Looking at 2003 Road King Shriner model

[One4Tone]

...She's a red Fireman's model Shriner model. comes with plastic stock saddlebags, no windshield. Canadian model, 51,000 klicks, (appox 30,000 miles). So I know it's getting close to the cam change adjusters replacement. I plan to do that work myself after I buy the cam bearing extractor and installer. I heard the motor run and no noises at this time. It is fuel injected with Rhinehards mufflers which I plan to change back to stock. (I have those). While I get in the camchest I am thinking of possibly a cam change..(therefore is gear drive cams a good idea?) or stick with the chain drive?...I am not looking at a major boost in power but possibly a little more midrange since it is a 5 speed tranny. I must admit I like the Twincam motors so I am going to stick with them for a while. any suggestions for cam use, gear drive or chain drive will be helpful. Thank you..

[rigidthumper]

2003 was the first year of the roller bearing case, so I'd stick with chain drive cams- I would use Andrews 21N conversion cams, and the late model hydraulic tensioner/plate/pump setup, simply because they have proven more durable than the early tensioners, and less sensitive to crankshaft runout than gear drive cams. I'd replace the lifters if new cams go in.

[smoserx1]

Conversion cams allow you to use the same setup as 2006 Dyna/(2007 and up other engines) where the silent chains are replaced with roller chains and the cam plates use no bearings.  That is what I have.  Any Andrews cam ending with an "N" will work with this setup.  Any Andrews cam beginning with a "TW" however is for the setup you have now from the factory...that is spring loaded tensioners and silent chains.  I would not go back with that setup no matter what anybody says.  There have been some supposed improvements to the spring loaded shoe material, mainly from a brand named "Cyco", I have heard mixed reviews, and you still have the tremendous force of the spring tensioners and cantilever effect of the tensioner arms that cause uneven pad wear.

Don't confuse conversion cams with Harley's "hybrid" kit either.  That uses hydraulic tensionsers but still uses old style cams (like what you probably have in there now) and because of this it uses bearings in the cam plate and retains the silent chain on the inboard side.  The only way I would ever consider this would be if I were keeping the factory stock cams.

Gear drive is tricky to set up and can be time consuming and expensive if under/over sized gears are required, and you won't know this till you begin installing them.  And they require a crankshaft with almost no run out, and the run out has to be checked before gear drive is even considered.

Good luck on whatever you choose.  That is a nice bike.

[kd]

^^ well stated ^^   

[One4Tone]

..thanks guys for the heads up..great advice...thank you..

[One4Tone]

...well yesterday it came down to crunch time to buy the bike. It was a rainy miserable day, although it did stop a few times. so before handing the cheque I asked for a quick test drive. They refused. Saying bike has not been safetied yet. Apparently they don't safety the bike till "after" one pays for it. Then they said I can take it out in the spring...So the deal was not done...and who knows if it be done because I thought the whole procedure was somewhat odd. I can see if we would have had freezing rain but regular rain would never stop me from riding in this type of situation. so, from my perspective will have to see what happens...no test ride no cheque...let someone else buy it under those circumstances.

[Helmwurst]

I sold a bike to a Fireman several years ago based on a test ride. The guy really liked the bike and I wanted him to buy it, because he was all gooey over the paint and custom stuff I had added (Fatboy). So you might consider this, I had him pay me first, and we signed an agreement that if he did not like the bike and did not damage it during the test ride, the deal was off and I would refund his money. If he damaged the bike during the ride, it was his and I would keep the money. All went well and he rode it off the same day, and it was 34 degrees out that day. Ran into him a few months later at a local cruise in, said he froze his ass off riding that thing home, but rode it almost every day to work if it was not raining.

[One4Tone]

...thank you for the advice Helmwurst...I suppose that is something I could explore. There is a complication. The bike is there (at the dealership) on consignment so the owner would have to agree...the idea is good...thank you...

[One4Tone]

...well the deal went sideways. They were adamant about not letting me ride the bike. I even said I would bring an umbrella since it was raining...(they must not have thought that was funny)...so I got my deposit back. Everybody at the dealership said it's a nice bike but no one knew anything about it. It was on consignment which complicated things somewhat. The price was $8000 Canadian plus tax 13% plus admin$227, plus licence $149, plus storage till spring with an oil change for $250...so it would have been around $9700 since all the extras were also taxed at 13%. it is mind boggling that they would expect someone to buy without a test ride, without warranty. I wish them luck. I have seen a bike once that you could start and within 5 minutes the oil light would come on...long story short it wound up having to do a rebuild with a new crank pin. the bike had been in an accident, got a new frame from Harley with macthing serial#'s, new front end,etc, but in the impact at about 30 miles an hour while the bike was in gear the con rods must have shifted enough to misalign the con rods of the oil hole off the crank pin and thus lose oil pressure once the motor warmed up. I know this well because the bike is sitting in my garage (72 FL)...and I was riding it in the accident. So hidden damage can and will happen....Decided to build a garage in the back yard this spring...and ride the old shovel instead...maintain

[smoserx1]

I don't blame you for not getting it if you couldn't test ride it.  I can remember when I ordered mine new in August 1998, no new models at the dealers, six month wait for delivery.  Fast forward 10 years, massive recession... every dealer is flooded with them and no customers.  Lots of folks bought Harleys around the turn of the century for investments or believing they wanted to ride and found out otherwise, so as a result now there is a plethora of "garage queens" out there with low mileage on them.  I mean really, 30000 miles on a 2003?  Try finding a 2003 car with mileage that low.  If you want an early twin cam with low miles there everywhere...and plenty of folks that will let you test ride one before you buy.

[hbkeith]

odd , the consensous usually here is Never let anyone test ride ! , ive always said I don't buy "Potty mouth" without riding , on my 22nd Harley now

[Buglet]

    Six months ago had a customer pick up a 03 RKC 800 MI on it sitting in a climate control building, only one bolt had oxidation on it other then that it was 100% like the day it roll out of the factory.

[kd]

    Six months ago had a customer pick up a 03 RKC 800 MI on it sitting in a climate control building, only one bolt had oxidation on it other then that it was 100% like the day it roll out of the factory.

Well actually the tires were stale and probably dangerous from sitting in one position. Many of the seals would be hardening from lack of movement and lube and the electrical connections will be oxidized to some extent.  It won't be a turn key purchase by any means.

[chaos901]

I've bought several used H-D from the local dealership without a test ride, but TN has a law that allows the purchaser to return a major purchase within three days if found to be defective.  Several states have a similar consumer protection law on the books.

So far, knock on wood, never really had any issue worse than having to replace old tires.  Of course had to change shocks, tighten the steering, all the usual stuff that I would likely do on a new bike too.   

EDIT:  Looked it up, it is called a "buyer's remorse" law and pertains to any purchase over $25 here.

[Hossamania]

That law does not apply to car or mc sales here. Houses yes, cars no.