twin cam gear drives Harley Twin Cam Discuss twin cam gear drives in the Motorcycles forums; Hey guys- this cam chain tensioner issue is driving me nuts! I have an '02 fatboy, 23,500 miles, change oil every 2500 with Amsoil, she never sees 70mph. I would ...

[fathboy]

Hey guys- this cam chain tensioner issue is driving me nuts! I have an '02 fatboy, 23,500 miles, change oil every 2500 with Amsoil, she never sees 70mph. I would like to do the gear drives. I have taken the cam cover off at my last service interval and the external shoe seems to have normal wear. Do I need to change my lifters if I do a gear drive? How about the valve springs? I am no wrench but am mechanically inclined. Is this job too big for a civilian? I have been hoping that Chris M. would do a project like this in the mag just for some insight. I guess that I am really looking for a bottom line! Would appreciate any feedback! Thanks!

[shovelmike]

Welcome to the forum, Fathboy. I too was very uneasy about the tensioner shoes, the inner shoe is the hard one to see and often wears faster than the outer. It wasa big load off my mind when I converted to gears, plus it gave my the opport unity to get away from the emissions cams to cams with specifications that allow the engine to run much better and cooler. I chose Andrews TW21G's because mine is a heavy Ultra ridden two up much of the time, a slightly lighter bike ridden in a more aggressive manner might make better use of 26's or 37's.
I shopped the internet for prices on the parts and tools needed, purchasing a 12 ton hydraulic press for $120, I have had bad experiences with subletting work so I like to do it all here.
I added a Power Commander, Rush slip-ons and Ness Big Sucker air cleaner.
I trained as an automotive tech right after high school but that was almost forty years ago, with mechanical inclination, a factory service manual, and the instruction sheets that come with the cams and tools you can do as well as I did.
I did the job at 27,000 miles and just hit 37,000, I didn't change lifters but no more than they cost it's extra peace of mind to change them while you're in there. If you do the job there are people here ready to support you with good advice. Ride safe and God bless, Sincerely: Shovelmike.

Keep in mind there is a hydraulic tensioner upgrade for TC88 to the on used on TC96. That way you don't have to worry about crank shaft runout. I haven't heard of any problems with the new set up.

[old no. seven]

I've also been toying with the idea of using the S/E cam support plate upgrade next time I change shoes. Usually what a shop will do is cut the pushrods, that way the top end isn't disturbed, suggest replacing cam bearings, change lifters to the upgrade "B" lifters (not too expensive) replace shoes, install adjustable pushrods. A condensed version. The biggest thing that determines the gear drives is the crank runout.

[Chris Maida]

Sorry we have not done this one in a while. I'll get it on the tech schedule as soon as I get back to the office next Monday. We'll do our normal step-by-step photo and caption sequence. And since you're the one asking, I'll try my best to do it on a 2002 vintage engine.

As I understand it, you want it to be a set of bolt-in cams, meaning no required headwork, right?

[fathboy]

Yes Chris-mine's a stock 88B twin cam with a stage 1(Thunder slide, K&N air cleaner, and Vance & Hines 2 into 1s). I am basically worried about the cam chain tensioners. I think a lot of us would be interested in you doing a tech install. Thanks for the consideration.I did'nt think that I would get a direct response from the boss! Also, thanks Shovel for the reply and vote of confidence! It's nice to know you guys are there for knowledge and support!

[unclepsycho]

I sure am glad you asked for this tech article, I am gonna need it too! After 1487 miles last weekend, I have an ominous sound coming from the lower right side of my '06 TC-88. She's got 37k, all stock, no mod's at all, , , yet....

[Trigger87]

I've got 18K on the dresser and I am thinking about the chain tensioners as well. Thanks for the suggestion, Fathboy, and Chris, thanks for doing the article!

[steve dennis]

The hydraulic tensioner upgrade is great,but price it out-for the same bucks you can go to gear drive,and never worry about it again.I have an 02 FLHT,and went back with the stock tensioner shoes when I rebuilt it at 40,000.Thought it would be cheaper,but now am sorry I didn't go gear drive.This winter that will be remedied!And thanks Chris,for doing that article again!!

[HDDon]

Steve. I had read all the articles and horror stories on the cam chain shoes and went with the SS gear drive at 30,000mi. I also went with Andrews gear drive cams and SE pushrods. The install was done by HD Gainesville as was the dyno work. Now have 55,000mi and couldn't be happier with the results,and now have peace of mind as well.