As for valve-to-valve side clearance AND Valve to piston clearance, I do it the poor man's way. I put the valves in without springs and push them both down and see how far they go before they touch each other. If I see that they are REALLY far apart, I know they will be ok. If they are close, I use the dial indicator. As for valve-to-piston clearance, I do basically the same thing. I bolt the heads on with no springs on the valves. I let them drop until they hit the piston. Then I measure the distance using my dial indicator.
Hey brother, just realized our birthdays are the same damn day!so let’s get this bad hammer done, get it back in my fxr, and make sure we celebrate our birthdays and your 1000 subscribers this year! Everybody out there watching, lets show some appreciation and get this done for this man, not to many like him left in this wonderful culture we all enjoy.. can’t wait to get up on a couple rides with you this year my man.. summers close, excited to get this ol lump back runnin again, MUCH respect my man, let’s roll!
Feels like just yesterday I saw the first video "cams can destroy" times flies buddy! I love any video that involves dial indicators, motors and math! Keep em coming!
great content, I wish I would have came across your channel a bit sooner. I trusted someone and blew my life savings on my 07 TC dyna motor build ($19,900). Dude talked me out of a crate motor promising a better build. Didn't know much about cam profiles at the time so took his advice that a .630 lift cam on a 103 would give me the low end I wanted and more then enough power. Yet its exactly what I didn't want... All the power is in the upper part of the band, leave the light like a 96 and was in better shape before I paid him. Bike was leaking the day it was delivered, blamed it on the primary I scuffed up prior. He charged me to "seal" it with yama bond and called it good. Bike continued to leak... Finally I tore it apart to fix it myself and found a disaster. Primary chain was so tight the tensioner bolts bent coming out of the case. trans race walked into the main gear seal. clutch had 350 lbs of tq on the bolt and more lock tight then auto zone. Primary was out of alignment. cam gears had no backlash, hp campmate tweaked, campmate journals destroyed, back of plate worn by right cam and oil pump feuling oil pump was installed with lock tight, destroyed. cams toast, lifters look 100 years old, valves fucked, new crank, fucked. 2000 miles was all it had. Never felt so stupid in my entire life. Glad i found you, ill probably never use a mechanic again in my life.
After watching all your tech info videos, I have applied that to my 2009 trike 103 full rebuild. Just did a first ride based on your suggested break in. What a difference! Thank you everything and keep up the great work.!
My wife and I bought a 1990 FATBOY one of the 4400 The guy that had it before me stripped it down and shaved it.I guess the old timers shave the frames so you can't see any welds, he painted the frame black & tins periwinkle blue. Looks good. My plan was to restore it to the original Gray Ghost it once was However my wife decided to pass away in February at 53 years old from a blood clot. Took the wind out of my sails, to say the least. I take it out for a ride once in a while on the weekend however I'm having a hard time finding my ambition. I was supposed to go first. Not her Somehow these videos seem to help get my mind off shit, so thank you. I like getting lost in the tech.
And don't forget about valve to piston clearance. Use clay on top of the piston, assemble the head, mount to the cylinder using the head gasket, touque to pressuse and rotat the engine by hand. Take off the head and measure the clay to make sure you have enough gap.050 would about the min I would go by.
What an awesome teacher . I love watching you're video's I'm an old dawg, but I still learn a new trick 😄 watching the videos you make. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
Kevin at the risk of cross-pollinating terminology, what type of push rods are the most static in length during thermo cycling? That would make a great video btw and not just for push rods! I’ve learned more watching your videos than in 40 years of wrenching on my own stuff
You were talking about side loading the valve and elongating the valve stem if you put you valves down in the head. Well what about roller rockers? You don’t have side load with rollers. Great video by the way.
@@KevinBaxter Hey Kevin as you said many times before everybody wants more power and I'm sure I will be one of those LOL now I know not to just throw a different cam in when that day comes you'll be the one I call again. Thanks for everything Kevin
consider getting a set of gauge blocks if you do any machine work that requires a sin bar and mill. lots of uses...including very accurately calibrating all your measuring tools.
#1 in motorcycle maintenance videos! Thanks Mr. Baxter. I only wish I could get you to rip my bikes motor open and make it run like a Swiss watch! Sadly, I'm too poor and live too far.
Kevin, I went back and watched your other video on the "cam can destroy your engine". I really like how you cover all the details and I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. There is one number(s) that you did not mention and was NOT really relevant to the video, But. Where do those lift numbers come from on TDC? I was told once that they are determine after the cam is ground. Is that really the case or when the cam is being design can they be determined?. The two S&S were the almost the same at TDC for .015" total lift difference. In fact the .585 lift was .001" less than the .570 lift. Hey this might make good for a white board video.
I am a noob here so take it easy on my basic level knowledge, but I assume my S&S 475 cam would not be affected by this height issue like a 600 level cam would? Just curious if this is something I need to worry about or not.
Kevin, I've watched some of your videos and appreciate the detail you go through! I have a 2006 Rd King Custom with an 88 ci with a basic stage 1. Ive owned this one since new, and Ive loved the bike! I need to do the cam chain tensioners as I just checked them and they're almost 50% worn (~60,000 kms on the bike). I've wanted an Ultra Classic for a few years now as most of my riding includes camping! Anyway, I ended up purchasing a 2015 Ultra Classic with the 103 ci. I've gone through the whole bike in the last 2 months as its been too cold here in Canada to ride anyway and I like to be very familiar with my bikes! The bike has 38,000 kms on it. A local bike mechanic here recommends I have the cam bearings done as he usually recommends this at 40,000 kms. I am wondering if I can get your opinion on this? I plan on putting ~10,000 kms on the bike this year. I appreciate it!
I noticed a lot of friends of mine are having issues with aftermarket lifters not being made as well as they were just a few years ago. I was wondering if you're having similar issues with Harley lifters and if you are, are there any manufacturers that you would still recommend?
Not sure if you'll see this comment, i'm new to harleys, have a 2018 street glide with the 107. When checking the transmission fluid there is pressure in the transmission, once o-ring unseals you can hear the pressure escape. Is this normal?
Hi all new to this field , i have a question about lifters, i want to upgrade the lifters on my 2011 sg cvo can i use feuling race solid lifters , while keeping it stock?
I have a bone stock engined 1983 FXWG with Fubar side dumps and a S&S Super E with a little under 8000 miles on the bike..is there a drop in cam that would augment the intake and exhaust upgrades already installed on this bike ?
I am having difficulty finding a tech that 1) knows the answer and 2) is able to respond…. I am inheriting my father’s 2003 883 Sportster.. all original except… DEALER installed straight pipes and screaming eagle. I want to put the original exhaust back on… but I want to benchmark the current ECU/EFI … I would prefer to buy a quality diagnostic tool and benchmark the bike ….a) before I start the swap… and b) to help me decide if I need to have a Harley tech remap the EFI… I do not have the bike yet and I don’t even know what level of computer control and diagnostic is available. Can you please refer me to 1) someone willing to communicate with me about the computer diagnostic capabilities of the 2003 Harley Anniversary 883…. And /or 2) recommend a source for a decent diagnostic tool compatible with that vintage Harley? Thx
Hey guys someone answer this for me, I’m about to flip a coin, I have a current 96” turned to 103”, I put reaper 543 cams stock heads, I made a mistake with out getting into huge detail and I had an accident and bent the engine main shaft, I’ve sent the block out and getting it fixed and welded, I have an opportunity to go to 107” top end, cause the cylinders are suspect being warped, anyway just saying I keep stock heads for now amd same cams should I do 103 again new parts or 107 new parts also? I’ve heard about the heat issues I live in north Georgia, I’ll be using a fuel Moto tuner or something similar? What y’all think?
You won't be able to tell much difference between the two,unless you're doing high flo heads,then 107 is the answer, this man has a video for all your questions,look & find it,!
Hey Kevin I have a question for you. I'm looking at purchasing a 2020 RG Special. The bike in question has 75,000 miles on it, and yes it's burning some oil. Not really worried about it but my question is. Do you think it would be a good idea to purchase the bike and have the dealer or maybe even you install a 131 kit. It would be a fresh motor except for the bottom end. What's your thoughts please
Yeah... Kevin is so good he makes me not trust other mechanics😂
Thank you Kevin. I've learned so much from your channel.... I am embarrassed how lacking my knowledge.
Thank you Kevin for being such a wonderful teacher and being so free with all your knowledge, absolutely love your videos
The tech on this channel is second to none.
As for valve-to-valve side clearance AND Valve to piston clearance, I do it the poor man's way. I put the valves in without springs and push them both down and see how far they go before they touch each other. If I see that they are REALLY far apart, I know they will be ok. If they are close, I use the dial indicator. As for valve-to-piston clearance, I do basically the same thing. I bolt the heads on with no springs on the valves. I let them drop until they hit the piston. Then I measure the distance using my dial indicator.
Hey brother, just realized our birthdays are the same damn day!so let’s get this bad hammer done, get it back in my fxr, and make sure we celebrate our birthdays and your 1000 subscribers this year! Everybody out there watching, lets show some appreciation and get this done for this man, not to many like him left in this wonderful culture we all enjoy.. can’t wait to get up on a couple rides with you this year my man.. summers close, excited to get this ol lump back runnin again, MUCH respect my man, let’s roll!
Feels like just yesterday I saw the first video "cams can destroy" times flies buddy! I love any video that involves dial indicators, motors and math! Keep em coming!
I like all the cam swaps with zero head work done out there and the belly aching on how the M8 sucks. 😂😂😂.
That's rude but true
Short but great as always.
great content, I wish I would have came across your channel a bit sooner. I trusted someone and blew my life savings on my 07 TC dyna motor build ($19,900). Dude talked me out of a crate motor promising a better build. Didn't know much about cam profiles at the time so took his advice that a .630 lift cam on a 103 would give me the low end I wanted and more then enough power. Yet its exactly what I didn't want... All the power is in the upper part of the band, leave the light like a 96 and was in better shape before I paid him. Bike was leaking the day it was delivered, blamed it on the primary I scuffed up prior. He charged me to "seal" it with yama bond and called it good. Bike continued to leak... Finally I tore it apart to fix it myself and found a disaster. Primary chain was so tight the tensioner bolts bent coming out of the case. trans race walked into the main gear seal. clutch had 350 lbs of tq on the bolt and more lock tight then auto zone. Primary was out of alignment. cam gears had no backlash, hp campmate tweaked, campmate journals destroyed, back of plate worn by right cam and oil pump feuling oil pump was installed with lock tight, destroyed. cams toast, lifters look 100 years old, valves fucked, new crank, fucked. 2000 miles was all it had.
Never felt so stupid in my entire life. Glad i found you, ill probably never use a mechanic again in my life.
So many “builders” just put parts on. Kevin is an engineer and runs a machine shop too.
If you have the money to spend, there is no one better
After watching all your tech info videos, I have applied that to my 2009 trike 103 full rebuild. Just did a first ride based on your suggested break in. What a difference! Thank you everything and keep up the great work.!
My wife and I bought a 1990 FATBOY one of the 4400 The guy that had it before me stripped it down and shaved it.I guess the old timers shave the frames so you can't see any welds, he painted the frame black & tins periwinkle blue. Looks good.
My plan was to restore it to the original Gray Ghost it once was However my wife decided to pass away in February at 53 years old from a blood clot.
Took the wind out of my sails, to say the least.
I take it out for a ride once in a while on the weekend however I'm having a hard time finding my ambition.
I was supposed to go first. Not her
Somehow these videos seem to help get my mind off shit, so thank you. I like getting lost in the tech.
I live in Australia where it can be hard to find someone to chat to about this type of technical information.
Thanks for the info Kevin.
Cheers
And don't forget about valve to piston clearance. Use clay on top of the piston, assemble the head, mount to the cylinder using the head gasket, touque to pressuse and rotat the engine by hand. Take off the head and measure the clay to make sure you have enough gap.050 would about the min I would go by.
What an awesome teacher . I love watching you're video's I'm an old dawg, but I still learn a new trick 😄 watching the videos you make. Thank you for sharing your wealth of knowledge.
Kevin at the risk of cross-pollinating terminology, what type of push rods are the most static in length during thermo cycling? That would make a great video btw and not just for push rods! I’ve learned more watching your videos than in 40 years of wrenching on my own stuff
You are one of the good builders, that’s awesome 😊
You were talking about side loading the valve and elongating the valve stem if you put you valves down in the head. Well what about roller rockers? You don’t have side load with rollers. Great video by the way.
Can't believe ya don't have a million subs.awsome stuff 🍻mate
Wow the knowledge you possess.
Found you while researching for my 107" Dyna Build, really been enjoying watching your videos in my free time.
Good stuff Mr Baxter
Well that just changed my tune on a couple things I had in my head great video Kevin
how so? maybe I can help.
@@KevinBaxter Hey Kevin as you said many times before everybody wants more power and I'm sure I will be one of those LOL now I know not to just throw a different cam in when that day comes you'll be the one I call again. Thanks for everything Kevin
You've got me thinking about making "Go-NoGo" shim in multiple sizes now. Sure would save some time.
Or you could use feeler gauges.
consider getting a set of gauge blocks if you do any machine work that requires a sin bar and mill. lots of uses...including very accurately calibrating all your measuring tools.
I love this kind of stuff 👊🏻🔧🏁
Goldmine of information!
Very interesting, Thanks Kevin
Great segment and awesome channel 👍👍
I agree he should have well over a million subscribers. Kevin you are much appreciated! 👍👍
Great video with important information for selecting cams! I love this channel.
#1 in motorcycle maintenance videos! Thanks Mr. Baxter.
I only wish I could get you to rip my bikes motor open and make it run like a Swiss watch! Sadly, I'm too poor and live too far.
thanks for great information.
Another great show 😊
Your Birthday is Dec. 31.
My Birthday is Dec. 30.
I do have a couple of friends who share your B-day as well!
Aloha! 🤙
Kevin, I went back and watched your other video on the "cam can destroy your engine". I really like how you cover all the details and I learn something new every time I watch one of your videos. There is one number(s) that you did not mention and was NOT really relevant to the video, But. Where do those lift numbers come from on TDC?
I was told once that they are determine after the cam is ground. Is that really the case or when the cam is being design can they be determined?. The two S&S were the almost the same at TDC for .015" total lift difference. In fact the .585 lift was .001" less than
the .570 lift. Hey this might make good for a white board video.
its part of the profile worked into the design and is a result of all the other numbers. its a balance.
Mr. Baxter what is the best way to clean the heads and to remove the carbon safely?
It's a sum of the parts, not a throw something in there and hope for the best.....
Remember, If you are building your motor its only as strong as the weakest link.
I am a noob here so take it easy on my basic level knowledge, but I assume my S&S 475 cam would not be affected by this height issue like a 600 level cam would? Just curious if this is something I need to worry about or not.
Kevin, I've watched some of your videos and appreciate the detail you go through! I have a 2006 Rd King Custom with an 88 ci with a basic stage 1. Ive owned this one since new, and Ive loved the bike! I need to do the cam chain tensioners as I just checked them and they're almost 50% worn (~60,000 kms on the bike). I've wanted an Ultra Classic for a few years now as most of my riding includes camping! Anyway, I ended up purchasing a 2015 Ultra Classic with the 103 ci. I've gone through the whole bike in the last 2 months as its been too cold here in Canada to ride anyway and I like to be very familiar with my bikes! The bike has 38,000 kms on it. A local bike mechanic here recommends I have the cam bearings done as he usually recommends this at 40,000 kms. I am wondering if I can get your opinion on this? I plan on putting ~10,000 kms on the bike this year. I appreciate it!
Kevin, do you see much variation in new valve spring pressures at seat and open height, and do you have any preference for manufacturer?
How Baster molding machines work
Damn thats like powerful information glad i found your channel sir! Errr imean SIR
Thank. You
I noticed a lot of friends of mine are having issues with aftermarket lifters not being made as well as they were just a few years ago. I was wondering if you're having similar issues with Harley lifters and if you are, are there any manufacturers that you would still recommend?
We'll get your 100,000 plus!
Putting a cam & not doing the proper work for that cam maybe ?🤔
Thank you, Kevin
What is your opinion on using torque cones on open header and mufflers without baffles on a twin cam 103?
New sub! '06 fxsti, if I didnt know any different you have some machinist background
Kevin
I've looked high and low for that head fixture
Who makes it? And where in the world can I find it.
When you have to take other cases2hat you about numbers not matching on the cases
Thank you.
Not sure if you'll see this comment, i'm new to harleys, have a 2018 street glide with the 107. When checking the transmission fluid there is pressure in the transmission, once o-ring unseals you can hear the pressure escape. Is this normal?
"I tried to think and nothing happens"
Hi all new to this field , i have a question about lifters, i want to upgrade the lifters on my 2011 sg cvo can i use feuling race solid lifters , while keeping it stock?
Kevin, thanks for the early view for us members. Great info as usual.
What's the difference if one waits a bit ??
You bet!
I have a bone stock engined 1983 FXWG with Fubar side dumps and a S&S Super E with a little under 8000 miles on the bike..is there a drop in cam that would augment the intake and exhaust upgrades already installed on this bike ?
This is why you pay a pro and don’t do things yourself. 👍
I am having difficulty finding a tech that
1) knows the answer and
2) is able to respond….
I am inheriting my father’s 2003 883 Sportster.. all original except… DEALER installed straight pipes and screaming eagle. I want to put the original exhaust back on… but I want to benchmark the current ECU/EFI … I would prefer to buy a quality diagnostic tool and benchmark the bike ….a) before I start the swap… and b) to help me decide if I need to have a Harley tech remap the EFI…
I do not have the bike yet and I don’t even know what level of computer control and diagnostic is available.
Can you please refer me to
1) someone willing to communicate with me about the computer diagnostic capabilities of the 2003 Harley Anniversary 883….
And /or
2) recommend a source for a decent diagnostic tool compatible with that vintage Harley?
Thx
Hey guys someone answer this for me, I’m about to flip a coin, I have a current 96” turned to 103”, I put reaper 543 cams stock heads, I made a mistake with out getting into huge detail and I had an accident and bent the engine main shaft, I’ve sent the block out and getting it fixed and welded, I have an opportunity to go to 107” top end, cause the cylinders are suspect being warped, anyway just saying I keep stock heads for now amd same cams should I do 103 again new parts or 107 new parts also? I’ve heard about the heat issues I live in north Georgia, I’ll be using a fuel Moto tuner or something similar? What y’all think?
Hey any advice?
You won't be able to tell much difference between the two,unless you're doing high flo heads,then 107 is the answer, this man has a video for all your questions,look & find it,!
Hey Kevin I have a question for you. I'm looking at purchasing a 2020 RG Special. The bike in question has 75,000 miles on it, and yes it's burning some oil. Not really worried about it but my question is. Do you think it would be a good idea to purchase the bike and have the dealer or maybe even you install a 131 kit. It would be a fresh motor except for the bottom end. What's your thoughts please
Top Gun
🚶💭👍👍👍👍👍
I don't like these videos
Always great info on here.
Appreciate it!