I have a 2002 Ultra Classic with tru dual Freedom Peformance mufflers, & power comander. The bike has thestock 5 speed in it . I am considering having the 95" big bore conversion done using my stock heads and SE203 cams. I have heard pros and cons regarding the gears drive and chain drive for the cams. I am leaning towards the chain drive due to the quietness and economical factors. I want good power in the lower and mid range. any comments or suggestions?

 

I have this combo, 95" w/203 cams, in my 04 ultra, along with V/H ovals, adjustable pushrods, roller rockers and stage two download. This thing runs great!!! A week ago I decided to check my tensioners, 15000 miles, and the wear was unacceptable! After careful consideration, I went with the SE hydraulic tensioner upgrade. My reasoning was that I am extremely happy with the bikes performance and if I had gone with gear drives, I would have had to change cams, thus I would have had to remap the system, gear drive not available from screamin eagle. Another factor you need to look at is pinion shaft runout, if you have too much, the gear drive option is out the window. An FYI in either case, when you reinstall the cam support plate, becareful when tightening down the bolts, in particular the one on the lower left dowel, its very easy to strip!!!! I did it and wasn't even close to torque, after that I quit using the torque wrench on 1/4-20 bolts, 90-120 inch lbs is way too much, especially where the case is aluminum. Spoke with mechanics at HD shop and they all have stripped this particular hole at least twice. Hope this helps.

 

I had an 05 FLHTI BB with 203 cam ran excellent and very reliable. Scooter would run on any gas I put in it. Was not a hot rod by any means but had great low end and on highway in 5th I'd just roll oon it and pass with out down shifting.

Did SE 95 kit put on 06 stock heads that we milled .020 stock harley gaskets. 9.6 compression use a download only

 

I purchased a '99 FLHRCI with the Stage II 95" kit installed, including SE203 cams and also with power commander and SE slip ons and about 35,000 miles on the clock. Uncertain how long the kit/cams had been installed but the barrels still looked fresh. The bike had what I woudl describe as fair performance and economy. At 40,000 miles on the clock I had the cams checked on suspicion. Tensioners were almost worn through (pretty scary) and lobes on cams were worn! I immediately had them removed and replaced with S&S 510 gear driven cams. Had the bike dyno'd and retuned and ended up with an extra 7HP. Getting exactly the same economy but a VERY noticable increase in power in the mid range (45-50MPH up to 75-80mph). There's a slight whine on deceleration but other wise hardly notice any sound. The thing I like is the extra power and the knowledge that there is no chain or tensioner in there to let go at a bad moment. Very very happy with the outcome.

 

During the build, polished the cam chain, replaced the tensioners, good to go without having to go with the gear drive.

 

Hey, I've heard of this chain polishing. Does it really work? How many extra miles can one expect to see out of tensioners with this?

 

Only time will tell on the polishing but my builder is a firm believer in it. So far, I can't see any wear on the tensioners and no particals in the filter.

 

203 cams are very close to stock. If you are going to change cams I'd suggest having the heads lightly ported (should be about $300), 9.5:1 compressoin pistons, and S&S 575 gear driven cams. You're probably looking at about $600-$700 more, but you won't be sorry in thel long run.

 

The 203's are the cams that come with the pre-packaged SE 95" kit, right? If so, that is the setup I have on my 02 'King and am pretty happy with it. I think my numbers are 88hp and 97tq with just the download. I think I could get better numbers if I got a tuner and spent some time on it, but for a second bike it is all I need.