What would be a good cam?

Adam,,that's always a tuff question.

Good low-mid range cams are what they come with.

Not trying to be a wise guy,lol.

Each type of modification has it's own strong suite.

For genuine,actual boost in Low/Mid range,,,

Higher Compression beats any Cam.

So does more displacement.

Cams Can show a boost at low/mid rpm,,,,

but a Cam CHANGE to Enhance that will be really weak at hi-way speeds.

A Cam cannot really build much Additional Power to pump up Torque Numbers at say,,2000~3000 rpm.

What they Do is shift the Torque Peak DOWNWARD the rpm scale.

For example,,using random numbers.

AS-Is,,say your bike makes 70ft/lbs Torque @ 4000rpm

At 2500rpm,,it may be only 55ft/lbs.

Because it has not reached PEAK yet .

Mild Cams,,Low/Mid,,,,,They MOVE that 70ft/lb Peak Down to say 3000rpm.

That causes torque to be 65~70 range between 2500~3000 rpm.

So Yeah,More Torque at Lower RPM.

But NOT 1 single Ft/Lb actual Increase beyond original.

It hasn't increased TOTAL

That makes engine run Very Weak at any rpm beyond Torque Peak.

It sorta "borrows" upper rpm power,,and adds it to lower end of RPM scale.

On the Road,,,the feeling is that the engine runs outa breathe and quits pulling very early.

It Will continue to rev out,,,,but just has no pull.

You can test the sensation of a Low End cam's effect at higher speeds and get an idea how it feels.

Hold a steady 4500rpm in 2nd gear,,,and snap throttle open.

It's a mushy ,gutless rev-up,,,,but with no pull.

Try it again from 3000,,,and it pulls Lot harder

All Harley's are cammed Very Mild and run outa breathe by around 4000,,,generally speaking.

The value in changing cams is to extend how long & hard they pull up to their max rpm.

Lots of folks find the bikes sluggish trying to pass cars at 70~80mph range.

Hi Compression ,,,big inches,etc will NOT help that much at all.

Those things will make it pull harder up TO 70~80mph,,,but it's gonna run outa breathe just the same.

And THATS when Cam Changes are the answer.

If You really want More Low End and mid range,,,

go with Higher Compression,or a Big Bore Kit.

That'll Pull your existing gearing up to highway speeds much quicker..

If you want to it to Pull harder & a little longer thru each gear or from "half-Throttle Cruise" speeds,,,

Then you Need a Cam Change.

Andrews #EV27 is a Great cam,,,,it's Borderline "hot cam",but pulls harder than the stock cam thru low & mid range.

Arguably it's "the best" for a stock motor for someone who doesnt want a racebike.

It breathes well enough to support Mild future upgrades/mods .

With Hi-Compression pistons,,,it becomes a VERY strong puller with extended mid range and good top end power.

Andrews has one thats Stronger,,,and probly the Max for a basically stock engine.

#EV46

It's very strong mid/top end and doesnt lose much on low end in the compromise.

With Higher Compression,,that simple combo makes an exceptionally strong running street motor.

Thats another point---if you think you'll eventually add/do more to your engine,,,Ya Really dont wanna pay for a cam which will be insufficient to support a bigbore kit or whatever you may do later.

Cams,,in a sense,,,are a sort of parlor trick.

They change When/Where the engine pulls,,,,not so much any change in Total output.

Higher compression or more cubic inches,,,at low~mid RPMs thats what makes the power boost,

It's simply More Pressure pushing on the crankshaft.

That yields an actual Boost per given rpm,especially at lower rpms.

My opinion,,you really oughta considers installing some 10:1 pistons with whatever cam you chose.

It'll make it run like an entirely different engine.

Anyway for Cams...

Andrews EV27 or EV46

Crane Fireball 310 or Fireball 316,,

are about "1/2 notch hotter" respectively than those 2 Andrews grinds

Screaming Eagle SE3 or SE4 fall between the 2 Andrews and the 2 Cranes

There's not as much difference between the SE3 & 4 as between the Other brands 2 choices

BEST thing to do with cams,,,is Call the MFGR and discuss it with them.

All just my opinion,,everybody has their own ideas

Crane Fireball Cam Specs

I like to see who I am talking to so I like to use cams. I mean like in the Real World you can see the body language of the other person and when you are chatting on the net without a cam you can not hear the words just read them so you do not realy know who you are talking to. But with a cam you get to see the reactions to what you say and know that the person that you are talking to is really real. Not some perv or cop.

Yes it is. I ran this cam ( Andrews EV-27 ) in a 1987 Softail Standard with S&S Heads and Wisco slight dome pistons. I highly recommend installing mechanical compression releases in the heads also, you'll need it on those cooler days while trying to spin your motor.

It depends on what you're looking for, and how and where you ride. One of the best cams available is the HD SE54, it makes crazy horsepower but it's not a very streetable cam. Plus, you have to machine the cases for additional clearances, clay the pistons to make sure the valves aren't going to smack against them, run heavier springs, and on and on.

The most power you can get with just a cam swap is the HD SE11 (25753-97) which only has .181" intake lift at TDC overlap, so you can usually get away with not claying the pistons to make sure there is adequate valve-to-piston and checking valve-to-valve clearance. It has .508" lift and 246 degrees of intake duration, plus 249 degrees of exhaust duration, so it's going to sound like a race motor plus have tons of power when you open the throttle.

I've found that most folks prefer the HD SE4 (25752-97), it's got .505" lift with 235 degrees of intake duration and 240 degrees of exhaust duration. It's got a really good lope to it when it idles but still doesn't mind the occasional traffic jam. Plus, it'll flat smoke all the guys who think pipes and air cleaner make their bike faster. The problem is that it's got .189" of lift at TDC overlap, so the intake valve is hanging out there a little farther. You really need to check the valve-to-valve clearance and valve-to-piston clearance before using this cam.

Andrews Cams make the most horsepower in race-only situations. I don't have any experience with their street versions so I can't recommend a specific part number.