TES g Tech Tips For Your ». Harley-Davidson ay Lots Of Evolution Tips - Go Fast Hints Indian And Harley Model History - How To Pick A CamEasyriders TECH TIPS AND TRICKS, Volume III Staff Publisher: Joe Teresi Illustrations By: George DiLucca Editor: Keith R. Ball Whip Cracker: Gregg Daniel Wordheads: Lisa, Clay, Don Assistant Art Directors: Barbara Ward Art Director: Frank Mueller Connie Weaver Special thanks to the staff of Easyriders and our great readers for the information that made this book possible. Easyriders Tech Tips and Tricks is published by Paisano Publications, Inc., 28210 Dorothy Dr., Agoura Hills, CA 91301. (818) 889-8740. © 1992 by Paisano Publications, Inc. Yes, we'll pay for wild, mild, and downright serious tech tips— send ‘em in. Nothing may be reproduced without the prior written permis- sion of the publisher. Single copy price $9.95.Hey, This third issue of Tech Tips and Tricks primarily consists of Tech Tips gathered from the last two years of Easyriders. Since this is the ‘90s and Harleys have changed over the years, this particular book includes a lot of performance modifications, go- fast tips, and tech tips for Evolutions. But it looks back, too, Ydu'll find a number of restoration articles and the latest information on antique models. We revised (‘cause we blew the last one big-time) the Harley-Davidson model history chart, and we've added an Indian model history chart. For you trivia fans, we compiled a complete list of American motorcycle manufactur- ers, including the years they thrived and died. Other models are also covered as well as basic wheel truing, oil pump problems, and disc brake trouble-shooting. If you have an older model putt and want additional info, we still have Volume #2 (with lots of shovelhead stuff) and Volume #1 (the all- around madman’s maintenance manual). And finally, for you tech heads who need everything spelled out for ya, we're working on a Basic Maintenance Manual. We even had to give up beer drinking at lunch to pull this one off. It will cover bikes from stem to stern. Keep an eye out. We may be done with it before I retire. Th it. 'd like to thank all you wrenches who helped with ideas and articles, all our astute contributors, and George DiLucca for his entertaining art. Enjoy. —Banditreased Contents Engine & Trannies Low Buck Oil Filter System: Oil Pump Blues... Exhaust Pipe Tuning. Big Twin Primary Oiling System ‘65 to ‘84 . io Custom Dynamic Balancing... Get Some Head— 4-Valve Heads FXRS Hop-Up_ z Blown Head Gasket Blues Spray Lubricants . Tappet Trivia S&S Super Carb Overhaul. Dashin’ Duo Point Saver. Bulletproof Cases... Low-Buck Valve Spring Spacing 1991 Cam Guide .. Stabilizing Transmission Case Tech Head Tech Assembly Tech Early To Late Clutch Conversion .. Electrical Cranking Circuit Modification Barstow Battery Fix... Chassis Springer Project Lowering FAR High Bars .. Raking the FXR .. Fat Rears . Custom Frames . Swedish ingenuity 80 Spoke Wheels . Speaking Spoke.. Tools Bearing It All. Proportioning Brakes. Prescription For Anemic Brakes. Sheet Metal Seat Tech.. Painting At Home Sportster Belts Fender Action Wrench Bench .. Painting Blues Brand New Bag Gettin’ Bagged Clutch Adjustment Wrench Cylinder Base Tools. Grinding Suck It Garage Security Painting Blues . Towing Tech. More Garage Security The Almighty Answer . History Restoration Project .... HO History. HO Chart. Indian History. Indian Chart Springer Tech.. Motorcycle Manufacturers List. New Parts For An Old Friend Restoration Blues .. SeDYNOMOMETER - SUPERFLOW LOCATION - VMO Products, Marion, OHIO DATE - 8/24/00 ENGINE - Stock Bore & Stroke 80 cu in. Evolution TEST - MAXIMUM HORSEPOWER RESULTS - 103.1 TRUE H.P. @ 6500 RPM using ported heads, SIFTON Camshaft, VELVA TOUCH litters, DELL'ORTO 40 MM DUAL THROAT carbureior, SUPERTRAPP exhaust system, DYNA IGNITION. Stock pistons. Truly a high performance bolt on kit. Suggested ist excusing head wor) US. 106025. ghana tet a We're proud to be name droppers. WANDREWS FR axe an ) ATER NT pynaTeHn ne name ae CS RANE aims* dust a few performance names in stock. RIVERA engineering 6416 South Western Avenue White, CA 90606 (310) 692-8944» Fax (310) 699.9943 Orders Only (800) 872-1515, PRIMO BELT DRIVEL ‘SEND $7.00 for the cambination Rivera/Primo 1992 Catalog ne gi cibeWe®Low-Buck Oil Filter System Pots Mark Cen We aie a bit on this standard oil filter \V-twin charcoal surprise, as it requires ‘mounting bracket about 10 years ago. 10 psi oll pressure to open the flow gate. But it still works (Iran one on a “48 pan Surely we know that the Big Twin just for over a decade, the engine never ‘can't maintain that figure at idle—or in gave out), and is still one of the Phoenix. simplest ways to keep your en- Besides theeasy access, itadds ginealive. Youalsomay betired about 3/4 quart to capacity (de- of the ol in-the-tank-system pending on the filter you use), ‘of poor filtration. Or maybe provides a bit of extra cool- you just purchased a cus- ing, and looks trick. Forthose tom tank without an oil of you who are employed, filter. Whatever the rea- ‘you might like to go for a son or need, here’s the Moroso chrome filter and way to ease your pain Russell anodized fittings forlessgreenthan you'd and stainless lines. I pre- spend on a box of 44 fer a Fram brand, paint it magnum rounds. black and run 3/8-inch A remote oil filter hoses off the return side adapter (Trans Dapt P/N 1028) is available at your local auto parts store or speed shop. It's made of cast aluminum, tapped for standard brass fittings, and has three mounting holes. As of this writing, thelist pricewas $8.91 plus tax, if any. It accepts the Chrysler V8spin on filter, either short ‘or long. CAUTION: Never use a brand having to change the oil and filter every which has a pressure reverse flow valve (look 3,000 miles . . . ‘cause ya got no more inside)! This little monster will giveyoua excuses, Troll cooler if ya got one) and home again. Pictured is a “no frills” model, installed on Carl's ‘75 FLH. If ya don’t happen to like this mounting, the rubber horn bracket works, or invent your own, Check the clearance. Now you'llhave toquitsnivelin’ aboutOil Pump Blues EPA-Approved Oil Pump Service Tech by Thompson ‘0¢s your garage looklikethe Exon, Valdez berths there? Is your ol’ lady threatening to amputate cer- tain body parts if you don't stop track- ing oily bootprints ‘cross the floor? Maybe payin’ some attention to your Hog's olling system would eliminate these hassles. Repairingleaks sn’twhat we're talking about here, We're goingto be curing problems in the heart of your engine's lubrication system: the oil pump. Harleyengines sometimes exhibit the nasty trait of puking oil out the breatherpipe when they're started— quite unaccept- ablebehavior at best, Even the sleekest Hog is fa sorry sight parked over a mound of Speedi-Dry. In ‘almost alleases, this can be traced to one of several prob: lems, which are all within the oil pump itselt Most folks don’t realize that, although the basic design breather it means there's oo much ol Inthe crenkease Thismay be caused by Sueul several poseubaldsecntatneal pump. or sinply overiing with O You thst understand that there's no apprelcbleancumttodloctuay stored inthe erankense The ol belong nthe oll tanked thes ore thes ew (a es fie there something rironge Wee sumping” Is the Seon tera ey Dean es "a ai ut othe oat tank ond imo ae crank, Sten the eaves nig. The side’ of the prukgctie to hantte the em coos olla sartan scaSaneus enon issomewhat archaic, H-Doilingsystems Bblows it out through the breather sys- are quite complex. They rely on a deli- cate balance of pressure and scavenge pumps, crankcase pressure and breather timing to supply oil to the en- gine (and primary drive on some mod- els) and to scavenge (return) it back to the oil tank. When an engi loses oil at the temandontothe ground, We'regoingto talk about how to keep that oil in the tank. Overilling, which is more common than you'd think, happens quite easily For example: You decide you want to go foraSunday morningputt: Yougooutto the garage, roll the bike out, and check 6 Pro the oll. What's this? Down 2 quarts! Oh, well, I guess the engine's just showing. it'sage. Youtop offthe oiltankand away ‘you go. Only now there are 6 quarts in there instead of the 4 that belong there: ‘The missing 2 quarts weren't burned off like you thought, they were actually hiding in the crankcase, where they'd slowly drained downtowhile your scoot was sitting in the garage. Correcting this used to be easy: almost all older models had drain plugs which could be removed to drain excess oil. On current models, though, only the XL has a drain plug. Ifyou think you have an overflling situation, drain 1 quart from the oil tank and operate the vehicle for afew miles. The oll pump, which enjoys. ‘a substantial scavenge/feed volume ra- tio bias, will gradually bring the oil back up into the tank where it belongs. If the tank fills right up to the top again, you may need to repeat the procedure until the oil level stabilizes and you can then {il to the proper level. The defects in the oil pump, which ‘can cause wet-sumping are: poor seal- ing at the feed side check ball (dirt present or damaged bal/seat), a loose idler gear shaft in the pump body, and a leaking oll seal at the pump drive shaft. Anyone (oracombination) ofthese will allow the oil held in the tank and feed side of the pump to slowly drain down into the crankcase. Note: Aithough these procedures are shown being performed on a °68-80- style Big Twin oil pump, they are d- reetly applicable to both later Big Twin pumps and 1976 and earlier XL pumps. Now let's get to the heart of the mat- ter: checking and correcting the pos- sible defects we've mentioned,Servicing the oil feed check ball can be done simply, and usually without removing the pump. A high percentage ‘of problems can be cured here without fgoinginto the pump (refer to photo #). The first step Is to obtain two H-D #8873 check balls (these replace the previous ‘tee! ball, H-D #8866). Drain the oil from the tank or pinch off the feed hose close tothe pump. Remove theplugand spring above the check ball. Remove the oil check ball by fishing it out with a mechanic's pocket magnet. Clean out the oil and debris from the check ball cavity. Drop in one of your new check balls and, using a steel drift punch and small hammer, give the ball a sharp rap to *seat”itinto the pump body. Not too hard! Ifyou give it the gorilla treatment, you'llend up buyin’ anew pumpRemove this ball and throw it away. Install the other new ball and reassemble. If prob- Jems persistyou'IIhavetotakethe pump off to lap in the check ball seat and/or check for other problems. ‘Lapping in the check ball seat is a fairly easy procedure, butitrequiresthe fabrication ofa simple, special tool (see photo 2). Weld a new check ball and a piece of steel welding rod together as shown. A piece of rubber hose slipped over theend makesthe tool much easier to use. Coat the ball end with very fine lapping compound and lap the pump body's valve seat (just like lapping a valve seat in a cylinder head) until an unbroken lapped band appears all the way around the seat. Clean the pump thoroughly. Remove all traces of lap- ping compound. Repeat the seating pro- cedure performed previously with two new check balls. ‘Your next stepisto check the pump’s idler gear shatt for fit in the body. This part has a press (Interference) fitin the body. You should not be able fo move ita ail using hand pressure or even with a light tap on the end with a small hammer. ‘See photo 3. Repairing a loose idler gear shaft can be done easily by using this procedure: Clean the pump body and shaft thoroughly (remove al ol! from ‘mating surfaces of shaft and body). Using high-strength Loctite, assemble the shaft to the body. Be sure the ends of the shaftare perfectly lush orbelowthebody’s gasket surfaces or it may bottom against the crankease or pump cover surfaces ‘when you assemble your pump. al See photo 4. Use the idler gears as aligning tools: Sip'em fon the shaft just enough to ‘makesurethatit'sstraightand square in the body while it's ‘curing. Allow t to cure for several hours. Becertain therels noLoctite between the gears and theshaft or you will end up with everything glued to- gether—not good. This is areliable (and. cheap) fixwhendone properly.l'veused it many times and have had excellent results. Replacing the pump's drive shatt oil seal is fairly simple, but the pump body shouldalways beremovedtodoit. Besure thesealinglipof the seal facestowardthe feed gears (see photo 5, which shows thesealinglipside ofthe seal). Checkthe pump’sdriveshaft orwearand/orscoring Use a machinist's fine India stone 10 remove burrs around the shaft’s retain- ingring groovesand keywaystoprevent damaging the new seal when in- stalling the pump body over the driveshatt. Oil pump gaskets aren't a good place to choose to save cash. High back and forth up ‘and down the pipe. If this bounce can be timed correctly, it will leave a vacuum at the exhaust valve in time for the exhaust valve to open (which helps get the exhaust flow started again). Back pressure in- creases the intensity of the pulse and decreases its ability to create the vacuum, The more the back pressure, the less the pulse or bounce. ‘There are several ways to achieve this reversion tuning. One way is to use the correct pipe diameter, muffler flow rate, and system length for your engine combination. Another method Is the use of a “reversion dam” at some point in your exhaust system. What's a reversion dam? It's a “step” In the exhaust system that allows a smooth flow by it on the way out, but interferes with a reverse flow. A reversion dam can be placed almost anywhere in your exhaust system, but Proto best results are usually obtained when it’s situated near the head. Drag Specialties distrib- utes Python Pipes with a dam built in. Another way to boost your exhaust flow is with a 2-nto-Isystem. But, again, the system you use must match up to your whole engine package. The 2into-1 system uses the exhaust flow fof one pipe to create a vacuum in the other. However, timing this vacuum pulse to happen when it's needed is “designed in” by the manufacturer. Some use equal length pipes, some use unequal length pipes. Supertrapp, RB, and Arlen Ness build this type of system, Some are adjustable, some arent. ‘What works? They all wil ‘we've been emphasizing, the other ‘components of the engine match up with each other. © ‘engine These syetome alec, and ferent sie primary tubes u ‘ious engine sites and cane, Photo B: Suprtrapp uses egal length primary tubes, witha ventur-ypeBig Twin Primary Oiling System "65 to ‘84 By Keith Ruxton nyonewho'shada965-1984BIg Pi ivrvescicnriat ovarect the fac that these Bice hd a primary cling sytem tat used motor Silt the pray ease to abe thechainandanytingelsein there Thisas eter than the tolls Inthod used on’ tan ener model Dutt inveduced ane probe Motorola the sealed, amin primary wasnt a ad ieate fact Mra twas bak tre the en de however was, Cbalnandeproct Sear partilesand dust irom tnecutch plates are washed out ofthecase and Fe backtothe engine wth no tering ofthe ol This usualy results Ine Gced engine Ile at best, oF I you tren 96 lly, you had an engine weld itself together when a starter ring gear tooth broke off (because the en- The problem was solved on later models when the factory sealed up the primary gine was getting harder and harder to start) and found its way tothe oll pump. This problem was solved on later ‘models when the factory sealed up the primary and gave it its own oil supply. This can be done to the earlier models also, but because of the clutch being a “dry" clutch the oil level must be kept atalower level. Thelevelis determined with the bike on its side stand and should have oil just touching the outer edge of the clutch basket for dry clutch models The operation to seal your primary is reasonably simple. You need to plug the oil feed hose. The simple proce- dure is to slice the small line at the oll pump and plug it. Take the remainder ofthe small line and leaveit open hang- ing down out of the way behind the primary. This line then becomes the primary vent, hanging lets it vent with- out catching water or dirt, or allowing it access to the clutch and chain. ‘The primary vent, which isattached 2 The wae hat ermtothe center of the primary, is T'd into anoll vent line at theoll bag. Take the T out and splice the line from the en- gine to the oil bag. Plugthe line into the primary by removing the fitting and using a pipe plug. ‘The last puppy is the return line at the lower rear of the inner primary. This line needs to be plugged at both ends. Use an 1/8inch pipe plug in the primary and cut the h the fitting off the en; pump and braze it closed. Or, you can leave a small length of line on the fit- ting, run a 3/8inch bolt into it and clamp it with a hose clamp. If stumbled through any portion of, the above, just remember that all the lines to the engine must be plugged, along with the center and lower rear holes tothe mary. The only hole = lettopenisthe small one toward the front ofthe primary. Incidentally, if you don't have an electric starter ring gear fon your clutch basket, you might as well stop reading. The ring gear is ‘what throws oll on the chain Te tried many different types of ol from 10w30t0 7O-weight,andhavefour that the best oll to go with isthe same type thatthe factory is currently using. Irs alight gear oil that the chain seems to like better than motor oll Next, you'll find that with more ofl in your primary, your “dry” clutch will beginto slip under power and drag (or not release as well ater awhile). The cure is to use a Barnett “Wet or Dry’ plate set. Nothingtoit. © u F z i iCustom Dynamic Balancing The Solution To Engine Vibration By Bob Pickett The benefits of having your flywheel assembly dynamically balanced are: 1)smoother operation (less vibration) 2) longer bearing life 3)moreusable horsepower 4)higher rpm (usually more important in racing ap- plications) Although vibration can come from tires, wheels, brake discs, etc.,the majority of vibration inaV-twin comes from the engine. This occurs in two areas: torque vibra- tion and vibration from the rotating mass unbalance, Torque vibration is caused by the engine firing on the power stroke, The amount of vibration varies with the en- gineload; the greaterthe load, the more severe the power impulse, the greater the vi- bration. As the cylinder fires, the pistonis forced down and at the same time the cylinder head is forced up. (Newton's Law: for every action there is an equal and opposite reac- tion.) Sincethe cylinder head Is fastened to the crankcase, and thecrankcasels fastened to the motorcycle frame, the result is vibration. For example: 6,000 rpm is 100 power cycles per second = torque vibration, ‘The second source of vibration is the rotating mass of the flywheels. The rotat- ingmassistheto- tal weight of the rods, pistons, rings, and com- plete flywheel assembly. A rotating unit that Is in perfect, balance rotates: concentrically around the cen- terline of the axis of rotation. A rotating unit that is not in perfect balance tends to rotate in an elliptical (egg shaped) manner, around the center line of the axis of rotation, with the elongated por- tion of the ellipse at the point of unbal- ance. The more unbalanced, the more exaggerated the ellipse. Of course, the elliptical movement caused by the un- balance is restrained by the bearings. It Thies te weight racing componente fore pit ends erode follows that the greater the elliptical mo- tion of the flywheels, the greater wear on the bearings. For example, as the speed of the engine doubles, the amount of force, per revolution, created by unbal- The closer your flywheel assembly is to perfect balance, the less vibration you will have ance tends to increase by an approxi- mate factor of four. Example: | ounce inch of unbalance at 2,000 rpm creates approximately 7 pounds of force per rpm (One ounce inch of unbalance at 4,000 rpm creates approximately 30 pounds 2 of force per rpm. ‘One ounce inch of unbalance at 8,000 rpm creates approximately 120 pounds of force per rpm. Unbalance is typically ex: pressed in ounce inches (oz n.). This means 1 ounce inch is equal to 1 ounce (28.35 grams) of unbalance at a Finch radius. IF it takes “X" amount of xpm to generate “X" amount of horsepower for an engine with unbalance; it follows that it will take less horse- power to generate the same rpm with a balanced engine, because you are not losing horsepower overcoming the effects ofthe unbalance. Rea- sons three and four for hav- ing the flywheel assembly custom balanced—more horsepower and higher 1pm. So what does this really mean? Typically, the closer your flywheel assembly is to perfect balance, the less ve brationyou'llhave. By balanc- ing correctly and accurately, the vibration produced from therotatingmasscan, inmost cases, be greatly reduced 1 really don’t know what the balancing tolerance (to what accuracy) the stock Harley-Davidson fiywheelassemblyis bal- anced at the factory, Rumor has it that they balance by an average weight of components, then apply that formula to all engines. Some shops try to bal- ance to 5ounce inches. However, our shop bal- ancestheHarley flywhee! assem- bliestolessthan S ounce inches. To put itanother way,.5 ‘ounce inches of balancing tolerance is 3.336 grams placed on the out eteroftheflywheels (note:a$1 bill weighs 1 gram). It is especially important to have the flywheel assembly custom balanced ifTi demote eng edo ee Sie you have cut down or lightened the fly- ‘wheels, lightened the crank pin, changed pistons, putin different rods, or stroked or destroked the crank. For example: L's say that the engine isin good bal- ance but you want to go with a bigger piston. The new pistons, rings, pins, ete ‘weigh 100 grams more, each, than the pistons you took out, This would mean that the flywheels would be out of bal- ance by 62 grams (82 oz. in.) at the ‘outside diameter of the flywheel assembly. Why custom balance your modified Harley- Davidson flywheel as- sembly? The obvious advantage is that the flywheels are balanced for the exact compo- nents you are using in yourengine. You'llalso have the smoothest running scoot on the block Procedure for bal- ancing the Harley fly- wheel assembly 1. Flywheels should be “trued” to within 001 inch. (be sure the crankpin nut locks and screws are installed if they are used), 2. Weigh the follow- ingonagram scale: ro- tating ends of the rods (crank pin ends) and bearings, reciprocating end of the rods, pistons, pins, rings, and locks (re- ciprocating weight). 3.Assemble the “bob- weight” properly on the fly- wheel assembly. 4, Set up the balancing ‘machine for the flywheels. 5. Balance the flywheels to 5 ounce inches or less. ‘There is one more item that needs to be discussed, one that makes balancing an unexact science. Recip- rocating mass is the weight of the elements that move up and down—the top end of the rods, the pistons, wrist pins, and rings. The rotating mass is made up of the wheels, pins, and lower end of the rods. Balancing the up-and- down weight against thero- tatingweight is tough. Ifthe pistons and rods were al- ways extended (or at 100 percent) it would be no problem. The counter-bal- ance at the opposite end of the ly wheels could always compensate for Inti ptt, ato pels, ith Bobweightin lcs stale the Dlreog machine. Inbalance. Unfortunately, as aV-twinrolls through its cycle, itis constantly chang- ing. Think about it. When the piston is ovis bobwaiahiiswsniiod on te ean halfway up the cylinder the counter-bal- ance is at 90 degrees, Unfortunately, you can’t vary the balance factor while the engine is running. Consequently, engines ‘are balanced at varying percentages from 52 to 56cependingon theap- plication or the rpm range the bike will be run at. Street bikes and drag bikes vary. We bal- ance street bikes at 52 percent. Engines de- signed for top-end run- ning are balanced at 56 percent. “It should be noted that we are assuming the balancing work will be done on electronic balancing equipment, by ashop experienced in precision balancing. For more information, contact: Bob Pickett, Pre- cision BalancingCo, 448 N. Holmes Ave. India: napolis, IN 46222, (317) 6992712. Pts John Wassorsepower Does a oi Saree ara Pu ea Ons poner ea es cod Ryo arenicry ae a eid Poe is eene pees pane MILES hot tip to keep you fro TPC CNM MLC hc 92 horsepower! All for just a litte over two grand w Pee ein ete aS fore ake ner eer ae Ree ers roc You get what you want. More useable power. You get what Petes eet min aot aro) Why take fong shots with your cash? Put your money on RevTech high-performance from Custom Chrome. I's a Er mccain eat Pe ee FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL Pe her ote aa ae eee oresGet Some Head Feuling-Rivera, 4-Valve, Per Cylinder, Heads That Is... So. youwanttogo fast. Well, theseheads willmake it happen. Stock engines with 4- valve heads are outrunning strokers. It's common knowledge that making a Harley breathe is the first step to making horsepower. In 986 and 1987, Jim Feuling designed a4-valve, per cylinder, head for ‘an automotive engine. The car ran 280 mph at Bonneville that year. Ultimately, Feuling developed a marketing relationship withRivera Engineeringwhichhas grown aroundthis project over the last three years. Feuling developed his design from air- craft A-356 aluminum to fit the Big-Twin Harley-Davidson Evolution Engine. ‘They're all American. But performance is what we'reaiter. Aset ofthese heads will take a stock, 60-horsepower engine and bump it to 95 horsepower. With optional parts, thedyno pushes theneedle higher. ‘The heads have a more efficient com- bustion chamber. The spark plug is mounted in the center of the head. This burns the fuel more efficiently and also ushes the piston straight down. ‘The Intake ports (photo 2) feature a fairing that streamlines the fuel to thecylinders. By increasing the valve area by 26 per- cent they have increased the intake flow by 25 percent. Logically, the more fuel the more power. But exhaust must escape rapidly to complete the formula (exhaust ports (photo 3) are high speed and volume) up to 450 feet per minute at optimum rpm. ‘The results are: better performance, Improved response and efficiency, and reduced heat transfer at the heads. ‘American-manufactured parts include: stainless valves, nicklechrome-moly valve seats, silicon aluminum bronze valve guides, and special rocker arms and pushrods, The rocker arms (photo 4) use a neat item called a swivel foot adjuster. Basi- It's common know- ledge that making a Harley breathe is the first step to making horsepower cally, itooks like a ball bearing witha flat spot on it. When you adjust the valves, the flat spotmakes contact withthe valve stem, When the rocker arm moves to push the valve down, the flat spot stays in contact with the valve stem through- ut its travel. When we received this ini- tial set in our shop, HMW, the crew went nuts inspecting every facet of Feuling’s workmanship and design, ‘The heads were being installed on a new engine, not in the frame. Installing them inthe frame should beno problem, though. Because these heads produce horse- power and increased compression, it is important that the rest of the engine is in good condition. Prior to ordering a set of these heads you need to give some consideration to ‘several things: 1. They do not come with an exhaust system, 2. Due to the design of the exhaust port, stock exhaust cannot be used. 3. Depending on year and model, most exhaust systems are available from Rivera. Inmy caselorderedaset of pipes and flanges—unassembled.Imadesome minor modifications, welded them, and had ‘em chromed. They work fine. 4. The engine performs best with a sys- tem called AntiReversionary. It should also be noted in some instances the rear exhaust may not want to go in or out without slight modification to flange and ‘one fin, Rivera has said they are modify- ing the fin on future production heads. 5. Aspecial cam is also offered as an extra cost option. ‘These heads will work with a stock, 49- state cam and hydraulic lifters, but itis, recommended nottorun the engine over 5000 rpm. 6. If the engine is revving over 5000 rpm, aset of semi-solid adapters must be installed in the hydraulic lifters. 7. Il you plan to exceed 5500 rpm, the stock ignition will need to be replaced. ‘Though there are many good Ignition systems available that will remove the rev limitation, | recommend the Dyna S Single Fire—although special advance weights and timing must be used. 8, Asking questions and making sure you havealll the correct parts at the time ofyour order will makethejob goquicker and smoother. 9, Almost any carb will work. 'm run- ninga45DCOEDual Throat Weber and am very happy with it. The other two bikes we've installed the 4-valve heads on are runningS &Scarbs, including a92-incher. 10, Adual carb 40mm Dell ‘Orto single throat system is soon to be available. Itested this setup and it performed well ‘There was a minor problem with the carbs returning to idle, but the problem was corrected. 11. Naturally this isa new innovation and destined to be tested with every cam/carburetor/ignition formula avail able to Big Twins. 12 If you decide to get a set of these heads, here's some advice: They.» come with a video and a set of written instructions. Read the in: structions, watch the video, watch the Video again andusetheinstructionsheet while assembling. 13. Though assembly is not dificult, a lotwilldepend on your experience. Ifyou have ever changed a Evo head itis about the same. But it's not just bolting parts together. You may want to have a quali- fied shop or mechanic do the job. Of course, a clean place and proper tools are a must Assemby 1. Following the procedure in the HarleyManual, removetthe stock heads, being careful not to disturb the cylinder base gaskets (unless you're gong to re- place the pistons or rings). Retain cylin: Gers to cases using lat washers and old head bolts. 2.Very carefully. and{ollowinginstruc- tions, useadialindicatortofindtop dead ‘center of the front piston (photo 5). Ro- tate the engine backwards and carefully stamp new timing marks in the flywheel! as instructed (photo 6). Rotate engine forward until rear cylinder isontop dead center oncompressionstroke. Install tim ing marks. '3 Important: At this time, you must check to see ifthe rear exhaust header pipe canbeinstalled with thehead firmly Inplace.fany modifications are needed, now is the time to make them 4.Note: Thehead comes withtwohead bolts and washers installed. When in- stalling the other two head bolts and washers, pay attention. Washers are not flat and must be installed correctly—flat side down, raised side up. Usenever-seize on threads and afew drops of oil between. head bolt and washer, These steps are critical to get proper torque Though assembly is not difficult, a lot will depend on your experience 5. Use a good torque wrench and tighten head bolts in proper sequence. Go slowly and equally. Do not torque over 35 ft/Ibs. Prior to installing rocker boxes, swivel the foot adjusters on right side of the motor. They need to be set to 100 on all rocker shafts (photo 4). Left side adjusters need to be backed off at this time, 6. Install O-ring in rocker box , being sure theringis seated and not rolled, Use a good O-ring lubricant and coat liber- ally. Install pushrods and follow instruc- tions for installing rocker boxes. Care must be taken that the flats of adjusters arein contact with top of the valve stems. Double check and torque rocker boxers t0.20ft. Ibs. If you're using stock liters, they should bleed downina few minutes. Do not turn the engine over until they have and tur freely using two fingers. If you'veused thesemi-solid adaptersthey may take longer to bleed down or may not bleed down enough. (On this installa- tion we had to readjust the right side adjusters to .095 before the pushrods would turn freely.) tis not unusual—pay attention. 7. Once pushrod turns freely, adjust left side adjuster as instructed, Go slow— 6 ‘good feelforcontactis important. Squirt some oil on both adjusters and valve stem and adjust other valves in the same manner. Use same procedure on front cylinder prior to Installing rocker cov- ers. It Is suggested you wet sand the gasket surfaceonrockertop cover, using a piece of glass or other known flat sur- face. All three engines we worked on showed signs of minor seepage prior todoing his. Cement the gasket tothe rocker cover only at this time, Rivera had originally suggested only cementing it to the cover but has since suggested ‘cementing both sides. The reason | sug- gest this is that you'll be able to remove the cover without destroying the gasket (if you need to go back and make minor adjustments). 8. Ino seepage shows after you have some miles on the engine, leave it alone, Itt does, it’s no big thing to remove the covers and reseal. Once you seal both sides of the gasket, order another set to have handy should youneed them inthe future. 9. Prior to installing the intake mani- fold runners, Inspect carefully for any defects. Install O-rings and, usinga good O-ringlubricant, carefully install into the head making sure they are fully seated, 10.Prior to installing intake plenum, inspect runner surface, lubricate O-rings, and very carefully slide them onto mank- fold runners. If O-ring starts tocomeout of the groove or restriction is felt stop andinspect.{f O-ringcomes out of groove, a very small amount of Super Glue may be used to hold it in place. Care must be taken that the glue does not get on outer surface where it mates to plenum, If ple ‘num goes all the way in, inspect inside and outside surfaces to be sure O-ringis properly in place and did not get cut. An intake leak will cause one or both cylin. ders torun lean and possibly burnahole ina piston. If you have a problem, you may have to lap the plenum. We had to do this on two out of three jobs.11, Remove runners from head and re- move O-rings. O-rings on runners to ple- ‘num will be destroyed when you do this. Make sure all of the old O-ring is out of the groove. Use standard valve lapping com- pound and coat surfaces. Work the ple- num back and forth until your surfaces mate. It is a good idea to mark mated surfaces. Clean thoroughly, removing all lapping compound. Now is the part of the Job we did not think ahead about. We needed another set of O-rings. Regular delivery UPS, from California to Florida, was one week. Overnight delivery costs 05,plusthe price ofthe O-ring, of course. Though the service from Rivera is great, Iwasn't happy with their O-ring and g ket prices. 12. After lapping and installing new O- rings, plenum should slide in smoothly. ‘The plenum Is held to runners with re- taining rings. Prior to installing on carb side, you either need to install a bottom carb bolt or put a stud in the carb. With your ring in place, you can't get a bolt in the bottom hole, Alter double checking everything, we fired the engine. Double check the tim- ing and make your final adjustments to the carb. You may also want to check your brakes at this time—you're goingto need them. The engine came on strong and smooth. The biggest problem I had. was dealing with the slow break-in miles on the engine before I could really lean on the throttle to see what it would do. Alter the novelty of torque and horse- power wore off, | also noticed that the engine ran very smoothly at all rpm and at speed. Looking in clear mirrors at 90, mph is a compliment to this system. ‘Thanks to Dennis Mitchell—HMW, West Melbourne, Florida, for the use of the shop and help with installation. Also thanks to Jim Feuling and Rivera Engl neering for technical assistance, —Rogue For further information or assistance ‘you can contact: Rivera Engineering, 6416 S. Western Ave., Whittier, CA 90606, (213) (692-8944, or Rogue, HMW, 2330 W. New Haven Ave., West Melbourne, FL, 32904, (407) 723-0026. «i | hh OS : i "7 ALL LOCKED UP, AND NOWHERE cea vey Pees iast ORDER TOLL FREE ile aed OR FAX YOUR ORDER WAS US El}FXRS Hop-Up Theories And Philosophies On Performance From Carl Morrow By Wrench T hisis the last—except for some detail work—major stage of the development ofthis 1990 FXRS. The goal: street perfor- mance without risking reliability. Riding habits include a tremendous amount of time on freeways. However, it doesn't ‘mean constant top- end running, Due to growingcongestioninthisarea, theaver- age freeway speed is less than 50 mph. ‘The performance was then designed to smack the pavement at mid-range (30 The new SAS shar, Eseries car, wth 1-1nch venta, mph), and pull strong to 80 mph. Yet the bike needed to handle low speeds, split- ting lanes, and dodging cars in parking lots without stalling. ‘The hop-up location was Carl's Speed Shop in Santa Fe Springs. Carl's shop is, ‘organized and pristine. He’s been 17 years in the same town. Carl's also an avid, successful drag racer (his 20-year-old son, Doug, regularly punches an 89.inch Sportster through the quarter-mile inthe 10s). Carl also holds a couple of Bonneville (Salt Flats) records and is bullding a bike for The Salt this season. The $850, quick street kit includes: ‘$85 adjustable pushrods, S&S Shorty Carb (E-Series, 1 7/Sinches), Accel Mega- Fireignition, Andrews EV-3cam, Andrews High Output coil and wires, and Carl's adjustable-baffled exhaust system. In- stalled, the operation costs $1350. This is a proven system, one of many ‘on the market today. I hope to explain thereasoningbehind every modification, so this system can be applied to any bike—all the way back to pans. Then, we'll get to some specifies re- garding the installation of this particular system. Adding the right elements to your motor, without taking the heads off, can increase performance by asmuchas 33 percent and take an FXR through the quarter at 12,50—doing over 106 mph—with only the baffles removed (which is part of the benefit of this exhaust system). The baffles can be adjusted or completely removed easily. Let’s start with the 1 7/8- inch, S&S Series E carb. This carb was developed over the last five years through S85, Smith Brothers research— they've done a fine job. The choke mechanismis very effi- cientand easy to adjust while ‘going down the road. In adat tion, the accelerator pump is highly adjustable and works well. This unit is much more efficient and compact than many carbs, Butseveralcarbs willenhancethe performance ofastock bike, these include: SU, Dell ‘Orto, or Screamin’ Eagle, you name it. But each one has its idiosyncrasies or performance varia- tions, This carb was installed with a29.5 intermediate jet and a 68 main jet. ‘The exhaust system was designed by Carl to be equal in length, and afford the ‘engine enough backpressure toenhance horsepower (by assisting with the fuel velocity), while moving the exhaust out of the engine quickly, at the right time. “Drag pipes are out,” says Carl Morrow, the owner and master machinist. “They don't function well except on drag bikes. ‘They make engines hard to tune and don’t give riders any mid-range. Like a light switch, they're either off or on.” ‘The ignition came from Accel. This MegaFiremoduleis adjustable in several aspects: amount of advance, rpm level for advancetotake place and rev limiting capabilities. it seems technical, but it's not. The advance rolls on before 2000 rpms and the rev limiter is an engine saver, unless you're only aiter top-end ona |/4mile strip of asphalt. The stock revlimiter shuts the enginedown at 5250. ‘The pty te compononts ht make p Cas Gat or Eon Open it up, and the engine will spin to 7000 plus, but it’s dangerous to the ‘engine's internals. An Evo can easily rev to 6200, and that’s where I had it set (after removing the limiter altogether for ashort while, which is possible with this module). One of the problems with re- ‘moving the limiteris over-revvingduring amissed shiit, which can cause the valve collars to smack the seals and cause the bike to smoke. Secondly, | was running my revs way too high (going too fast) Anything in the area of 6800 is beginning to wear the engine disproportionately Some modification is fine. With this ac- justable module, altering the curve for the drags is just a flip or two of a switch. Generally, adjustable pushrods sim- plify one function—replacing the cam. By pinching off the stock solid rods with massive dykes and replacing them with the adjustables the rocker boxes do not have to be removed. The cam is up to you. Last issue, we described the process of selecting the proper cam, based on riding habits, en- gine size, and performance expectations. We installed the EV-3 because it comesontike an animal from 2500 to 6500 with- outheadwork. If had modifiedtheheads, then I could have pushed more in the camarea. Alarger cam would be wasted on this engine and performance would have started to slip. The high-output coil only reinforces the ignition mod- ule and enhances the spark for a cleaner more efficient burn over the piston. Installation ‘Theinstallation aspects of this tech tip are straightfor- ward, Nomodifications or spe- cial tools are needed. The carburetor comes with very complete assembly and ad- Justment directions. We also installed the S&S Intake manifold toremovethe compliance fitting problem with the im- proved O-ring design, ‘Theignition modulebasically replaces the stock module. Timing is critical though. A timing light Is a must. ‘The cam installation requires the elimination of the stock pushrods, re- movalofthecamcover and tappet blocks. Don’t forget to buy new gaskets. If you have verniers, check the difference in lengths of the cam. But since end-play is not critical in these models, it shouldn't bea problem (although there should be Th project com at least .015 end-play). And when you replace the pushrods, the rule of thumb Is four turns down after the enc-play Is. taken up. Be careful with this maneuver. It’s all in the touch, Iowared sige rontend, and eped Finally, the exhaust pipes need only to be installed like the stock ones were. Replace the gaskets with new ones, let the pipes center in the ports for the best fit, and then rock'n'roll. Carl will custom modify each set of baffles for the owner and his engine before he ships them out. Carl feels strongly that there will bea surge in Harley-Davidson performance this year and next with the release of Rivera's 4-valveheads, Accel’s fuel injec tion system, the new S&S carb, and new developments to heads. But, as riders, weneedto keepin mind our own rides and riding styles. Combi nations of stroker kits, cams, headwork, and ignitions must be matched for maxi- ‘mum performance, just as theneedles in. acarb, To over-cama stock motor won't accomplish anything, just like running a stock cam in a98-incher. Take your time and talk to people who are building suc- cessful speedsters before pumping a lot of time, effort, and money into your project bike. Guys like Carl should pro- duce monthly newsletters, explaining new breakthroughs in performance and where they best apply. Bath-tubbing heads and filling in the chambers to heighten compression is hot for some motors. Research tells the performance- ‘minded that this operation fanstheflame by causing turbulence in the heads. Pol- ishing intakes is gone—to be replaced with fins in intake ports to streamline fuel direction. Bumps in exhaust ports create exhaust velocity by preventing turbulence at the manifold, because of the turn the exhaust makes. Carlisafirm believer that stroke is the answer for Harleys, due to the torque design of the engine. Bore is more effective for engines that spin{aster. Since V-twins have an inherent rpm life/ loss factor, it doesn't make much sense to push the revs for performance, when you know the damage itis doing IE to the engine. JF These are just a couple of [E interesting performance de- |g velopments the riders on the cutting edge of the industry are messing with. Carl works closely with $&S on many of their proto- type components. His race sponsors include: S&S, Kosman, Feuling, Mike Corbin, and Fullerton Harley-Davidson. Carl's shop number is (213) 941-9385, The shop is located at 9339 Santa Fe Springs Rd., Santa Fe Springs, CA 90670. Now I've got a stock FXRS that will keep up with strokers through 4th gear Tean'tbiteh. @ iain "Thsadjonabe, Accl igen Mep re mode ntl the tame loes ss the sock ntBLOWN HEAD GASKET BLUE Tech by Thompson So, your pan's got another blown head fasket, huh? What's this, the third one now Inthe last year? Well, instead of blaming the poor slob at the bike shop for the “Junk gaskets" he's beenselling you, did youever think something else may be wrong? After reading this article, you'll under- stand that a gasket isn’t such a simple thing ater all's a complex, sophisticated devicethat mist handieseveralduties, some (of which are at odds with each other. Pans and shovels are engines of bime- tallicdesign: thecomponentsaremadeof different materials. Okay, heads are alu- minium and cylinders are iron. So what? Well, these materials have drastically dif- ferent coetticients of expansion (rate and amountat which they expand when heated). ‘Therefore, the head gasket must seal against engine compression pressureand oilleakage but also must allow movement between the head and cylinder!Yes, Alice, the head, even though it's. tightly fas- tenedtothecylinder, actually slipsbackand forthontopofitas texpands and contracts. ‘This causes a couple of things to hap- pen, none of which is good. If yourengine has older, asbestos-based gaskets, the aggressive, abrasive nature of this mate- rial actually wears away the gasket sur- face on the cylinder head. Photo“A" shows ahead thathas started to deteriorate from gasket wear. The “pi ‘marks on the gasket surface are from the woven wire core of an asbestos gasket. “The asbestos seal surfaceshave“scrubbed” away to where the wire is exposed and can cat into the head, This “scrubbing” action 1s the reason your head bolts seem to Joosen up. Actually, the botts aren’ loosen- Jng, the gasket and head are wearing, Many mechanics and machinists will tell you the steel inserts “pull out" of these heads and cause sealingproblems. Not true. ‘Theseinsertsarequitelargeand stable with thehead material cast solidly aroundthem. What really happens is that the softer alu- ‘minum. wears away from around them and Jeavesthemstandinglikesmallislandsinthe gasket surface. Photo “B" shows a head \Wwhere.(07 inches of materialhas womaway. If your parts look like these, you'll have to visit your local machinist before you're evergonnakeepahead gasketin one piece. It'snecessary to resurface cylinder heads like these to create a fresh, flat surface for S ‘yournewgas- kets toworkon. Photo °C" shows a reconditionedcylinder head surface. Look closely, the steel inserts are counterbored slightly to be /ower than the sealing sur- face. This helps to keep the surface in a counter: bore deep- er or by short. ening the cylinder lip. Shortening the lip should bedoneonalathe, but, may be done with a file If you're very careful and maintain the same height all the way Yes, Alice, the head, even though it is tightly fastened to the cylinder, actually slips back and forth on top of it as it expands and contracts reasonable degree of flatness much longer. Itwasnecessary toremave.012inches rom this head. (See stamped # at top of head), Don't forget to check out the gasket surface on the cylinder; although prob- lems here are rare, it won't hurt to look, Any older engine, or one that has had the heads resurfaced, should have the head counterbore depth and cylinder lip, height clearance checked. See Photo “D.” I the head counterbore is too shallow, due to resurfacing (or just loose production tolerances), the head bolts wil tighten up but won't crush the gasket properly because the cylinder lip bottoms in the head counterbore. This may also be caused by failure to clean out carbon buildup in this area, Problems here can be remedied by either machining the a around thecylinder.) Deburr well—leave no sharp edge inside the cylinder. Most. heads, when placed on the cylinder (or vice-versa as in Photo "D") without gas- kets, will touch the cylinder at the head gasket surface. Ifclearance exists here, as in Photo “D," you must verify that itis not. so much that it will interfere with gasket “crush.” A new, James, Teflon-coated gas- ket is 038inches thick. When tightened to the proper tension of 55-75 it. Ibs., it com- [presses to .082 inches thick. (These dimen- sions and thickness reduction at compres- sion vary drastically between types of mate- rialand brands of gaskets—becareful), Photo “D'showsaclearance of 025 inches—alittle ‘on the tight side, but it should be okay. No, that's not all There are still the mat- ters of gasket choice and assembly to con-tendwith. Myrecommendation for gaskets are those from the James Gasket Co, Although available in a bewildering ar- rayoftypes and materials, the blue, Teflon- coated, Kevlar-based James gaskets pro- vide a good balance of quality and price. The Teflon coating helps to both seal ‘minor surface imperfections and allow rela- tuvemotion between the head and cylinder Without excessive gasket wear. Somehead gasket materials, like copper, hold compression pressure well butaren't good atcontainingoll.Iryou'reusingthese, apply a very small amount of sealant around the oil holes in the gasket (both sides) to prevent oil from seeping. Be careful: applying too much sealant can impede oll drainage from the head. ‘Torque tightening of the head bolts.can bea real hassle, mostly due to the lack of wrench clearance. This is especially true when the engine is in the chassis. Some really neat adapters, which simplify the job, are available from Snap-On tools (for 7/1\Ginch, 2-point bolts usepart #FRDHIA41, for 9/16.inch bolts use part #FRDHI8I. Remember, when usingan adapter on a torquewrenchyoumustadjustthe torque setting on the wrench to compensate for the length of the adapter. Use the follow- ing formula and example to figure the correct setting for your wrench, 1x c+ wrench setting > ‘orque required for fastener ‘orque wrench length (c/line of head to c/line of handle) C= Extension length (c/c). Example TXL = 75X18 = 1350 @+O 18+2 “20 ‘Set your wrench to 67.5 Ibs. and fas- tener will have 75 Ibs. applied to it. Lubricate the head bolt threads with light oil before installation. Tighten the head bolts evenly and uniformly, working up in small increments of tension and ‘working around the head. Don't forget to shift the heads as necessary to allow for proper manifold alignment. That'sit, yourproblems should beover. This article was provided by Jim Thompson ‘at Thompson's Chlinder Head Service Co, 186 River St, Dedharn, MA 02026, (617) 3268380) FAX(617)3209351. Jim's been providing fine ‘machine work for over 25 years. a Phos by Miche appleSpray Lubricants Extend Engine Life As Much As 40% And Reduce Friction For The Racer's Edge For 16years the people at KabGard have been developing spray and baked-on Iu bricants. One of their first major chal lenges was to design a coatingforthe US. Navy's underwater demolition equipment. The Seals needed high corrosion-inhibiting, heat- dissipatingcoatings, with some lubricating properties, for weapons that would be transported underwater. UIti- ‘mately, that research evolved intoacom- ‘mercial product called Gun Kote. At the time, Joe Ardigo and the late Ken Taylor owned the business. Joe's brother-in-law brought their products to the motorcycle industry. He was an off- road racer, working in the movie indus- try, which gave hima lot of spare time.So he hung around the shop boiling his chains nollfor dirtbike riding. Joecaught him experimenting and worked with him Con a solid-lube coating that was perma- rently bonded on with a resin binder. From their initial research they were able to create their current chain lube product using a wet base material that sticks, but is not solid or bonded on. Currently, their business caters to: the motorcycle industry (35%), the automo- tive industry (35%), and the aerospace industry (302s). Companies suchas Crane Camsare utilizing their process to extend the life of their cams by lowering friction. Theedifference between heir ChainKote lubricant and the solid or dry film lubes, is. inthebinders. Botharemade with molyb- enumdisulfide, but the chaintypelubeis held in place with wet lubricants that can be washed off with contact cleaner. Mo- lybdenum disulfide (Moly) is considered alubricative pigment. The same Molystuff isbondedwitharesin bindertocreatethe iron grip in the dry, solid form. KalGard uses Teflon for lining molds. ‘The problem is that Teflon can’t handle the abrasion or pressure that solid film lubes can. Another example of a similar substancels the graphite you usetospray inlocks—but Moly is then milled with the resin base and solvents for spraying, ‘And to dispell the old rumor that this stuff actually impregnates the metal sur- face—it does not. It does, however, fill theasperities, orthe highs and lows, and It ruins ovens and destroys domestic relations the striations in the metal surface. But let's get to the drive train saving system. For about $400, an entire drive train can be sprayed with this coating, then baked. This procedure will increase engine life by about 40%. First, the parts, are degreased, sandblasted, and then ‘degreased again (beinghandled with white sgloves). Next they're painted with one coat. This process can behandledathome, but it ruins ovens, stinks up the house, and destroys domestic relations. The coating builds to 3 tenths of a thousand (or .0003) and burnishes right back down, KalGard is currently setting up service centers nationwide. Ifyou give thema call, they'll assist you with finding the right facility for your work. ‘The project bike was a 1990 Sportster. Asyoucansee by the photos, they coated the barrels, pistons (anything steel to steel or aluminum to aluminum), gears, valves, and valve guides. The insides of crank cases can also be coated. Then each item is baked for an hour at 300 degrees. I the part sprayed is of sizeable mass, it will need more time in the oven. There it is. But my question to Rich Williamson, director of slipperiness at Kal-Gard, was if this system is so good why isn't everyone doing this? Hetold me that although they have been messing with dry lubes for 16 years, they haven't pushedit. Their consumer products make the money—this process has been used almost exclusively with privatecontracts and by performance people (such as drag bike racing champs Jim MeClure and Bill 2 Furr) on a custom basis. In fact, the way they stumbled into the automotive industry was anaccident. They | were coating hardware for an accessory manufacturer for four-wheel-drive ve- hicles—roll bars, tubular bumpers, tinks up the house, 2c cece General Motors was inspecting a truck and discovered that the underside of the vehicle was corroding evenly—ex. ‘cept there was no corrosion on the hard: ware holding the bumpers and roll bars. ‘They were in business. So let's see what the future brings to drag bike racing, performance bikes, and rebuilt street machines as they test the bonded film lubricant process. Wrench The mest impo proce proper bending oo tretn‘hsisepapaph pa habs Boon spray and boked wih soi labricat Te “This folaon bend was baked wih Ka ars black ermal at coro ‘eknee ofthe costing cane as mucho 0 bt ba — siping rs prepped thse os the nun prsTAPPET TRIVIA Tech by Thompson Duringthe 30 years that 've been ‘eyeballing scooters, I've seen many otherwise beautiful en- ines spoiled by annoying, unsightly oil leaks. This is especially common around thetappet guide/pushrod tube area on Big Twins. Inthe followingarticle, we'll cover a few of the tips and cures for this problem which'vefound to work well. (Cheap, ~Mere too—that never hurts) It'youpay closeattention tothese tips, and watch foran upcoming article on rocker box leaks, youmay just beableto gofor a ride someday without a rag in your back pocket! Takeaclose ookat photo“A." Seethe tappet screw spotface (seat) onthe right near corner of the tappet guide? Your friendly neighborhood chrome plater has partly polished the spotface away. Doesn't seem like a big problem, does it? But, onlate Big Twin tappet guides, if this surface isnot flat, the screw's head can't seal against the guide to keep the oil in. Most of the tappet guide screw holes on late-model Big Twins are open to crankcase pressure at the bottom, inside the gear case cavity. Positive crankcase pressure forces oll vapor up the screw threads and out from under the head of the screw which is hanging out unsupported on one side, Instant leak. The hard, unforgiving nature of a chrome-plated surface doesn't assist sealing, either. Easy cure:PlaceoneH-D #6218W seal washer (also available from NEMPCO— #82396) under the head of each screw during installation. It's fixed. These cop- per washers are quite small in outside diameter and are not objectionable in appearance at all. Makes for a neat, pro- {essional-looking installation ‘Next problem: chronic leaking at the bottom seal of the pushrod tubes. There areseveralthings which must be checked here. Rundowntthefollowing ist and you should have all the bases covered. 1. Spring Tension IF you can depress the spring cover cap quite easily, then you may have a weak spring which should be replaced. I your engine has taller-than-stock cylinders, you need extra-long pushrod spring cap retainer clips. Sometimes even a stock height engine can benefit from these. S&S products has a good selection of these clips in five different lengths. Use the longest one you can fit in, Shorten them to sult, if necessary. Occasionally, you'll find the steel washer (H-D #6762B) which goes be- tween the spring and seal missing. Look closely, sometimes they cmbed them- selves in the cork seal and only appear to be missing. 2, Pushrod Tube Drainage You knowit's not good when youshut off your engine, open up a pushrod tube, and a flood of oll comes out. No seal can last long ifthe whole pushrod tube is full of oll. The oil drain hole down through the cylinder head and cylinder is not the only way top end oil returns to the crankcase. A portion of it flows down a Photo Athrough the pushrod tubes, but then ‘comes up against the tappets—you must provide a way around them to the cam gear cavity. There are drain holes in the tappet guides already, all you have todo is alter them slightly and you'll be in business. Using these existing holes as a guide, drill down the cross passage until youcanseethedrill bit intersect with the clean passage. (The drain passage is the oneclosest to vertical in photo “B.”) Use thesame size drillas the passage you are working on; sometimes these passages areslightly different sizes—amachinist’s ‘number drill set is helpful here. Drill the drain passage all the way down through the bottom of the guide, so that itis the same diameter from top to bottom. 3. Tappet to Seal Interference Some tappets, especially solids, are quite tall, When used with very high lift cams, they may hit the lower pushrod tubesealat full lift, Chamfer the top edge of the tappet just enough to prevent contact. Even if you don't have this interfer- ence problem, it’s not a bad idea totradius” the top edge of your tappets. (Gee photo “C.”) This edge can be quite sharpon some tappets and it will cut and wear the tappet guide bores just like a Engines that have been converted to solid tappets do not need full oil pump pressure fed to the tappets like hydrau- lic tappers do. You can eliminate the pressure ol feeds to the tappets by tap- ping the feed holes indicated in photo “D" with an 32 tap and plugging the holes with 3/16inch-long, 832 hexhead set screws. Note: Use a good sharp tap ant and let it cure overnight before in- stalling and starting the engine. No, this modification will not reduce tappet service life. 5. Pushrod Tube Damage Check the tubesthoroughlyforbends, dents or any other form of damage at the sealing edges (flanges). Straighten or re- place parts as needed, If you're a little on the cowardly side, just fill the hole solidly with silicone sealant and let it cure overnight and work carefully, it’s easy to break a tapinthis holeas it enters the guide atan angle. Don't tap all the way through into the tappet bore; just go deep enough to allow the screw to be completely hidden inside the casting. There must be incom- plete threads at the bottom of the hole for the screw to “jam” against. ‘That's it. You should have that ol’ Hog dried up now. This technical article was provided by Jim Thompson at Thompson's Cylinder Head Service Co., 186 River St, Dedham, ‘MA, 02026. Jim, an East Coast Hamster, ‘has been providing quality machine work for over 25 years. You can reach him at sharp tool bit. Ifyou're alittle on the cowardly side, (617) 3268380 or FAX: (617) 320-9351 4. Overoiling just filltheholesolidly withsiliconeseal- Mail order service is no problem. Proto 8 Protec Photo D Photos Mics! CoppolaS&S SUPER CARB OVERHAUL Tech by Thompson ll as A\1 good things must come to an end Yes, know you paid a lot of your hard- earned cash for that Super “B" you've been running, but wasn't that quite a few years ago? Unfortunately, all me- chanical devices need maintenance sooner or later, and even though the S&S carbs are very simple and depend- ableas high-performance fuel mixers go, they are no exception to the rule. Pay close attention and we'll go through the necessary steps to bring that bulky carb back to like-new perfor- mance. (Of course, we're taking it for granted that you have defintely isolated your problem and do not have any elec- trical or basic mechanical problems in your engine.) Theonly thingyou'llneed for this job, that'snot readily vailablein your garage, is apailof carburetor cleaner. ust takea walk down to the corner filing station, ask nicely, and I'm sure they'll dip the parts for you for a nominal fee. As a last resort, lacquer thinner and small bristle brushes will do the trick CAUTION Gasoline, gasoline fumes, and lacquer thinner are all highly flammable! Be careful and work safely—giving yourself the sacrificial Buddhist monk treatment is not a pleasant way to check out! Carb removal should start with acold engine. For safety's sake, remove the ignition key. Remove theair cleaner, sup- port brackets, and disconnectthe throttle cables, Close the fuel valveand drain the carb bowl by removing the 5/&inch hex plugat the bottom of the bowl. Catch the fuel in a metal container—don’t let it splash onto painted surfaces. Unleaded gas will deteriorate some paints. Discon- neet and plug the fuel line of the car- buretor end. Unbolt the carb from the manifold, Now's the time to check and replace (inceded) intake manifold seals and gas- kets; many maladies unjustly blamed on the carb are caused by leaking intake seals, Evolution Big Twin compliance fit- tings are particularly troublesome. Disassemble the carb completely— this is quite easy and the only precaution you need to take is to mark the throttle plate’s position (in/out and top/bottom) before removal. This plate Is directional and must be replaced with the same ori- entation. Refer to Figure C. The intermediate jet is grasped with pliers and twisted outin acounterclock- wise direction. The fuel enrichment de- vice unscrews from the body, but can't be disassembled further. Clean all parts thoroughly. Do not immerse rubber- tipped fuel inlet valves in arb cleaner or strong solvents as the tip will deterio- rate. (It doesn't matter If you're going to replace it) Don't attempt to ream out or clean holes and passages with drills or sharp instruments. Some of these holes are metering orifices and their sizes can- not be changed. Be careful—a new carb body costs almost $150. Inspect all parts for wear and damage; ‘S&S carbs are quite durable and you'll probably find that all you'll need are a new fuel inlet valve and gaskets. Carbs that've traveled many miles may exhibit wear onthe throttle shaft whereit passes Photos by Michael Coppole Pht Fost bol aisethrough the carb body. Inextremecases, thebody may need tobe bored and have Dushings installed to cure excessive ‘wear. This is a Job for your favorite ma- chinist, Don't sweat this one, it's rare. Blow through all passages In the carb ody to make sure nothing’s plugged. Examinethe bodyinsidethe throttle bore ‘where the tip of the idle mixture screw the throttle stop screw an additional hall-turn after contacting the stop boss. Alter installing the fuel enrichment de- vice, make sure the operating tabs are not hitting the plunger body, preventing it from seating. Bend the tabs upward, if necessary, and tap the plunger with a small hammer to seat it in the body. ‘Adjust the float level as shown in SO No carb can function properly when dirt is present in the fuel supply protrudes slightly—if it is cracked around this hole you're doomed; at one time, anoverly enthusiastic tuner turned the Screw in too tightly and now you need a new body. Refer to the exploded view (FigureD), determine which style fuel inlet valve you have, and you're ready to purchase ‘your parts and assembly. S&S offers a beautiful master rebuild kit for the Super carbs; use #214, if you have the style “BY Inlet valve and #214B, if you have style “C." These kits include everything you'll need—even new hardware and throttle shaft bushings. If your local dealer is unable to help you, contact Thompson’s Cylinder Head Service; we have all the necessary parts and we'll shipUPStoyour door. Wecanalso modify your carb body for throttle shaft bush- ings, if needed. You assemble the carb in the reverse order of disassembly. Refer to Figure D as needed. Be certain that you align the throttle plate to the throttle bore prop- erly by “snapping” the throttle shaft closed with the plate screws slightly loose. Hold it in this position while you tighten the plate screws—it has a bev- led edge. Refer to Figure C. Remember marking this? Use a tiny drop of Loctite onthe plate screws. When it’s tight, hold the carb up to a light and look in the manifold end—you shouldn't be able to see any appreciable amount of light around the circumference of the plate where It touches the carb bore. If you can, try itagain, Obtain the best possible fit, Install the throttle arm assembly and adjust the relationship of the arm and plate angles as shown in Figure D. Turn photo B. Hold the bow! inverted and adjust it by bending the tang on the float Inboard of where it meets the inlet valve. Proper adjustment for rigid mount en- ggines 1s 1/8 inch from the bowl gasket surface to the outboard end of the float. Rubbermountengines need the loatievel adjustment lowered so that the float, with the spring in the inlet valve com. pressed, can't touch the bowl gasket. Check the float for binding and smooth operation. Replace the bow! and instal the carb on your engine. Adjust the fuel mixture serew—1 1/2 turns out from be- Ing lightly bottomed in the body. Using a quality fuel filter is highly recommended. No carb can function properly when dirt is present in the fuel supply. Clean or replace the alr filter clement. Ianair cleaner assembly other than original S&S is used, make sure its backplate doesn'tobstructthefloat bow! vent hole. Replace theair cleaner assem- bly, supportbracket, and throttle cables. CAUTION: Make sure the throttle works smoothly, without binding, allows full throttle opening, and returns to idle properly before you start the engine. Start your engine and run it until it reaches normal operating temperature. Adjust the idle mixture and throttle stop screws to obtain the smoothest idle pos- sible at 600-800 rpm. (Some engines with long duration cams may need higher idle speeds). Readjust the idle stop screw to obtain the desired rpm. Note: Very slow idle speeds cause hard starting and ex- cessive engine wear. You are now ready to roll! Road test carefully and make any a necessary fine adjustments. In an upcoming article, we'll discuss carb tuning, jetting, and their relation- shipto spark plug heat range. Stay tuned. This technical article was provided by Jim Thompson at Thompson's Cylinder Head Service Co,, 186 River St, Dedham, ‘MA, 02026. Jim, an East Coast Hamster, has been providing “The Finest Machine Work In The Known Universe” for over 25 years. You can reach him at (617) 326- 18380 or FAX: 617-320-9351. QThe Dashin’ Duo Point Saver One of our own crew came screamin’ into the garageonemornin’asif he'd just won the lottery. Ol" careenin’ Kit had discovered a tech tip and just had to share it with the garage veterans. Ya see, he'd broken down at about 2 a.m, near Solvang, California, and when he pulled his greasy cone motor points cover off to inspect the points, he dis- covered the fiber tab that runs on the ‘cam was worn completely off (yer sup- posed to grease the sucker). His points were closed and, natch, the engine didn't like the lack of spark and quit. As Kit told the story—being the forth- right, honest, grubby biker-type that he is—he stood up, stared down at the points, scratched his head with one of his totally-tat-covered arms, and said, When he pulled his hands outta his pockets, out tie-wrap “What a fuckin’ Mickey Mouse break- down." He dug through his saddlebags but came up with nothin’ ‘cept rusted nuts and bolts. He stood upright again, shoved both hands into his pockets, and. wondered what the hell he was going to do. When he pulled his hands outta his pockets, out came a‘hinch tie-wrap. Just about the time he was going to return it, a flash hit him. Without even removing the points, he slipped the wrap around the points, positioning the junction in thefiber block position. He pulled ittight with a pair of pliers, adjusted the points, lubricated the points cam with some grease from his rear wheel, fired the sucker up, and rode home, ‘We were so impressed with the sugges- tion, we all jumped our rides, rode down. to the local cantina, and got drunk celebratin’.Evo Valve Removin’ Tool Rip ciscovered this device at Young Harley-Davidson in Greensboro, North Carolina, He had stopped to get his bike serviced a few states back and it seems themechanic tookhis feed line off the oll jump to drain the oil (bad idea). When the mechanic replaced the line he crimped it, cuttin’ off a major amount of the ol flow. Rip didn't notice it and blazed on through a couple of states until, just outside Greensboro, he caught up witha couple of racin' fools, grabbed a handful throttle, and brought that 85,000 mile dresser nto port. Cept when he docked the barge, he heard a terrible clatter. Heim struction (same instruction he gives the girls around here), “Fix it quick, I gotta set on the road.” That's where this tool came in, built by Sonny, one of Young's main mechanics ‘coupled with the design abilities of the ‘owner, Rayvon Young. They called Crane Cams, who overnighted a heavy dresser (-1001) camand springs. Sonny replaced lcanrun the cam of my dreams the cam, then pumped 100 pounds of air Into one cylinder at a time (through the spark plug hole). This procedure auto- matically checks for burnt valves or busted rings, which hold the valves closed when the keepers are removed, Then this tool was put into action, bolted to the two center rocker cover bolt holes. Two 7/16 head, 1-inch long, VAX 24 bolts are used to hold down the valve collar and, when screwed down evenly, allow the keepers to be removed, and springs replaced. The old NASCAR ttick tool is made out of plain old, 1/4 inch, mild steel strap, and a chunk of angle iron welded together, drilled and tapped. Thetwo holes drilled and tapped Inthe center are storage for thetwo bolts used to bolt the tool to the head. And so itis, another major breakthrough in mo- toreycle technology. —WrenchBulletproof Cases Pushin’ The V-Twin To The Limit As chunks of aluminum go, Harley crank cases can take brutal punishment. For serious, heavy-duty drag racing, though, the big boys east thelr own, oF ‘machine them out of solid pieces of alu- ‘minum, Besides having extra thickness where the pinion and sprocket shafts go through, these high-performance cases are being manufactured to provide for fourcamshafts—likeSportsters, one per valve, and located to create the optimum angles between pushrods and rocker ans. In addition, they allow a higher deck height, which allows piston witha longer skit, and, if used with special cylinders, some even have room for a 6- Inch stroke. Here of late, the big boys have begun to let their monster cases out to the world in general, so if you want to pump up your street Harley to outrageous lim- Its, you, too, can have these ultra high performance cases to back up your rac- ing formula, “The availabilty of these cases raises several old arguments, the first being whieh is better: cast, or machined from billet. Theargument revolves around the issues of airbubbles being trappedinthe casting mold, of uneven flow of metal Into the mold, and of uneven cooling of the casting producing internal stresses that lead to warping, ‘As the metallurgical generality, cases machined from solid stock should be stronger. However, the generality must bowto particulars. For example, thecast 7° RESULTING cases from Competition Motorcycles haveextrabeef at thecritical points —s0 much that some engine builders actually remove some of the metal to make room for their heavy duty components. So, cast or not, Competition’s cases leave nothing to worry about in the strong department, and Lonnie Isam, manager at Competition, points proudly to the racing pedigree that proves it “Sm Clore roe bse caves om Shumaker Roig IN LIFTOFF. On the other hand, cases machined from solid stock are not exempt from failings. Removing metal from here and there can introduce stresses into the metal, and the machinist must be very careful not to take out too much in one place without taking out somein another to keep the tension in the metal under control. The billet-stock people don't report failures resulting from their ma chining procedures, but they do ac- knowledge the possibility. At bottom, though, the argument proves useless. Neither cast nor billet case makers claim an absolute superior ity. Jim McClure, awell-knownandhighiy respected racer, forexample, distributes the machined ¢ases manufactured by ‘Shumaker Racing, but McClureexpresses ‘complete respect for cast cases, Accord- ‘gly, whether on the track or the free way, it's safe to ignore the question. ‘The four-cam business can also be debated, but to no greater purpose. One cam per valve increases the number of pieces, including the number of gears. ‘The good part is that the four-cam sys- tem permits the pushrods to work in shorter and more directly straight lines, rather than through several angles. The angles that singlecam pushrods and rocker arms work through absorb en- ergy and lead to valve float at high rpm.Inaddition, the longer pushrods can ac- tually bend so much that the valves don't ‘open as much as they should. Thus, one ccam per valve, with a shorter pushrod, should be better—and no doubt is for drag bikes. However, an argument can be made that valve spring impulses can be tr mitted back to the gear train and set up unhappy vibrations—not vibrations in the commonly understood sense, but “torsional” vibrations wherein the gears may actually turn backwards mome! tarily as they rotate. As a matter of fact, such torsional vibrations no doubt arise. However, the massofthe gearsinvolvedissmallenough that torsional vibration has, so far, not been a problem. For example, no one reports gears mysteriously shedding teeth at some critical rpm. Accordingly, torsional vibration is more a theoretical than a practical problem and a street rider ean use one cam or four and be right at home with either. ‘Thethird argument raised by the high- performance case builders is that of the relationship of bore and stroke. Long stroke, of course, a long, thor speed can melt the piston simply be- cause it can’t get enough oil and cool Ingatextremely high piston speed. If all this is true, thenashorterstroke with a bigger bore would seem to be better, and many people think that ‘way. However, short- stroke, big-bore en- gines get their bet- ter torque at higher rpm, and that brings ‘Wik Conpeion Motors paca olnders thse oh cas pei neh Soke ‘ough fuel burn and, therefore, very high torque. However, it also means a con- necting rod of greater mass and a piston moving through a greater distance. The mass of rod and piston can put such a load on the pinion and sprocket shaits that they distort the holes in cases. Be- sides that, extra-long strokes can cause the piston totilt in the cylinder, and thus permit excessive blow-by and loss of compression. Last, excessive piston urs bilet ate Net he Bak tet 3 in problems with gear ratios, These issues don't matter ‘much to the guy building a simple tree- way flyer to dust off Jap scrap and the stray Porsche or so, but be prepared to hear about them from partisans on both sides. ‘The high-performance case people don't like to quote off-the-shelf prices because, in the racing world, every cus- tomer has his own special little wrinkles that he wants wrought into the cases. Also, the cost might vary, depending on ‘whetherthe manufacturer isdoingaone- off or making a run of cases. They prefer a customer to call for a quotation, but they are all happy to talk, so don’t be bashful, However, you will have to give them several weeks to work up a set. Don't worry about fancy stuff to go in- side, The cases all accept standard H-D flywheels, and you can get what you need from S&S, Axtell, and a number of other sources that the case manufactur- ers can recommend. —Maestro Manufacturers: co tne. SStePStanft Seen Houston, Texas 77061 GSptact Lonnie foam fiveseaaze Deliron Manufacturing Inc. 2430 Manning Street Sera 0018 Stesznsres Jim McClure ‘Master Performance Racing ‘3707 Rechamboau Drive Virginia 23185 (cones by Shumaker —Tech by Thompson So, you decided you're going to install your own cam, I'm sure that with a little hhelp from HD's service manual and your bros you'll do a good job at it. Unfortu- nately, getting the cam to fit under the gearcase cover is just the beginning, “There are several clearance checks and possibleadjustments which may need tobe performed in order to correctly complete your cam installation. They are: valveto- piston clearance, valvetowalve clearance, valve free travel and valve spring travel Older models and very high lit cams may need other checks as well,Consultwith your machinist on this, Valve to piston and valve tovalve clearances are usually corrected by machining In this article, try toexplainthethingsyou need to know to be able to check and adjust your valve free travel and valve springtravel ith simpletools. You'lIneed: a common bench vise, valve spring com- pressor, vernier calipers, two small, smooth blocks of metal (about 2 inches square) with parallel sides, and a small grinder or fle It's kind of risky to claim that any cer- tain H-D engine will accept a specific amount of cam lit. But everyone wants to be told how much lift they ean bolt into their engine. So, here it goes: Pans, shov- elsand iron Sportsters will usually accept A25inch lit; Evo Sportsters will take a 490-inch lift; and Evo Big Twins will take a 495-inch lft. Remember, these are gen- eral statements, Your engine, especially if it'sanoldermodel which has been worked on previously, may not. For this article, we'll use the following example: We are installing a 485-inch lift cam in a 1970 shovelhead engine. We assume this engine will need spring spac- Ing as the highest lift cam any cam manu- facturer claims will bolt into this model is 450 inches. The valve springs and collars inthese heads were Siton’s (red collars). Let's start: Disassemble the heads and keep the springs and collars separated and marked as to which head and valve position they belong to. ‘The first check is for valve free travel Assemble the top collar and keys to each valveintumandmeasurethecistanceavail- move downward Refertophoto AThismeasure- ment must be equal to valve lift plus an additional safety margin of 060 inches, In our case, that would A bewildering array of shims, collars, and keepers exists for adjusting spring heights on H-Ds mean we need 545 inches here. Valve ttt 485 in, Safety margin: 060 in. Freetravel required: 543in. ‘The valve in photo A has 605 inches, Don't forget to allow room for valve seals ifyou intend torun them. The differ- ent types and brands of seals available for H.Dsallrequiredifferent amounts ofroom allowed for them. At Thompson's Cylin- der Head Service we usually use KLine seals, the same type as H-D uses on late shovels and Evos. This style seal needs approximately .155 inches of roomabove the top of the guide, so in this case we ‘wouldneed 700 inches of valve freetravel Valve hit 485 in. Safety margin: 060 in. Room for seat 155in. Free travel required: 700i. 2 Note: Some early model heads just don't have thismuch room available without complex machining. ‘Almost allmodels requirespe- cial machining to be done tothe top of the guide for the seal to press on properly Iyoudon'thaveenough freetravel you must find a way to provide it. You must machine the top of the guide to shorten it. Photo B shows the special piloted cutter we use to shorten guides. You may grindor file the guide to shorten itif you must but only remove enough material to give the clearance you need—don't overload it; the shorter you make the guide, the shorter you make its service life, Deburr the inside and outside edges of the guide top but do not chamfer the inside edge of the guide. If you're not using oil seals this chamfer will collect excess oll and direct it right down the valve guide, Smoker. Analternativeto shortening theguide is changing the top collars. There are several types of aftermarket collars and keepers available which will increase valvetreetravel. They'llusually increase valvespring installed height as well. You may or may not want this. After measur- ing your valve spring compressed heights and computing the installed heights you want, you'll be able to de- cide the best combination for your job. Next step: Check valve spring com- pressed heights and compute installed heights. Place your springs with topand bottom collars in placein the bench vise between two straight, smooth pieces of scrap metal. Let the edges of the spring overhang the edges of the blocks very slightly so that you can measure the spring lengths easily. Refer to photo C. ‘Tighten the vise until the coils of the springstouch each other lightly coil bind, condition). Don’t try to crush them: you'llfeel the increased effort inthe vise handle as the springs coil bind. Use alight touch here. Measure the length of the outer valvespring—don't includethe collars. The spring.installed height you'll need is equal to the compressed height plus valve lift plus your safety margin. Spring-compressed ht: Valve lift: Safety margin: Spring installed ht. required: 1.360 in. Note:The safety marginon valvespring ravel is .030 inches, rather than 060 nchesason{reetravel, becauseif valves. hhould float it is a much softer stop for hem to coll bind than it is for the top collars to hit the valve guides. Last step: Install the valve spring and collar assemblies into the heads at the appropriate .vepositions. You marked these previously, right? Measure (itisn't very likely that you'll get the same di- mensions tall valvepositions, but don’t sweat it)and adjust the spring-installed heights to provide the dimension your new cam needs. This job requires i.360 inches. So, when installed and measured, let's say you get 1.390 inches. You need toshimunder the lower collar toreduce this dimension from 1.390inchesto 1360 inches. A bewildering array of shims, collars, and keepers exists for adjusting spring heights on HDs. Photo D shows just the different shims available. Sup- ose you get 1.330 inches of installed height: you need to increase this dimen- sion to [.360 inches. This can be accom- plished by either changing to top col- lars (which allow more spring height), or, fonlya small amount is needed, you can machine the lower collar. Take ma- terial off the collar’s surface, where it seats on the valve guide or cylinder head. It's not a good Idea to try to get more than ,030 Inches In this way. That's it. Good luck and good riding. This technical article was provided by Jim Thompson at Thompson's Cylinder Head Service Company, 186 River St, Dedham, MA 02026. Jim, an East Coast Hamster, has been providing his custom- ers with fine machine work for over 25 years, He welcomes inquiries from both retail, wholesale, and mail order custom: ‘ers. You can reach him at (617) 3268380 or FAX: 6173209351.EASYRIDERS Bones: CAM GU m By Wrench and Keith Ruxton J finally did it. With the astute, experienced assistance of Keith “Mr. Streamliner” Ruxton, ‘we've got something here you can refer to forever— a series of guidelines to evaluate any cam for any you'll know immediately whether or not a particular ‘cam is for you. From now on, when someone dis- cusses a cam with you and mentions lift, ete., you'll know what the heli they're moving their lips about. engine, So let's get down to business. Cams come in various sizes and shapes for diverse engine characteristics and riding demands. The important parameters are: lift, overlap, duration, and lobe center (timing). You can obtain this information on any cam you're interested in from the distributor or manufacturer, compare it to the cams here, review the consider- ations, evaluate your motor and riding habits, and. What to think about: What motor do you have? How many inches? How far do you want to push it? Do you want a bolt-in job? Do you like torque or horsepower? What rpm range do you want to see power in? CHART DEFINITIONS Overlap ‘rankshah dogrooe of both valves ore off ofthe seata. Each ravolaon ofthe engine (erantahah 18 360 degrees. All ams push both wavs open atthe seme time onthe overlap stoke, Bigger numbers require more compression oF Targereplacoment because that inceates how much both valves sre open atthe ond ofthe exhaust and the beginning ofthe intake stroke, The mare theyre both open, the lss compression at ow end. Lift Flow far open the wave gato to allow airflow, Above ASO It in shovale and pans spring cloarancing work le nended. That number expands 0.500 in Evolutions. Duration ‘Grankshaft dogroos each valve Ts open aver 053 (nate Loinewebars reflec duration aftr the valve le open 020), larger numbers requite more displacement. Also, note Crane Cam model numbers. The numbers represent th duration at 020, For instance, their model C-226 has a duration lieted of 252 degrees intake) at.053 open, but the ‘duration at 020 is 326 degrees. This blurp allows you to compare durations of Leineweber cams to Crane's and, ultimately, the others Lobe Centerline ‘Crankshaft degree that the maximum lif and flow occurs a. Bigger numbers require higher rpm to develop power. ‘As an engine speeds up, it becomes more difficult to develop horsepower (‘cause it's harder to get air and fuel into the evlinders). This number represents the position of the piston inthe cylinder when the cam is ot meximum lif. ‘The higher the number, the more the piston is assisting to pul air into the cylinder for higher rom efficiency.SHOVELHEAD & PANHEAD CAMS* BRAND MODEL OVERLAP (*) LIFT (in.) DURATION (*) LOBE (’) ae az 2a ToT 82 256 102 56 264 104 6a 268 102 74 278 102 6a 284 108 ae a8 TOO 40 455, 2aa 102 82 ‘490 258 102 62 (106 @ 020") 1525, 286 102 68 550 276 102 74 875 286 102 30 @.020 520 2826,020 TO5 Intake 107 Exhaust 79 @.020 550 Intake 109.5 Intake 1520 Exhaust 111" Exhaust 97¢.020 {575 Intake 312@.020 107 _Intak 962 Exhaust 297.020 110.5 Exhaust 3108 31° 10 34° Outside « inte Inside = Exhaust Crankshaft Degroes = 380 runs = piston stokes = 720 Numbers indicate start ‘of valve cyl 5EVOLUTION BIG TWIN CAM S* BRAND MODEL OVERLAP (‘) LIFT (IN.) DURATION (*) LOBE (’) EXHAUST (@ 08 VALVELI ‘Andrews Eva TOT EVv-3 238 98 EVs 252 98 ev-7 26 102 wi6z BO intake Baz [490 Exhaust 282 326-2 {490 Intake 252 {500 Exhaust 282 H300-2 {500 Intake 282 1510 Exhaust 272 310-2 1350 Intake 266 {550 Exhaust 276 Ea "560 303 @.020 ‘545 293 @.020 ES ‘540 294 @.020 ‘340 7480 1540 ices Barret 2 urns = piston strokes = 720 Miers EaLUraekea %Considerations when you're looking at the figures and chart: 1. Not all cams are listed here, but you can pen‘ specification from any cam—from any manufacturer—not listed in the chart 2. Ifyou desire high torque, look for cams with high lit. lower duration, and lower lobe centers. 3. lfyou're after horsepower, look at longer duration, higher lobecenter degree cams. Definition: Torque is low- end power. Horsepower is high-end power. work, but we installed (through Carl's Speed Shop in Santa Fe Springs, California) the Mega Fire Accel ignition module, an S85 shorty carb, and Carl's Speed Shop's exhaust system with a high-output coil. The cam Carl picked, An: drews EV-3, is designed to kick-n at 2,000 to 2,500 rpms. It gives me that low-end torque to get out of the hole and enough push to jump through traffic up until 85 mph, That's all | want—I'm not drag racing. I don't want to push reliability, but I do want a bike that will make aggres- sive elty and freeway traveling a breeze. Keith Ruxton, the Streamiliner crew chief, installed the same cam into his, FXRSSP for the same results. For shovelhead 90-inchers, the Andrews #6, Crane 310 B, and Leineweber L-5 are virtually 4.Where the dots start onthe chart is where the valve is. reaching an open or closing state of 053. 5. Evolutions have higher- velocity ports, consequer tly they lke higher lit, shor- ter duration cams because of the high velocity port design. 6.Keep in mind that stock ignition modules on Evos will shut down the bike at 5 rpms. Cams that don't hit their power curve until 4,500 rpms are useless in bikes with a stock ignition. Look at the characteristics of the Andrews, EV3, Anything above that on a stock Evo is wasting cam performance. By contrast an EV7 is a drag bike cam. 7.Regularly pushing the engine past 6,500 rpms is risking reliability, For all models, the more overlap, the less compression and bottom-end torque. You won't feel the ower until it hits the high rpms. 8.Leineweber has fast, sharp ramps which are tough on drive trains. In contrast, Andrews has constant velocity ramps, much softer on the valve trains. Leineweber can perform sharper, but each builder must weigh the cutting edge of performance against reliability or mechanical wear. Let me give you an example: My FXR is stock, no head Regularly pushing the engine past 6,500 rpms is risking 00 reliability the same. Head work is a must and all distributor or manufac- turer catalogs explain the modifications. Heavier springs are a must, plus lighter valve collars. These cams give the rider plenty of low-end torque (Gtarting at 3,500 rpm), without outrageous overlap—but they're capable of being screamers throughout the rpm range. The 310 B allowed us to reach 8,200 rpm in the Easyriders Streamliner. Note: the low-end torque starts at 3,500 rpms. Keep in mind that with lighter flywheels, this motor won't idle under 2,000 rpms (as compared to a stock ‘engine at 1,000 rpms idle) When in doubt, pick the next smaller cam to prevent over- camming. City and highway shovels need something in line with an Andrews A cam, It makes ‘em do what they're supposed to do and no mo’. We aren't recommending any specific cam here. Look at the characteristics in the charts, compare our examples to other cams, and note the considerations. You may want a more stop-light-to-stop-light cam and go for a different variation, You may want a cam that comes on at 40 mph. and will pull strong, well above 100 for your desert ex: press. You may like one company over another and want to find a cam that's comparable to one we've mentioned— now it's abreeze. @ CAM MANUFACTURERS & SUPPLIERS $ &S Products Route #2 County G Crane Cams 530 Fentress Blvd. Daytona Beach, FL 32118 Contact: M/C Tech Dept. (904) 252-1151 Andrews Products Bartels’ Performance 5212 Shapland Ave, Products Rosemont, IL 60018 9461 Jefferson Bivd. Contact: John Andrews Culver City, CA 90232 (312) 992-4014 Contact: Bill Bartel (213) 842-9081 Sifton Motorcycle Products ‘943 Bransten Rd. NEMPCO. ‘San Carlos, CA 94070 Box H-7 Perry Dr. Contact: Greg Brown (415) 592-2203 Foxboro, MA 02035 Contact: Bob Kaye (608) 543-6386 ‘Thunder Tech Products Johnstone Products P.O, Box 1005 P.0, Box 1715 Laurel, MD 20707-0941 Ormond Beach, FL 32174 Contact: Dan Fitzmaurice Contact: Gordon Johnstone (301) 799-9451 (904) 673-4714 Custom Chrome Cam Corp k Ave. Edgewater, FL 32192 Contact: Doug Libby 1 Jacqueline Court Morgan Hill, CA 95037 Contact: Dennis Ahearns (408) 778-0500 (904) 426-0670 Leineweber Ent. Drag Specialties 17579MesaRd,UnitB-1 9839 W. 65th St. | Hesperia, CA 92345 Eden Prarie, MIN 55344 Contact: Norma Wheeler Contact: Jim Betlock | (619) 949-4768 (612) 942-7890Stabilizing Transmissions How To Install Roller Bearings In A 1977-1982 Transmission By Phil Ross his Big Twin ranscase hasbeen Tretia roeearingson gear oryou tvoiesnappng re pecting go fs tins ths mokicac wl eprve the Performance and fe expectancy of our Foon Harty-Davidon par ase Ding theseyear telco switched tromthe tough alle bearingsofthepat tothe Torrington bearing production purpates Tie Torngos beeps not {Sstongand docs’ ables he ans mnsion ft tberollerTheyaso havea tendency to leak and won fst On tis parla cae (e190), when we ma End forthe aasmiston plley we {iy hetrarced) anew pace ot 125 al inmate (bcrainousea well petal oroppontisaer The job petormed Wella chrome tammson eve cn be mod ah out ating eve ome appearance the intalation ofthe cae, one sogerrler Ceara vl eure he putas ofs ew being race wi the feunecip all ie cary sean pre 1977 ut Beveen 0 an p) ah ear (vith he el tha ours int te outer Chdtosisinblding hon theta) rae tos nstod (01) and hee te Cas leaving yousell.03 press ft Bore (Countstbore), pring te rose fo protade Gott cme ost encogho Permithcuseofheenspring thasPht by Space Doo the race from backing out of the case. ter installing the bearing race, hone to size for the new 4th gear and hone bush- ingtomainshaft. When installingthe race, freeze the race and heat the case to 200 degrees, then press into place carefully Tn '83, Harley went to a larger ‘Torrington. This one isa very tough modi fication. The only way to repairitisto bore the entire end out of the case, install a chunk of aluminum, weld it into the case ‘and machine it out for the smaller bear- ings. This is a long, involved, precision process—so the 1983-1986, 4speed modi fication should be avoide “That’sit. Nota tough operation, thatis, if you have access to a mill. If not, any reputable motorcycle machine shop can do the job, But here are a few to refer o: Phil Ross at Super Max in Porterville, California, (209) 784-2222; Thompson's Cylinder and Head Service in Dedham, Massachussetts, (617) 3268380; WRS in Story City, Towa, (515) 328-3765; John Blanton of Fomoco in Odessa, Texas, (915) 333-2864; and Full-Blast Engineering in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, (605) 332-2659, ‘There are many other shops all over the country, but thisisasampling for those of us who don’t know who to call.Case Tech Modifying Cases To Hide Electrics cere’s the deal on Bandit’s new project bike: He wants nothing to interrupt the line of the frame down to the center of the engine. On Evolution engines the stator pl regulator are mounted on the left front portion of the engine. That had to change. Pat Kennedy designed the bike so the regulator could be installed under the transmission. The phig was the problem, Giggie, the mast Gigi, the master mechanic a Doar mechanic at Lee Clemens’ Depa Bike Works in Richmond, Virginia, wad went to work on the project. He never attempted this modification, so he took the first run at it with a junk. left ease ‘Once the tial proved a success, he went to work on Bandits case, First, he achined off excess metal at the boss where the external plug fits into the alternator socket. Then, he filled the original socket hole for the plug. Next, Giggie had to find the best place to bring the wires out. He chose a four o'clock location on the sprocket side of the case because it allows the wires to leave the case in such a position so that the regulator could be mounted ander the transmission, Also, the ease structure is strong in that area, Next, he had to make a channel for the wires and a hole for them to comeout—but only a small hole, big enough for the wires (no pl or he would weaken the case. He measured the trough and triangle of the area he had to mill out and placed the case on the rotary table for machining. The majority of his time fon the two and a half hour job was spent seiting up the machine. The key to this modification is that no plug will be used. Giggie added a couple feet to the stator wires and covered each one with shrink tubing. Any number of solid, efficient connectors can be used 10 connect the stator wires to the regulator. Engine assembly with Sumax fin ished cases, barrels, and heads will be covered in the next couple of issues. —Wrench oto by Bab ones Te resh-machine four o'clock postion where the wires ext the easeSTUFFING IN AIR... Or, Getting Your Head(s) Together ebtivey small changes to stock RR cine Changes to performance’ provid you do cay the gh thing ad in easy the nght ony. Here's revew of some modications othe heads for the Ero special ands puting ot ce Check owt Tt tay the two headin photo Tconcon hea stock ID head irom ne ext Evolution coin, sone wi te piston and valves tat go with ithe end onthe ig foot Deparre Bie Works Richmond, Va), worted orerby the nachins, Gage ong with an Ast Angle'Top pston ands pat of Back Damond ves the Departure head ha a ifeent shape atthe uppet eh comer: doesnt have te web running from upper gh fo the clout port on the opper et the pression tat emit the sales an the spark pe combus on chamber The tighter the piston sxpecues the atuc tore opin ‘Sere—har ite higher the compres: sion atthe more en the sre ins generates and, heer, ore power it deliver tothe rer wel Thats the gow news "he bad news that squcezing the ane too ch cn cause ho aploe a at nce rather han bun prope ivasine ptm ges down Atha, theexponion wil pogice “as knock Atibe worst ow the pson aed Connecting fod out rough the tom ofthe eases To ply hh compression panes then you Tove contol ie Avimtever he competion nti, You wa to pet ft tar mre into thelnder, stesmore, you wan the ino be through sired wp On frock head (photo) the isd of the page om the manifold ote nae atic rough, andthe roughnes pro Yokes turbulence tat ies the tmntre Atte sme ine thoy the fouhness aso impedes the fon The ial head would Rave sooth passages toassure maximum fow, but woud tho ere some way of proc fen turbulence to ase ming va Giggie polishes the valve passages and ports until the air-fuel mix slips through like Jack Daniel's going down (photo 5), and polishes the inside of the combustion chamber until it feels like bartop lacquer. That lets lots of mix- ture into the combustion chamber—but ‘what about turbulence? ‘Turbulence? You want turbulence? We'll give you turbulence! Study that Axtell Angle-Top piston. The depression ‘on the near side accomodates the intake valve, The depression on the far side allows for the exhaust valve. Note the angle of the metal from one valve depression to the other. This isthe ‘genius of the Axtell Angle-Top, and it works great if you know a Giggie who ‘can fix the head to match it. ‘The stock head has a flat area on the left side of the combustion chamber. ‘That's the “squish area.” On Bandit head, Giggie has machined the squish area down to a curved angle that ‘matches the Axtell piston. During the compression stroke, the piston shoves the fuelair mix into the combustion chamber. Then, wham! Right at the last second, the rising piston traps the mix ‘under the squish area and gives it one helluva push that creates one helluva Jot of turbulence. Even Harley-Davidson 2 knows how to do that. But look at Axtell's way: that upwardangled squish area gives the fuel charge considerable extra whirl up and across the top of the combustion chamber and right into the spark plug. ‘The plug doesn't just sit there waiting for fuel to come by to get ignited. Rather, the squish area feeds fuel to the plug just like a welder bringing the torch up to the striker, Axtell’s AngleTop, then, makes up for any loss of turbulence due to pol ing, Besides that, i sets up a lame front—a wave of fire that proceeds through the fuel charge—that makes the most of the extea fuel that the pok ishing let in, It does something else, 100, The turbulence, and the pace of the flame front, keep the fuetalr charge from going offal at once, Using Angle- ‘Tops, and provided you follow up with the right cams and ignition timing, Giggie can finish a head to a compres- sion ratio of 10.2 t0 1 Photo 2 shows a stock rod (upper) after Giggie has worked it over lower). “Metal can take a lot of beating, but underneath itis very much like glass: a scratch or imperfection in the surface ‘can open up into a crack that shortly becomes a complete fracture. To bullet-