With the 7 more cubes and a tad more compression, the 103 has about 102 ft. lbs of torque compared to about 89 for the 96.

That would be noticeable to most butt dinos.

 

No. The Factory 103ci has always required the Oil Cooler and Compression Release from the time it was an Option from the Factroy.

 

The 103 power pak includes ABS brakes and Security....not sure if those are options or standard for 2012.

MY 2011 is a Power Pak, and came with the following:

Automatic compression releases
Screamin Eagle Primary compensator
Oil cooler
103 pistons and cylinders

I have since gave up on my quest to keep the engine stock, and added SE255 cams, SE tapered chromoly pushrods, Arlen Ness Big Sucker 2 intake, gutted the cat out of the headtube and added Klockwerk Super saver mufflers, and a Power Commander 5 tuner (PC-V).

~Joe

 

It's a dumb argument either way....and I realized Rhetor wasn't seriously say "7 times bigger". Semantics....but like sales tax, if I add 7.3% to 96 I get 7.008 added to 96 = 103. If I reduce 103 by .932% = 96

 

It seems pretty clear I'm in the minority on this entire topic (which probably means I just don't get it). Raw cubic inches, HP and even torque don't really give you a clear picture to compare the merits of bikes. Yes, typically more cubic inches and HP will yield better performance, but I think these numbers are not meaningful unless you put it into context on where and how you ride, and even more to the point, how you ride your transmission. I typically ride one up at 175lbs; added the oil cooler & mobile 1, solved the heat issue; havn't gotten around to installing Xieds I purchased, but that will solve lean issue. My '07 will in fact pull itself out from under you, but you need to be in the fairly narrow 3500 - 4500 range (redline is 5500; but it will pull smooth to redline). When you are geared up lugging along at 2500 - 2800 it does feel pokey (but it will still accelerate to pass nicely in 6th if I'm above 70-75mph - again everything to do with RPMs), but I grew up on very small metrics and small manual cars, so working the gear box is normal to me. If the world was my oyster for 2012, I would pick a wider torque band as the number one improvement. Cheers, Kevin.

p.s. My sister/brother in law have a Stratoliner which is a few years old - that puppy not only looks great, it totally hustles!!

 

Yeah, the big Yammi twin is a beast.

96 is a good engine. I went with the 103 mainly because I wanted ABS. I also, at the time, wanted to leave the motor stock, and thus beenefit from the extra power. Since then I have cammed it up and did the intake, exhaust and tuning.

I really liked the 88 engine to be honest. Shorter stroke, meaning slower piston speed, and was a very strong motor when cammed right. I had the redline set at 6200 on my old 88, but have left my 103 at 5500. Long stroke engines don't like higher RPM's.

~Joe

 

I was shocked when I put the speedo/combo on last week and it showed a redline of 5500. I had no idea it was that low, except I did have the rev-limiter kick in a couple of weeks ago - was merging in 3rd gear and it was pulling so nice and hard I didn't up shift (purchased the bike about 8 weeks ago). Cheers, Kevin.

 

If it's bigger it usually will run hotter, especially from factory. We get these engines from the MoCo so packed down to meet emissions. You can start modding the 103" to get it to run cooler, get the extra ponies, etc.

What's it matter though? If you want a fast bike you wouldn't be throwing a leg over these overwieght hogs.

 

The thing of it is, though, most guys that were seriously riding back in the 60s and 70s did learn how to work on their bikes, as a matter of necessity. These days, there are guys who own Harleys who take their bikes to the mechanic for everything, even routine oil changes.

 

When I first test drove my 1584cc Fatboy, it really felt underpowered compared to the 1100cc V-star I had been riding the previous week. Took me a couple of days to realize it just had to do with the way the different bikes were geared and to just move higher up the FB's RPM range.

Oh and FYI - this IS America - I want it all: Heritage, Style, Speed, Cornering, Loading carrying ability, Low Maintenance and Dependability. Yes, this is why I will eventually spend more on modifications than I did on the stock used bike. Peace - Kevin.