I need help! I have a stock 2009 Ultra Classic 96CI and planning to do an engine upgrade. I don't know which is the better offer. I want the reliability along with the performance. I really need pulling power while riding two up. I only ride weekends but planning on several 1000 milers in this coming season. The upgrade offer was the 103 Big Bore kit with 255 cams or bore out my cylinders to 103, with piston and pushrod kit w/compression release, and S&S 585 cam. Both will have Master tune TTS and will be Dyno tuned.

Will boring my cylinders set me up for more problems in the future? and what about the S&S 585 cams? I don't know a thing about them except what i read which is i'll need head work to bring it to high compression?

Which is the better deal? THey both are about the same price for the work..

 

the S&S would out perform the 255. I probably would go with the 255, but it would need the compression releases too. All 103's come with compression releases and the 255 builds lots of cranking compression. The 585 has .585 lift and 245 and 260 duration. The 255 has .555 lift and 211 and 235 duration. The 585 would sound very good compared to the 255. I would see if I could get like a SE 204 or a Woods 555 or something .555 or less lift and a duration of about 240 degrees max.

 

Boring used cylinders is actually the best way to go. After riding the bike for 1000s of miles, the heat cycling on the cylinders make them 'set' for life. Go with boring the cylinders by a reputable shop that fits the pistons to the cylinders.

TTS is good to go.

If it were me, if you don't have a street port done, you will not see the full advantages of that 585 cam. A nice mild cam that will work well would be like a set of andrews 54s or the woods 555s. (that is assuming you DO bore the cylinders).

 

The SE 255 cams are better for low end and the 2-up riding your doing. The 585's would be better for solo riding and running your bike at a higher rpm range as the 585's come in later and have less pulling power in the lower rpm range. Don't worry about compression changes with just a cam swap. The compression change will come if you change to higher compression pistons or deck the heads when you do your build. If you don't change the squish in the cylinder your compression don't go up. All the cams can do is dictate when the valves open/close, how much they open/close, and how long they stay open/closed.

Friendly advice? Just swap to 255 cams and make sure your tune is right. If you use adjustable pushrods you won't even have to remove the rocker covers on the install. Plenty of info on here how to do the swap. It's easy and kinda fun. You may find that your very happy with the end result. Then if your still not happy go ahead and do a big bore kit. Nothing to lose as you can still use the same cams if you move forward.

Here is a link to a good video shows how to do the swap too:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=n5KvamRqCis

This thread can and probably will turn into another "mine's the best" thread, so I'll go ahead and start it. FM 107 kit with woods 777 cams and a "B" head job with ported and polished throttle body is the best. But that's only if you want to go all the way....well unless you want to start talking 120r's. Point is there is no "best". It never ends cuz there's always super chargers

 

Another option is the 583 ES, bore your cylinders to 103 or 107. Heres a 106 @ 10:1, 583's. It also had stock heads.

 

Not quite the thing I admit, but my S&S 107" Evo motor has their 585 cam and I have 107TQ peak. Not quite as strong low down as Lonewolf's curve, but close.

 

G man in Sacto has my cylinders, heads and 10.5:1 flat tops right now. I'm setting my Road Glide up with the S&S 585 easy starts. I'll let you know, but everybody tells me the bike will be fast!

 

You will like the 585 ez. They run real nice when set up correctly

 

I am new to the forum, i just had my bike bored to 95' ported and polished heads,10/1 pistons, and 585g cams, I already had d and d fat cats, and stage one breather. Since i had the 95" bore, cams and head work, i cant tell much difference.
Do i need more compression or what

 

I have to respectfully disagree with your comments on the cam change in your first paragraph. When your intake valves close sooner, your cylinder pressure, measured in PSI, will increase. I believe the 255 cam closes the intake valve at 25 degrees ABDC.

Here is a good article by Joe Minton on how it all works together. This was written for taking an TC88 up to a 95.

http://www.americanrider.com/output.cfm?id=1205749