risk issues later on. if you stick with a solid 107 kit then you'll have plenty of power but keep it all within reliability range of the drive train.

If you want to go for the ultimate, check out RB Racing here in So Cal. they know the 120 motors very well. Their Orca TC 126 will rip your nuts off with 150hp and be bomb proof. but of course you'd then need a Baker trans to handle it. either way they are a great source of info to speak with.
https://www.rbracing-rsr.com/113orca.htm

 

here's a member with a Breakout, just did a 107 kit Dragos build. 101hp and 124TQ. who wouldn't be happy with that? https://www.hdforums.com/forum/softa...l#post15006933

 

I would stay away from the 120R and the 120ST.

If you are on a budget, get the Fuel Moto 107 kit. It beats the 120ST and comes close to the 120R without all the bad literature associated with the 120R.

It also depends on what you want for performance. Pretty hard to beat the Fuel Moto 107 with their heads etc... (for price) but if you'r looking to get over that 120hp/torque mark then I think S&S is the best way to go. Myself, I think that S&S T124LC is the best motor out there for me. Compression is slightly lower than their regular T124 so reliability and longevity should be great and the numbers look fantastic.

Bottom line..... I read a ton of positive reviews on the S&S T124 and a ton of bad reviews on the 120R and I'm not impressed with the low mileage repairs on the 120R or the lack of warranty when compared to the S&S.

 

Here's the last 107" I built laid over the last S&S 124" I did

This 107" has a new S&S crank in it.

 

That's exactly wtf I'm talking about. Put that type of 107 build on a lighter softail with 10% better overall final drive ratio than stock, and you've got a rocket ship on your hands. of course the 124 is no slacker either.

Nicely done -

what sort of cost difference are you seeing with a 107 vs the 124 you built? how does that stack up bang for buck wise?