One thing most tend to forget is what is the shape of the rest of the bike? All those little things that we just live with. Those cost can add up fast once the new engine is in place. If everything is in good shape, great but if not you maybe adding a bunch more money into it due to the new engine. As for what engine its up to you what you want versus what you need. The cost of a T124 doesn't stop at the engine as your going to need a better exhaust than stock, larger throttle body, bigger injectors to feed the 124 a better Air Cleaner than stock, a better clutch than stock and possibly transmission work depending on the shape its in now. So look at the bigger picture first so there is no surprises once you make up your mind.

 

For those in need of a little extra, S&S also make a 143" - jus' a thought.....

 

Sounds like you got a great deal. It's interesting to me that you were able to stop at a 103 once you opened up the case to do the work on the crank. You have a lot more restraint than I would've had.

 

Not sure if you are being sarcastic or not, but yes really. I had a 107 build that tanked on me. The option was a total 107" rebuild (new crank, pistons, cyclinders, etc...) for about $1000 cheaper than the S&S 124". Now I already had an exhaust and clutch that could work with the 124" so as Steve points out below there could be additional costs.

Grbrown had hit some of things the LC gives you, basically an excellent touring platform. I was more interested in what it gave me riding 2-up, in the mountains, on the freeway and being the most reliable. I chose the LC for that reason. It just seems very well suited as for a touring bike and how I use it. I haven't rode a touring bike with the high compression 124 so I can't compare it, but I love the torque curve on this 124LC. It does run of steam on the high end compared the the std 124" according to the sheets, but in comparison to what I came from, my 107 build, there is no comparison.

I also figured the lower compression would mean somewhat longer life but I know that is debatable. I just don't ride up in the 5k and above range that much to see the difference.

So no, no regrets and in fact I am close to 5K miles on it now since doing this and I am more happy now than when I first picked it up. I believe now that I have broke it in this thing runs even better.

Spot on, same thinking I went thru when I made my decision. My overall bike was in excellent shape and I had it setup just right. Not only that but like I said above I had the right exhaust and clutch setup already to handle the 124" plus already had a Big Sucker AC. The 58mm TB and bigger injectors was around $700 total if I remember right and he would have to make some clutch improvements. So I agree if going bigger, either rebuild or Crate, you have to account for the extras that come along with that.

 

The cheapest fix is probably a used engine. Selling the bike as is when it won't start is going to yield a very low price. At least with a used engine it would start and run giving you the option of riding it or selling it for a decent amount and buying something newer if you wanted.
Bill

 

It was a stock 96 so the 103 with cams was a huge improvement. It's also a bike I use strictly to commute so I wanted good gas mileage and dependability. That's why I made the comment about talking to the indy about what you want and your riding style. I told my indy I wanted a tank that would never give me problems. He told me it he actually had fun building it because he's so used to building stroker motors. He said it was a change of pace to build an engine basically to spec. He said I should never have to split the cases again and in another 100,000 or so he'd just need to freshen the top end and cam chest. It helped the price too that he said he didn't have to change the cam plate. He said it's the first one he's seen that was still well within tolerances.

 

Depends on what you wanna spend. You go too big on a bike that age (even if not that old), you'll find the next weakest link.

I'd probably rebuild it and go 117". A nice, dumb 117" with 10.0 compression if it was torn apart.

 

I'm with Bowhunter, the first step is to see what is broke. Just maybe its something minor and all this talk is for not.

 

I didn't get rid of my classic Chevelle when the engine wore out. Or after the next one. Or, the next one...
A lot of this discussion comes down to how much do you really want to keep the vehicle.

 

Good observation. Perhaps I should make clear that I'm not operating in a vacuum here, and

The indy did, in fact, discuss options with me at that time. It was somebody at the indy, in fact, who suggested the advantage of taking it over to the dealer and trade it in because of the improvements in the new M8 engines. I certainly considered that, but I just didn't feel good about it. I also wasn't keen on the expense of a new bike, so that factored into it.

The guy at the indy also told me how awesome he thinks the T111 is and that, if he could afford it, that's probably what he'd put in his bike. We also discussed sending the crank out to Darkhorse Crankworks and the things we could do to build a custom engine if we went that route.

I do plan on keeping the bike a while. I included trading the bike in as one of the options because, on some level, I guess it still is a possibility. But honestly, I'd rather keep my bike.

Some have mentioned the possibility that it only needs a top end rebuild (or something less). I suppose that is possible, but not something I'm likely to pursue. The bike has 75,000 miles on it. I just don't see doing much of anything to it and stopping short of rebuilding the whole thing. Plus -- I'm not above admitting that I see this as a great rationalization for getting the kind of engine dreams are made of.