SE204 cams in a 103
#1
SE204 cams in a 103
Finally got a couple of afternoons free to do a cam swap. After waffling around between SE255's and SE204's, I finally took the advice of a couple of builders I know and trust and went with the 204's, along with SE 1.725 rockers. It was good advice.
The bike pulls hard right off idle, and stays on the cam for a nice long while. They also give the bike a nice mild lope at idle. I also have SE 98-b slip ons over stock headers, SE stage I air cleaner and PCV with autotune. I installed a fresh set of Harley "B" lifters, and re-used the stock pushrods. The bike is slightly louder, but in a good way. It was raining this afternoon after I got everything all buttoned up, so I didn't ride long but did get out for about 45 minutes.
I'd say it definitely picked up torque over stock cams right off idle, and once you're over 2000 rpms, you're ripping right along.
If you're considering bolt-in cams for a 95, 96, or 103, these are worth a look. I could have run them without the high ratio rockers, but they're probably worth an extra 2 or 3 ft/lbs, and since I was always planning on going through the rocker boxes anyway, it didn't add that much more to the overall cost. They make a nice package for the 103 police bikes or Limiteds.
The bike pulls hard right off idle, and stays on the cam for a nice long while. They also give the bike a nice mild lope at idle. I also have SE 98-b slip ons over stock headers, SE stage I air cleaner and PCV with autotune. I installed a fresh set of Harley "B" lifters, and re-used the stock pushrods. The bike is slightly louder, but in a good way. It was raining this afternoon after I got everything all buttoned up, so I didn't ride long but did get out for about 45 minutes.
I'd say it definitely picked up torque over stock cams right off idle, and once you're over 2000 rpms, you're ripping right along.
If you're considering bolt-in cams for a 95, 96, or 103, these are worth a look. I could have run them without the high ratio rockers, but they're probably worth an extra 2 or 3 ft/lbs, and since I was always planning on going through the rocker boxes anyway, it didn't add that much more to the overall cost. They make a nice package for the 103 police bikes or Limiteds.
Last edited by Mike; 05-22-2010 at 01:14 PM.
#2
This is nice to hear. After a big cam debacle, I have a set of 204's waiting to be installed this winter with my SE flat top 103" build. Gonna have some head work done locally to help the breathing. Wasn't planning on adding the 1.725's tho but you never know... Thanks for the update. troop
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The 211's power band is at a higher rpm range. It also needs more compression than stock to get the full benefit of the cam. The 204 would be a much better match for a stock 96. I have a 204 in my Ultra, stock 88", w/SE/AC and 98b slip on's. It wakes it up quite a bit.
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I think the 204's were overlooked for several years while other cams came into favor. I don't think they're ever going to be big with the dyno/barstool racers, but in real world applications, they work very well. The 9.7:1 compression of the 103 motors is right in the sweet spot for the cams, and the high ratio rockers boost the lift to .539, which is still pretty conservative.
I'm all grins today.
I'm all grins today.
#10
I built my 03 Road King to 95 inches a couple of years ago and most head porters that I spoke with said that it was an OK cam but there were better. I ended up going with the 204 after getting a great deal on an old/new set on Ebay. I used KB pistons, had the heads ported by Big Boyz that were decked to give me 9.4:1 compression and it really runs great. I have no problem with starting, ever. Probably because of the 9.4:1. I had been told that this cam is best with 9.7:1 or less to help prevent hot starting problems, so I wanted to be conservative because of some unavoidable low octane, low quality gas I sometimes run into in rural Nebraska. There may be better but seems great for a mild street build.