Cams

im new to these forums but find them very helpful..i have a 97 road king,carbureted,vance and hines slash cut mufflers..all stock engine..was thinking of doing some engine mods such as hi flow air filter and maybe some cams...what is a good cam change for this year of bike? 80" engine..are there other mods that could or should be done before stepping up to internal parts like the cams? i already know i need to tune or rejet my carb after adding the mufflers because its not running as well as it was before..it is running too rich..any info would be helpful..thanks

i have 45000 miles on the bike..i mostly like to cruise but do like to get into it every once in a while..depends on where im heading and people im with..can you give me any suggestions on what cams would be good to look into and what all is involved in having the top end redone? ive been riding my bike for about 4 years now and just looking to change up some stuff on it..

I would clean the jugs up, give a little better compression, clean the heads up, and I have heard good things about the EV27 cams from Andrew's.

Thanks for the info..I've read a little about the ev27 and ev13 cams...would adjustable pushrods be a good idea if I change the cam? Looking to do some upgrades without having to shell out for machine work.

ask who ever is doing your heads what they think and then run it past the forum here for input on that advise, we all have our own ideas and sometimes there even the same.

What's the differences between the ev cams and the woods cams to show such a cost difference?

If all you want is a little more cruising power, I'd leave the heads and compression alone and get the Andrews EV13. It makes more power everywhere and gives the best power right where you would use it the most. It doesn't hurt the fuel mileage as long as you don't goose the throttle a lot more than before and it keeps the oil cooler.
Generally, when changing cams, adjustable pushrods are used for the ease of installation, since you don't have to take apart the top of the bike to get the solid pushrods out (cut them with bolt cutters, not a hacksaw). You probably should get new lifters with the cam. I personally like Crane lifters. If they still make the SE air cleaner for your year, that's as good as any for the money.
A 42 idle jet with the '88-'89 XL1200 needle and a 175 main jet should make your carb work well with your mods.
At 45000 miles, your bike should be far from needing any major engine work. But a new stator and voltage regulator might be in your future, along with new base gaskets.

If you're going with one of the Andrews cams,the EV13 is an excellent bolt in bagger cam and like bikerstud said puts the power right where you use it....the EV27 is also a very good cam but likes a bump in compression to work it's best...
Stock rods are fine for both Andrews cams if you don't mind taking the rocker boxes off....

Now would this hold true with an evo soft tail as well???

Yeah kinda...but the Softails have a little taller gearing and are lighter so bottom end grunt is a little less important with them,so with that I'd go(have gone,but not in mine,LOL) with the EV27, pop up pistons to 9.5:1 CR and you'd have a very responsive bike that would pull a little farther up in the RPM range....Raising compression with the EV27 gets back some of the bottom end that it bleeds off...everything's a compromise....

Thank You Gentleman!!

Can you just buy the needle for the xl1200 at the dealership? I have jp cycles catalog and I don't see where you can just order needles..I see where you can buy single jets but only way to get the xl needle is to buy a kit that has needle and 2 slow and 2 main jets..if I read correctly the slow and main jets are the same for my 80" and the xl..is this correct?

As for the adjustable pushrods if using an andrews cam should I use their pushrods? If not what kind are a good suggestion for those?

another question..looking at the catalog at the ev13 cam it shows timing 15/31 with 226 duration and .485 lift or timing 45/13 with 238 duration and .495 lift. what is the difference between the two as far as my application goes which is better?

ev3 works very well in a softail, I've used it several times.