New S&S heads, piston rings...I'm ready to roll baby!

(May 10, 2014) Push came to shove this week and I had to spend some big bucks and invest in new heads. The logical choice was a compromise: rather than go with stock Harley Davidson heads or pay to have the old ones cleaned and machined, I decided to go with S&S. I read a lot of bitching on various Harley forums about stock heads--and even S&S heads--not delivering optimum performance. Sure, you can spend a fortune and have firms such as Branch O’Keefe deliver their specialty heads to your door. But, I don’t need to shave a second or two off my quarter mile time. I want a practical solution for my bagger. S&S offers a reasonable option for a rider like me. (By the way, there’s a great video on YouTube from Branch O’Keefe on how they machine heads for Harleys. It’s very enlightening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qF8ncPES8Ng.)

As I wrote in my last blog post, I had an exhaust leak in my rear header pipe after the flange came loose and it cooked my exhaust valve. The old stock heads had come to their end, after more than 92,000 miles. And, it turns out I also had a cracked header pipe (see photo at left). Kevin at Jockeys Cycle welded the pipe. I’ll probably invest in a new exhaust system next winter. For now, I’ll go with the weld as I’m tapped out on funds. :-(

While he had the top end opened up, it only made sense for Kevin to replace the piston rings as well. I expect a small boost in compression, though the old rings weren't terribly worn. As Kevin said yesterday, this work ought to add at least another five years of life to this not so old girl. (She’s a 2006 FLHTCI.)

The guys at Jockeys have been great: they ordered the heads on Tuesday afternoon and had them installed today (Friday). They’re working a Saturday morning (tomorrow) to retune the ThunderMax engine control module (ECM) for the new heads and then test-ride the bike so I can have it by lunch time. I’m so psyched about getting an engine makeover that I plan to ride to Hendersonville this weekend in spite of rain in the forecast for the next three days. I’ve decided that I’ll put up with getting wet just to take her for a 600-mile spin.

Walking into Jockeys shop yesterday felt like Christmas morning as I saw the new heads just unpacked and looking as shiny and clean as they’ll ever be. (See photo.) I was so pumped up, I even took a picture of the installation guide. My friends and co-workers have been telling me for more than a year that I ought to buy a new bike, but there’s nothing quite like the feeling of breathing new life into a machine that’s taken me so many places…and will take me to many more.

DurAlt Fuel Conditioner

After some research, I’ve decided to invest in some Duralt Fuel Conditioner from FuelSaver Technologies Inc. in an effort to prevent future carbon buildup in my engine. Back in 2012, I wrote about the carbon buildup I had in my heads and that I began using StarTron Enzyme treatment in my engine in an attempt to avoid carbon buildup. I can only conclude that it doesn’t help.

I will give the DurAlt product a try. As FuelSaver Technologies advises on their web site, I will carefully monitor my fuel mileage and overall engine performance and see if their product makes a significant difference and report back on this web site. It’s hard to get hard data on these kinds of products. All I can find is anecdotal pitches for a wide range of products, from Marvel Mystery Oil—often referred to as MMO—to Sea Foam Motor Treatment.  I will try to compile some data on my bike and let you know what I learn.

Keep the shiny side up!

-The Long Rider