Same thing happened to me after installing 203 cams in my TC88. Indie mechanic couldn't get it right. Choking down, no power, wouldn't idle. Wound up taking it to the dealer here and they dynoe'd it and the cam gears were out of timing. $385 later, she's screamin...eagle.

 

This is why I am cautious to put cams in my FXDB. I know that 95% of the time things go right, but with my luck I'd be in the 5%. I know you'll get it right though. I am watching your thread for a good ending.

I would like to put SE 255 or the SE 204 into my FXDB. I had an instance this weekend where I had a head wind of 25 mph for about 100 miles, and in 5th I had to rev it out a little more than I like, and in 6th with the head wind. Well, it felt as if the bike had zero power. For the most part I like the stock cams for the way I ride, but in circumstances like this weekend it would be nice to have a little more pull to get through the wind.

 

204's are a good cam,forget the 255,they are obsolete,if you like that kind of bottom,go with Andrews 48's.................and forget gear drives.

 

aligning cams isn't all that difficult, unless of course you're blind. Don't pick an indy just because he's got the lowest prices. Find the one with the reputation for doing good work and standing behind his product. Just downloading a map after doing a cam swap is cutting yourself short of true performance. If you're going to that extent for performance, ya need to get the bike dyno tuned. Very much worth the added expense. Be sure you use an indy who knows what he's doing with the dyno.
A first rate indy in the Virginia area is Skip's Cycles of Winchester, VA. Been in the business for 30 some years.

 

So they were going to give you the bike in that running condition?WOW.
Sounds like they need to do their homework.

 

Yea they kept trying to push me out the door with it running like crap.
I reall dont understand it, they have a really great reputation in the area and have done excellent work for me in the past.

 

o2 sensors backwards? If they are that good they know they must check cam alignment.

 

I have never installed cams before I put SE204's in about a month ago. Very easy to do with the proper tools and if the Indy installed them wrong I would never take my bike to them again. Also it wouldn't hurt to call FM and make sure they sent the right map. I have purchased a few items from them and everything has always been right on the money but like the rest of us they are human and when you are dealing with humans mistakes can happen. I'm sure if it is their mistake they will bend over back wards until they do make it right. This is what sets them apart from a lot of other dealers or vendors.

 

Something's fishy. They're Harley mechanics. They can discern a good-running bike from one that's running bad. No mechanic in the world finishes a job, and doesn't start it up to check things (and 'admire' his work). They told you it just needed to warm up? I'd be curious to talk to the mechanic who actually did the work. Like I said, something sounds fishy.

Alan

 

Would he still have O2 sensors hooked up with a PCV? I thought that, usually, the bike was taken out of closed loop when using a PCV.