Here we are with part II of the S&S 106ci Hot Setup kit on our '02 Road King. To get you up to speed just in case someone stole your copy of last month's (Vol 41, No 4) issue, we spent some time with Eric and Bob Bennett at Bennett's Performance in Signal Hill, California. We left off with Eric and Bob putting the lower end together, fitting the pistons to the cylinders, installing the cams, lifters, and oil pump, and everything in between.
In this issue we're wrapping up the top end and building the new S&S Single Bore VFI assembly. As soon as we get the motor back in the bike, we can program the new S&S EFI system. For better tuning capabilities we are updating the bike from an open-loop system to a closed-loop system, so we will need to weld in exhaust bosses for the oxygen sensor. We'll cover more on this next issue. Then we will put as many miles on the bike as we can, and get the final numbers.
 1. Here is the motor where...  1. Here is the motor where we last left off. The lower end was together, and the pistons were installed. The cylinders were slid down over the piston and rings, then the motor was rotated to position the piston to top dead center (TDC) to check for any clearance issues. We were getting ready to install the heads and rockers, then build the S&S throttle body and install the S&S air cleaner kit. |  2. The S&S 106ci kit includes...  2. The S&S 106ci kit includes all the gaskets needed for the motor, so Eric placed a new set of head gaskets onto the cylinders, then placed the S&S high-flow Super Stock cylinder heads onto the motor. The heads feature S&S's new Sidewinder single-coil valvesprings. These help quiet down the valvetrain by reducing the spring noise in the rocker boxes. |  3. Before installing the...  3. Before installing the heads, a dab of anti-seize was placed on the head bolt threads, washers, and cylinder studs to eliminate false readings on the torque wrench caused by binding, and to allow proper seating of the gaskets. |
 4. Next, Eric torqued the...  4. Next, Eric torqued the head bolts according to S&S specs. |  5. A set of S&S electronic...  5. A set of S&S electronic compression releases were installed in the heads to lighten the load on the starter. They were wired into the starting circuit so that once the key is on, power is sent to open the valves. Once the starter button is depressed and the motor is started, the valves close, bringing the motor back to operating compression. |  6. Due to the wires on top...  6. Due to the wires on top of the compression releases, Eric used a two-piece S&S compression-release socket to install the releases into the heads. |