Chain Drive vs Gear Drive Cams : Pro Tip

If you have a Twin Cam or Milwaukee Eight powered Harley Davidson and plan on upgrading your cam setup then you will eventually be faced with the choice of using chain driven or gear driven cams. There are pros and cons to each type of cam, but the decision doesn't have to be a difficult one, we walk you through the positives and negatives along with some of the technical considerations that need to be addressed when choosing the type of cams for your bike.

#GearDriveCams #TwinCam #MilwaukeeEight

[greenman]

I have the S&S 509g cam and cam chest kit in my 2002 fxstd. It’s been amazing for me.

[jimwilson]

gear driven worked for years without any problems, this was all about getting bikes back into the shop for repairs and costs to the owners, the same as vehicles, to eliminate the backyard mechanic and those that like to do their own work

[ibranger]

As a confirmed gearhead; all my friends & family have confirmed this, I prefer the whine of gear driven cams over the whir of chains
That’s the only complaint I have with my 2018 Wing
😉

[jamesball]

This info was very concise and informative. I myself built my 95" with gear drive, Andrews 37g cams, Feuling plate & pump and S&S crank...man, I love the set up!

[ericrhinehart]

Yep, chain drive for sure. Not racing and pulling the motor apart every month or so, just riding for fun.
Remember, FORD was Fast On Race Day, and Cadillac was Get To Where You Are Going and Still Make It Home!

[pedrothomas]

your smarter than u look, ive learn alot thank u

[Hog-gz]

Hi I am from the future, 😂 Great review, I have just recently purchased a 03 Twin cam deuce, Because of age and mileage approximately 50, 000, I thought I better look inside to see what I’ve been replaced, It’s had a new primary chain tensioner by the looks of it. The pad is only just marked., but I think as I’ve got it apart, I will replace it, then inspected the cam chest, it’s been converted to gear drive, with S&S components, but the plate itself is still HD, And wondering whether I should change the plate as well, what is your opinion, please?,
And should there be any play in the gearing on the ends of the cam, it all seems rock solid, and there has been a misfire on the engine every time I open the subtle, I think I might have found the problem with an air leak, it has a HSR 42 carbon, the plugs though seem very very black,
Which I was thought if I was on here, it would be lame, I wonder if you can advise, please, In 1999 2000 I did purchase a brand-new deuce, sadly I had to sell it in 2019, but I had spent a lot of money on. It had big kit cams auto pumps that the lot was done on it. It always ran very strong. Never had any problems., one other problem with this bike? I just recently purchased serious problem with the alarm system., I don’t like it and I wish to remove it, but been told by HD that I can’t do it, not without great expense, I’ve always found your territorials very helpful. Keep up the great work., from France.

[gulfflier]

I appreciate your videos! You have my business because you take the effort to show these how-to's.

[johnkenneally]

My 2010 RG with 96 Twin Cam is getting that exact same gear system right now.

[BigFiveJack]

Your videos TEACH us! We are Grateful!

[williamnale]

Had the full S&S chain drive, mild performance cams, inner plate and oil pump done on my '06 Springer Classic as did my son on my old '01 Roadking. Both are TC 88's. We went to Ronnies V Twin in Willis, Texas planning on gear cam swaps and Ronnie said the exact same thing as on this video. Both bikes run great and no reliability issues for years to worry about..Anyone living in the greater Houston area should check out Ronnies. Legit, honest and great work done. Not getting anything, just a happy customer.

[tshadow]

Does J&P have any non HD related videos? I have a 2007, 865cc Triumph Bonneville T100 with carburetors. I would love to see some maintenance videos about it.

[theodavies]

Came here after listening to someone saying roller chain drive is more efficient.
Didn't watch the rest of their video.
Plan to go with S&S 509g from the fueling 525s fitted.
I don't need anything past 4½k RPM for anything apart from making a lot of noise from the v&h straight shots.
Need to check it's stock pistons and the crank is good but it's already taken a lot to debug my '99 FXDL with 7 previous owners.
Someone early on fitted a nice looking Harley motor co fuel cap from a EFi non vented that starved the carb when the temperature drops or at any altitude changes.
Should be plain sailing from here.

[johannjohann]

Short of the "wobble" problem, would using crankshafts basically be stronger and last alot longer than a chain? If done right, the crankshaft setup should run for the life of the bike and never need to be replaced. And a side note: "Hydraulic anything is better than "springs"!

[roysauer]

Patrick is the goat when it comes to everything on a Harley Davidson

[russellwetzel]

Great info, but what if you just want to bulletproof your engine, what setup would be best?

[whitecapmadness]

This video set me straight.
Hydraulic in my 03.
Thanks.

[tomharvey]

Bottom line the more runout you have the more the gear drive backlash will change. Chains are “forgiving” the gears will eat themselves when the backlash is excessive

[JokerTheVlad]

Thanks i needed this knowledge! Much Love from Canada!

[CLDWRKD]

This was an excellent explanation. Thank you.