Stage III or

Ok guys, I'm bored and been thinkin about the Eglide all day what with the gremlin I have currently. So here is a question that I have had rattling around in my head for a long time, and I would just like some commentary on what would be the best plan. Or better yet, words of experience from riders that have gone down the road I am thinking of taking. What would you have done differently etc.
Before you ask... I have no intention of trade up to a new bike. I love my ride and have done a lot to it, and the new ones although nice looking are just to darn expensive for me.

My question is this: Should I go ahead and go to a Stage III upgrade on my 1340 evo (cheaper), or should I just save up and buy a whole new mill in the 100+ cubic inch range?
If I do go with a whole new mill, I am going to want it to look original. Black with silver highlights on the fins. I love the sleeper type of set up, so it would not have the look or cam sound of a monster (aside from the exhaust note of higher comp). Comments on aftermarket mills like S&S or RevTek?

Currently my 1340 evo is set up with a cam grind that caters to highway, meaning it really wakes up at mid range and high end. I like it that way, since I spend most of the time on the highways.
I am also running a 5 speed, and have often thought about getting a baker 6 speed. Since I think if I built up the motor any more, I think I could really take advantage of that extra gear.

Sorry for the ramble, just looking for some ideas & comments good or bad.

When you're talking "Stage 3" Do you mean bore and stroke or just bigger jugs?? If just boring it out you have to consider how many miles are on your bottom end. Service wear limits would have to be checked for sure,if you're going with stroker flywheels and bigger jugs then you factor in the cost of the parts, teardown and rebuild cost you would probably be better off with an aftermarket engine, Ultima also make very good engines and are less expensive than S&S, I don't know much about the RevTech engines. Keep in mind the bigger the engine the less mileage between rebuilds. A 96" would go farther than a 124" or 127". A 96" would be "near" stock longevity.
Personally I think 5 gears are enuf in the tranny but if you like cruzin at 90MPH maybe the 6th gear would come in handy,then you can look at complete engine and drivetrain packages.
If you find your current engines problem isn't elect contacts or a sensor and the MM system is goin south on you,you can upgrade to the Delphi system cheaper than all of the above.
Hope this helps you:devil:

Two racing sayings apply here - (1) "Speed costs money - how fast can you afford to go?" (2) "The only substitute for cubic inches is cubic money & you can't beat both."

There's more power to be found in the cylinder heads than anywhere else & depending on your budget, you may just want to go with larger diameter cylinders & pistons & have the heads worked by a professional shop. I know for a fact that a "square" engine, bore & stroke the same, is far better than a "stroker" where the stroke is longer than the bore is wide. A "square" engine makes the best combination of HP & torque & it won't vibrate the fillings out of your teeth.

Zippers Performance is a place I've dealt with numerous times & can highly recommend, although they are certainly not the least expensive. S&S makes good engines, but Zippers is better (using many S&S parts) & a Rev-Tec engine I would not buy - I know some independent shop owners who will not buy anything from Rev-Tec. One of those shops has a little website: ECS ENGINEERING I've dealt with that shop for years & while I'm a Sportster guy, Earl deals with Big Twins more, has over 40 years experience & is also a mechanical engineer. You'll see the Pro Nitro drag bike stuff he makes, but in his shop you'll see street/road bikes too. HeadQuarters & Nallin Racing Head Service are 2 others I've dealt with & are top quality engine builders.

Buying a "crate motor" doesn't make a lot of sense to me since there are so many good people who can take what you've got & give you what you want without you having to get a 2nd mortgage on the house. And with respect to the Baker 6-speed trans., if I had a BT I'd go with the right-side drive setup (Sportsters already are). And you'll want to consider the rpm range you actually use - I know that even very high-powered bikes go slower in 6th than in 5th, but if you're wanting to cruise the highways @ lower rpms in 6th, then choose the cam/valve/head setup that makes strong low-end torque as opposed to top-end HP.

The bottom end on Harley enignes is very strong & unless you find things like too much sideplay in the piston rods, you should be fine "punching out" the bore & leaving the stock stoke alone. Any of the shops I mentioned can help you pick the right combination & there are others too - just specify your goal & budget.

Yes ,right again Art, a square engine and headwork would be the best way to go,but can the stock evo cases be bored out for 4 1/4" pistons to give you a square 120"??
If its a high mileage engine wouldn't you want to make sure your bottom end will hold up with the extra cubes and the added power.
There a a lot of things to consider, check the prices on a 120" crate engine(Ultima) and check how much it would be to have the heads flowed,buy jugs, pistons and possibly a block and then have it put together. It could come close to a crate engine tag, and then you could sell your stock enine to offset some of that cost.JMO.:devil:

Thanks guys for the input!
Does anyone have any oppinion on the SE heads? I can get a new in box set for around 450.
Or should i just take the originals to a shop? I have a reputable shop close by Branch Flowmetrics / Harley-Davidson Performance and they can probably set up what the SE's do with what I got already? I'd like to bump up the comp ratio to about 9:1.
The engine I currently have is under 20k in mileage, so doing a complete tear down kind of seems more than what I want at this point.
I totally agree with the "How fast can you afford to go" statement, sine I say that all the time with my vette project. I'm just trying to go in the smartest direction, while getting the most out of my dollar and the current design of my evo. That being said, I love the stroke of the evo so I'm not interested in changing it.
I have always thought about doing the 96" upgrade, but being that I pull away from my buddies that have a twinkie 96's on the highway I have doubted the upgrade. But thats not to say I have not ruled it out.
Anyone here have a 96" evo? What was your impression coming from 80" to 96" on your bike? Money well spent or?

I would take your heads to Branch rather than buy a pair of SE's. IMO you would have a better set of heads when their finished with them.
Axtell,Revolution Performance and a few others have big bore kits and you can use your stock cases and flywheels.
You can make a 96" or 97"Evo really haul a$$ with the right cam,Branch heads and set up properly(intake and exhaust),then you won't pull away from your buddies, you'll disappear on em.

I do not know how far you can go on the bore with Evo BT cases, but I'm sure someone here does.

Take the heads you've got to the shop - the SE's aren't that good & as castings, still need work. You can spend a lot of $$$ on aftermarket heads, but a good shop can do wonders with stock ones for a lot less.

Branch has a very good reputation & I'm sure will do a good job for you.

Just a top end job should serve you well - I doubt if you need to split the cases & get into the bottom end, but check things like piston rod side-play according to the service manual specs. I noticed on the NRHS site that they have an 85" setup that's a "bolt-on" & I've been to that shop so I know the quality of their work: NRHS - High Performance for your Harley Twin Cam, Evolution, Sportster or Buell!

I often say think system instead of individual parts. You can spend a ton of $$$ on excellent parts, but if they're not designed to work together, you won't be happy with the results.

As I mentioned, the only substitute for cubic inches is cubic money & I see both 97" & 106" kits on the NRHS page, but both of those require case boring & the 106" setup reguires a longer stroke. I think you'd probably like the 85" setup & even just having the heads you've got professionally ported, the intake manifold matched to the intake ports, a good exhaust system & good tuning would give you more useable power without spending a fortune.

I haven't owned a BT since the 1947 Knucklehead I bought back in 1969 & have never had an 80" Evo, so I'm not a lot of help on the details of your setup, but last I checked, the laws of physics haven't changed Been playing with Sportsters for several years & while they are different from BT's in several respects, they're still 45-degree single crankpin "odd-fire" V-Twins & the same rules still apply. Professional cylinder head work & increased bore will get you more power for the lowest cost. And if your budget says you have the choice of doing only one, go with the cylinder head work.

Very cool, thanks for the input! I am going to check with my local indy to see about getting the heads swapped out with the Branch flowmetrics instead of the SE's. I know I'd be happier knowing that the heads were hand tuned, rather than just an out of the box upgrade. I am going to even talk to the Branch folks about getting the entire package better matched, like the cam, and ignition. My exhaust is a true dual already, and I am pretty happy with it.

Yes good plan, just tell them at Branch what you're looking for and they will most likely tell you how big a bore you can safely go with the stock cases and give you a set up that will work well together.:devil:
Also if its the feulie bike you're doing, then would be a good time to switch to the Delphi injection system. One guy on this site described the Delphi system as "light years" ahead of the MM system.
Are we riding Harley's or Chevy's now??:roflmao: Lifters are Chevy too.