| The question "What cam should I buy for my
bike"? is the one we often hear. While there are no hard and fast rules for picking a cam for a
specific application, some basic guidelines are worth considering. Keep in
mind that performance camshafts are usually chosen for the basic purpose of
producing more power from your engine. The three questions to answer before
choosing a new cam are: 1. Primary application:
Is the bike going to be used for all around street riding or is the goal to
have an engine which is running at the maximum torque and horse power for
track or drag racing?
2. Type of riding: Do you spend a lot of your time
riding two up on highway trips or is it more important to have the most
power you can get. In other words is your riding style conservative or
aggressive?
3. Engine/Bike combination: This question relates
to displacement (cubic inches), compression ratio, bike weight and what kind
of cylinder head modifications have been done. Have the intake and exhaust
ports been changed to result in better flow efficiency? Does the engine have
higher than stock compression ratio to take advantage of a longer duration
cam? Is the bike lighter like a Dyna or heavy bagger?
To get the best cam for your bike all these factors have
to be taken into account. Almost every type of engine modification
imaginable has been performed on H/D engines. Here is a short summary of
modifications listed in the order of increasing cost and installation
complexity.
- Relieved air cleaners
- Free flow exhaust system
- Performance camshafts
- Higher output ignitions
- Modified fuel injections
- Larger carburetors
- High compression pistons
- Big bore cylinders and pistons
- Long stroke flywheels
It is important to note that too much cam sometimes
results in poor low RPM power.
Street bikes will often perform better with a mild cam than more radical
cams. While bigger cams may have a higher peak horsepower, more conservative
cams may fell stronger to a street rider because the max torque occurs at
lower RPM. Changing cams is the easy way to more torque in the 2000-4000 RPM
range. A cam with a longer intake duration will reduce static compression
pressure at low speed which in turn will tend to reduce low RPM torque. But
with a longer duration cam and a higher compression ratio, power at middle
and high speeds will be increased which is what you wanted all along. This
is the main benefit of a good performance camshaft and properly tuned
engine.
For an engine with a cam properly matched to the
displacement and compression ratio, the net result will be more power at
middle and higher engine speeds. In general, higher compression ratios need
longer duration cams Bolt in type cams are intended for stock compression
ratios. |
