Speeds Secrets December 2007
A Mid-Winter Workout
In their quest for more performance most Harley riders already have reached for the low-hanging fruit. You know, a bolt-on Stage I modification, an easy upgrade that makes a significant difference. A set of free-flowing pipes, a big, easy-breathing air filter and new jets if it’s carbureted, or a Power Commander and a re-curved fuel map for the EFI bikes, provides a definite wake-up call for a Harley. The guys at Speed’s Performance Plus do thousands of Stage 1 upgrades every year, completing the wrench session with a full dyno-tune. Now, do you want more? As the riding season winds down, now’s the perfect time to step up to a Stage II or even Stage III to bring that 88-inch motor’s displacement up to 95-inches, or the new 96-inchers up to 103. If you liked the way your bike performed this season in its Stage I tune you’re going to love it next year in Stage II with its big-valve heads and cams, or in Stage III that also has big-bore barrels and pistons.
Wayne Hanson and his team do plenty of Stage II and III conversions. As a result they’ve developed a combination of parts that get the job done. That’s important, making each Speed’s Performance kit a package. Everything’s been carefully picked to work together, too. For example, Speed’s Stage III kits for 95- and 103-inch upgrades include everything right down to the proper gaskets for the new cylinders and oversize pistons, the ported, polished and re-valved cylinder heads, new cams, the cam gear-drive system, the pushrods—everything. All components were chosen to work in harmony. Moreover, the engine remains in the frame during the conversion. Topped off with the intake and exhaust system from the Stage I session, you’ll have a compatible performance package that’s as reliable as it is fast.
Experience has taught Speed’s how to choose the parts to produce optimum horsepower and torque, but where these engines really shine is from idle to about 4000 RPM. “We mapped out our engine kits to be hard-pulling and extremely responsive to the throttle in the RPM range where most of the riding is done,” Wayne says. And you can expect at the very least 100- to 110-plus horsepower out of their Stage III 95-incher with torque numbers to match. Depending, of course, on the exhaust system, the carburetor or throttle body and the air cleaner you selected for your original Stage I conversion.
Experience also taught Wayne and his sons Jason and Jamie that it pays to use the best components. The pistons are JE, and Speed’s generally recommends a 10.8:1 compression ratio coupled with their proprietary 615-grind camshafts. The matching cylinder heads come with reshaped and resized ports to maximize flow, and the valve sizes have been upped to a 1.94-inch intake and a 1.63-inch exhaust. The heads are completely assembled and ready to install, new Comp Cams performance springs, collars and retainers already in place. While making these conversions the guys at Speed’s say it’s also a great time to check out the oil pump, making sure it isn’t scored.
There are some options on how to make all this happen. If you’re at all handy, or have some buddies who are, these are conversions that can be done right in your own garage. Both kits are available on an exchange basis with an up-front core charge that’s refundable when you return your stock barrels or heads. Or you can take your engine and Stage III kit to a trusted mechanic for the work. Either way, it’s a bolt-for-bolt job, nothing really complicated or terribly involved.
Prices? About $3,500 for the Stage III parts, and if you have everything installed by Speed’s at a bike rally, figure in another $1,200 for labor. But you don’t necessarily need to have the Stage III installed while at a rally. During the off-season Speed’s will take your bike at one of their locations in Knoxville, Tennessee; Sturgis, South Dakota; or Elk River, Minnesota, to do the conversion there. Contact the Speed’s crew and they’ll work with you, even meeting you halfway to one of those locations to pick up the bike.
So if you’re happy with your bike’s Stage I performance, you might consider a Stage II or III. The winter season is the best time to make it happen. And think about this: the holidays are the perfect time to give yourself a present that keeps on giving, one you’ll enjoy for years to come.
