| Author | Message | ||
     Mr_wizard |
I am going to tear down my cyclone over the winter and want to do something to the motor. I've talked to a couple techs at the local dealer but I don't think they are very Buell educated. I want this bike to really rip. I was thinking about the thunderstorm heads but I thought I would check hear first to get some ideas. | ||
| Benm2 |
You already have T-storm heads. "really rip" is relative. A swap to Andrews N4 cams (or used X1 cams) and appropriate jetting will get you 4-5 hp up top. If you combine that with "stage 1" headwork from one of the board sponsors, you might get 3-4 more. You can get up to about 105 hp by going to SE 536 cams and stage 2 headwork. You'll need new valve springs for those cams. You can go further, depends on the thickness of your wallet. I'd reccomend calling a sponsor, like CycleRama, and telling them what you have to spend. | ||
| Firstbuell |
I had GREAT results with my M2's motor - all work performed by Terry Parsley of JT&S out here at Infineon Raceway [Sears Point] check my profile for details 100+hp & 100+ lb-ft, from 'Stage 2'-ported T-storms, NRHS big-bore pistons/cylinders, SE cams & very few other special bits by design [lo-maintenance + hi-reliability], we retained CV & stock pushrods & rockers it's a 'boomer' - I love it ! | ||
| Mr_wizard |
don't they make a big bore kit for the buell | ||
| Beachbuell |
I recently rebuilt the motor on my 2001 M2 Cyclone. She had over 35K miles on her and she was a little tired. I pepped her up some........ SE cams, freshly honed cylinders, forged pistons, had the heads flowed and the valves done, re-jetted my carb (again), new lifters, oil cooler and a few other upgrades. She rips now for sure! | ||
| Hippyjoe |
don't they make a big bore kit for the buell Keep in mind that the M2 is about as close to a Harley as Buell gets, i.e. more utilitarian & comfort, less all-out "ripping." That is not to say you can't make it rip. But one rule of thumb with a Harley is, If it ain't broke, don't fix it. As others said above you can quickly get into some serious cash outlay trying to pump up a Sporty motor, your M2 is already fairly hi-tuned from the factory and looking at your profile you have done the standard first mods yet still want more power. If you want to really "rip" you might be better served trading your bike for an XB12 and going from there. If you like the tube frame you could look at an X1, they already have hotter cams than your M2, or you could look for a deal on one with a built motor. There are also built motors for sale here in the classifieds and typically the sellers lose a lot of money compared to the cost of the build. Also it is hard to sell a built Buell motor for some reason, so maybe you could just do that. Good luck in any event. | ||
| Mr_wizard |
The problem I'm having is that the guy I bought the bike from never rode it. It is a 02 and when I bought it 2 months ago it had 4,000 miles on it. Well I like to ride and in the 2 months that I've had it I put 5,000 of my own miles on. Well from sitting so much I think alot of the seals are dry rotted. I replaced all the primary seals when I got it back from Florida and now I noticed that it is leaking oil from the front cylinder? Iwas going to tear it apart this winter cause I'm going to powder coat everything on the bike black thats not allready black! Since I would have to break open the cylinders to replace all the gaskets I was just wondering what could be done to the motor. I am starting to think that I should just leave it stock though until I need to do motor work. | ||
| Mr_wizard |
I forgot, trading my bike for something else isn't an option. I love the look of the tuber. Maybe the XB12 will be the next Buell, but I'm not givin up my M2! | ||
| Hippyjoe |
OK, even though the X1 has higher footpegs and the inverted front end... you could find some rear sets for your M2 and pick up a fork brace. My point being if you want to rip you will need to stick the corners harder. Are you doing the work? It sounds like you don't have a lot of knowledge on the bike... but if you changed your primary gasket it sounds like you learn quick. You should have the FSM and parts cat... and you should be studying the KV, you will find answers to all your questions there. Where on the front cylinder is it leaking? It might just be sloppy oil changes blowing back in the wind. Your 02 should have the updated rocker gaskets... at 9k miles you shouldn't be leaking. Maybe wash it down then look for leaks to be sure. Sometimes synthetic oil will leak past seals, you could try Harley oil and maybe run some napa seal conditioner if it sat for a while. Also make sure your oil tank isn't too full. If your rocker gaskets are leaking, you could use that as an excuse to update your cams... and oil pump drive gear at the same time... since the rocker boxes need to come apart anyway. Chances are your head and base gaskets are good, but if they're not, you could use that as an excuse to go with the 1250 kit and headwork and then you could go even bigger on the cams. But that's all down the road. I think you should figure out where the oil is coming from, see if you can't correct it the easy way first. And keep learning to see what options you have... and how much it will cost. | ||
| Guell |
Honestly, you need to talk to a shop like nrhs or the likes. They can set you in the right direction. There are so many options out there, 1250 kits, xb heads, new cams, 88" kits you name it. | ||
| Mr_wizard |
It's leaking from the rocker box. It just started leeking a week or so ago. I chandged the oil almost a month ago. This is my first Buell and I'll admit they are alot different then a Harley, but I have the service manual for it and I have been looking threw the top end. With only 9,000 miles on the bike I'm not shure if I want to replace the top end. I've looked into the 1250 kits. I think i might just tear it apart and see what the motor looks like and make a call from there? After you take off the bread box what do you do with the front motor mount that just hangs out in the middle of no where? | ||
| Hippyjoe |
I think i might just tear it apart and see what the motor looks like and make a call from there? If your compression is good and you're not blowing smoke then your top end is good. The motor will tell you, there's no need to tear it apart just to diagnose a non-existent problem. You could get a mirror or a scope and look through a spark plug hole. That's what I meant about If it ain't broke don't fix it... check the KV, you will see what I mean. You don't want to interrupt a system that is working; you might just build in a new problem. After you take off the bread box what do you do with the front motor mount that just hangs out in the middle of no where? You leave it alone. It says in big letters, Do Not Remove. Also in the SM there is a note not to remove it. You could shave it down if it bugs you. Or bolt a troll on it, hang a bell from it, whatever. Anyway if your rocker box is leaking that's a good excuse to replace your cams. When you're doing the cams you should replace the op drive gear, it's only another 50 bucks and a locking tool. As to what cams, SE X1 cams drop in. They are a nice hp boost although you lose a little grunt off the line. Andrews makes a slightly hotter set that may or may not drop in. Just bumping up the cams with bolt-ins may or may not satisfy your urge to rip. At this point you will be about 500 bucks into the project if you do the work. If you are hell bent on tearing your top end apart and really ripping, you might as well call Nallin's. You can get the 1250 kit and they can flow your heads and set them up for the best cams for your habits. These cylinders are the biggest that you can slip into your cases without boring. This will set you back about 2 grand, which you will likely not recoup if you sell the bike, the market is too soft and people don't usually spend much on hot rod M2s. If that's not enough you can pull the bottom end, stroke it and/or machine the cases for bigger barrels, go wilder on the cams/heads, and add another 4-5 grand to your bill. Evo Sporty motors have lasted for over 100k miles without the need for tear down if properly maintained. In my opinion the Tstorm motor has adequate power for street situations. In my experience there is a limit the Sportster engine can withstand for performance boosts vs. longevity. Some mods the engine can handle and still return a 100k-mile lifespan, but in general the bigger you push things the higher the eventual failure rate. Also a Harley motor typically doesn't respond well to novice experimentation; it can be an expensive learning curve. Not saying that is your situation, I'm just saying. | ||
| Mr_wizard |
My girlfriend works at a Harley shop so I don't have to worry about the expensive learning curve, the techs there will help me. I think I am going to just go with the Andrews cams for now and replace the gaskets. I totally agree with what you said about if it aint broke don't fix it. When you hop up a v-twin it goes like a raped ape but not for very long. I think my money would be better spent on powder coating. I want to black out the whole bike, the only thing I won't be able to black out is the bottom end. If I can take it off it is going to be black!! |
