If you're like me and have a 00-06 Twin Cam (mine is a 03 FLTRI), you're probably thinking about your camshaft tensioners. Since I first did the modifications to my bike (95"kit / SE Heads / SE203 Cams / Air filter/ Rinehart True Duals /Oil Cooler / EFIRace Tuner) shortly after buying it in 03, I had always been concerned with the stock cam tensioners.

After reading numerous posts on the subject I decided to post my experience with the tensioners. I replaced my tensioners at 37K - Glad I did- my tensioners were on their last legs. I think one more long trip and I would have been in a world of hurt. Interestingly, they both were fairly evenly worn, although the inner looked to be about 85% gone whereas the front was about 70% gone. Mine didn't come apart like some I have seen, but I think as they approach a certain wear, that wear accelerates due to design characteristics and less heat dissipation of the shoes as they wear out.

On final note before I get into the parts list and tools required for the job - I will sometimes ride fairly aggressively here in the mountains of southwest Colorado - i.e. I don't necessarily baby my bike other than changing the oil every 3K and oil and filter every other 3K. In other words, I'm not sure if my riding style contributed to the excessive wear but I thought I'd mention it. Also, since moving to southwest Colorado I have gone back to California several times and that basically involves getting on the highway @ 80+mph for extended periods of time, and sometimes out in the middle of nowhere (Hwy 50 is well known as the loneliest road in America for a reason and often you'll run 150+ miles between services let alone cell phone coverage- in other words, I don't want to be stuck out in the middle of nowhere with a broken bike and this replacement has saved me ton's of worries.

Following is the list of parts I used - virtually all were purchased on e-bay or Amazon and I saved roughly 20% vs dealer list. There are of course many different options out there, but I chose staying with Harley parts (with the exception of the inner cam bearings) as I already had the cams and was familiar with the process from prior experience.

I also included a list of specialty tools (other than the typical tools found in an ordinary Craftsman or Snap- On tool set) below with an explanation of why I chose to purchase some and omitted others.

Harley SE Cam Plate Upgrade

Hybrid Cam Plate Kit P/N25284-11 395.00
Spacer Kit P/N 25285-08 17.00
Install Kit 17045-99D 99.00
Retention Kit 25533-99A 5.00
Timpken Inner Cam Bearings 15.00
(Toss the brgs in the kit)
Misc. (Oil / Filter / Loctite) 35.00

Subtotal Parts 566.00

Tools
Heartland Inner Cam Bearing Puller/Installer 120.00
Harbor Freight Bearing Puller 40.00
Harbor Freight Press 70.00
Camshaft Jigs not used
Camshaft Locking Tool not used

Subtotal Tools 230.00

Total 796.00

I elected not to buy the Harley "Roller Bearing" puller as the Harbor Freight bearing puller was a quarter of the price and functioned perfectly in removing the roller bearing from my existing camshaft (and can be used for other applications around the workshop). Additionally, I did not feel I needed the cam shaft install jigs - anyone with basic mechanical knowledge realizes that when pressing bearings (in or out), alignment of the press ram is critical and this can be achieved with common sense and the appropriately sized socket from your typical 3/8 or 1/2 inch socket set. Also - did not need the camshaft locking tool as you can easily tighten the camshaft and crankshaft gear bolts to proper spec by putting the bike in 5th gear and lowering the bike to the ground.

The Harbor Freight 6 ton press is admittedly not the strongest press but is more than sufficient to press out cam bearings. Additionally, it's already paid for itself when I had to press out and install new driveshaft U-Joints on my wife's Jeep Liberty and daughters Jeep Sport. A nice thing as well is that it's rather small, fits on a typical workbench and stores easily.

Some have questioned purchasing a "use one time" only inner cam bearing puller / installer. It really boils down to an insurance policy. On the one hand you don't have to replace the inner bearings (not recommended as I consider them the other weak link in the camshaft chest and if you're in there why do it half ***). Of course you could rent a blind puller from your local auto parts store, but if you don't get the proper collet or if something goes wrong and the bearing falls apart, you'll be looking to get really really drunk because the hundred bucks you saved just cost you 3 or 4 grand for a motor tear down - i.e. pieces of needle bearing in the crankcase is a very bad thing!!.

One upside to consider when buying these tools is that if you have a fair amount of friends who own TwinCam Harley's like I do, these tools will very quickly pay for themselves. So far they've been used three times and each time the friend that borrowed them reciprocated with a case of Corona or Beck's or a good bottle of Red wine. I figure I should happily approach breakeven sometime next summer.

All in all - I spent 800 bucks (vs the 1350 quote I got from the local dealer), have some extra specialty tools for my workshop, a new high flow oil pump and most importantly peace of mind that comes from the hydraulic tensioners. The process is not that difficult and takes roughly 6 -8 hours depending on your mechanical acumen. The instructions that come with the parts are fairly thorough, however having a factory shop manual is a definite plus. One last thing to consider are adjustable pushrods - if you don't already have them you'll have to remove the rocker boxes and pull the pushrods out of the top of the motor - not an overly difficult operation but it will add a couple of hours to the job.

Hope this helps - I will reply to any questions

 

Where did you order the SE Hybrid Cam Plate from?

Most of the discount HD dealers online that had them for under $400 bucks are Out Of Stock,,, but good ole HD has them for $499.

Surdyke HD does have them for $464

 

"One upside to consider when buying these tools is that if you have a fair amount of friends who own TwinCam Harley's like I do, these tools will very quickly pay for themselves."

I agree 100% . I just completed a 95" build on my Dyna, and my first investment in that job was the inner cam bearing tools. I also updated the cam chest with the SE cam plate w/ hydraulic tensioners and high volume pump, good peace of mind. Also, George's sells the inner bearing install pilot for late model Twin Cams so you don't have to buy the entire tool if you've already invested in the early Twin Cam installer tool. Here's the link ;
http://www.georges-garage.com/tc_engine_2.htm