I am looking to build the engine in my 03 Road King. I was thinking about building a 98'. But, after talking to a couple engine builders, I am not sure what to do. Some of the shops told me a 98' would be fine and others said that boreing out for the 98 makes the wall to thin in the jugs. So with that, the said I should stick to a 95' build.

Please, let me know what you would do and who you would deal with....Thanks!

 

I did it and would do it again. Actually 97.####'s Bought Weisco pistons and bored the stock cylinders. So you can't bore them again, big deal. They are on ebay every day std bore for $30-$40 a pair. I had built a 110 plus HP and TQ engine for my 2002 FXDWG3, Daytona twin tech ignition, Woods tw9g cams, Jims roller rockers, 10.5/1 pistons, ported heads, 2 inch intake valves, Mikuni 45mm carb, Jagg oil cooler, best premium fuel you can buy......NEVER did it spark knock. Definately do it again if I had a TC88. Now I have a TC96 in a SG...it will be a 103 plus .020 ...103.####'s big as it can be without case boring.

 

I don't know how many miles you've got on that 03, but are you planning on doing anything to the bottom end? If so, talk to a builder who deals with S&S. They make a 106 inch stroker kit that's pretty wicked. 4 1/2 inch stroke, so the motor doesn't have too much vibration and will last a long time.

 

I was in your same shoes about a week ago. 98 or 95 and after speaking with my indy, steve at gmr and kevin at hq's, I decided to stay with the 95.

after listening to everyones info I came to the conclusion that the 98 is great about 5% more increase in hp and tq. The one thing that stayed in my mind the whole time was that the 98 being pushed to the limits on boring would leave a little "wondering", is something going to happen if it were to get over heated etc.

I just didn't want the "wondering" to be on my mind while I was sitting in traffic or on mainstreet in Sturgis. So I am going with a 95, the little more gain for the 98 was not worth it for me. JMO

Whatever you decide to build go with it and dont look back!! Good luck

I am sure that others will chime in, if you have not yet speak to steve at gmr and kevin at hq's they are walking books of knowledge, they are there to help.

 

I went with the 95" and love it but I'm sure you like the 98" just as much. My gas mileage is the same as when it was an 88", 43 MPG.

 

Just rode mine home tonight.Had a 98" done with head work,S&S 510 cam and gear drive.It's not broke in yet. Only a 100 miles on it.My indy did prelim on the dyno to get a base line.69 hp stock now 93hp 70 lb tq stock now 102 lb tq.Can't wait till its broke in and final dyno and tuned. Should see 97 hp and 107 or110 lb tq. Now that will get your attention.Thats with true duals,if I had 2 to 1's the numbers would be even higher .

 

I also went with a 95".Runs great and the gas mileage increased from 42 to 45.I had mine built for a daily commuter,not too radical.

 

Im building a 95 twin cam for my Evo motored bike. after all the research I did, I decided against the 103/110/117 route. From what I have seen, 95 is the best compromise, increased performance at real world rpms, much better reliability then going bigger, less heat issues then the 96, There are a few builders that I have seen that are getting 100+ numbers with strong midrange grunt. I occasionally romp the bike on around town rides, but for the most part, I put my bike together for long, out of state rides and reliability is a must.

 

First, what are your goals for the bike? Do you want high hp or torque? Will you be riding alot of two up? Do you tour or just bar hop? If you just want some extra torque, do you even need to go big bore? There have been some excellent 88" builds that have made close to 100 ftlbs. A stroker will really wake up the torque across the rpm range. 95" is easy as you can get kts that are balanced matched so all you have to do is swap pistons and bore the cylinders. Also realize that 100 hp/ftlbs is alot on such a light vehicle.

 

I have a 06 road king with a screaming eagle 95 inch motor the bike has 97,000 miles on it with a tuner, my buddy has a soft tail custom with a S*S motor and he has to get a good hole shot to even stay with me, and im not kidding when I say I can under hard acceleration i can left the front wheel when grabbing 2nd gear, increased rear tire to a 180, motor still breaks it loose on command,, and everybody likes the deep tone the bike has,, so I'm huge fan of the 95 inch motor, and I confess the fuel mileage isn't the best, but for a performance bagger im happy.