[Jeffytune]

Hi Mr. Miller.

Torque, the force the engine make in twisting power.
Horse Power is how fast it will push the vehicle.

I.E. torque gives you wheelies, and horse power pushes you past the speed limit.

I think to start this discussion, were most rookies mess up is not having a plan when they start a build, change direction half way through, and miss-match items that kill the potential these item would give to the build if they had the other right components.

So when one should start a build is first asking the question, What do I want?
How much power, how much speed, and how much are you ready in invest to get there?
The second question should be, What Bike is this in?
A Sportster is a very light bike, so is a Dyna, these bike don't need all the torque in off the line, so you can move the rpm window up to get more top end Horse power.
On the other hand, a Heritage or Touring bike needs that torque down low to get it a movin', high speed running is not what most heavyweight bike owners want or need, so moving the rpm window down lower will give great returns in this set up.

Riding habits and solo vs. two up have to be considered, then and how much weight will the bike NORMALLY carry.

Once you get this sorted out, you can now sit down and start the planning.

Volumetric efficiency, this is the heart of any engine build.
In simple trems, how well air/fuel gets in and exhaust gets out, sounds simple, right?
You have to consider everything from the air into the filter to out the back of the pipes, everything will positive or negative effect on the outcome.

A good starting point on any build will be to start with the heads.
Valve heads are the most important and most restrictive part of the Harley Engine.
If you are not going to port the heads, then I suggest you use a Harley SE203 and a 95 kit and be done with it, any thing bigger, and the heads will not be able to flow the cam at potential.

Large valves and Big ports with a mild cam is a waist of money.
Stock ports with a large high lift cam is the same, a waist of money.
Large ports on a torque engine will kill the torque off.
And stock ports will run out of steam at the upper rpm range.
So you need to talk with the tech that will be doing your port job, and discuss what you want the engine to do.
At this point they will make recommendations to cams and what compression and pistons to run to match there port work.
Do ask them what exhaust and Intake system you are planning on using, Carb or Throttle body size should also be talked over, they may have some better suggestions for you to look at.(Steve at GMR is very good at this)

Last part of any build, Ignition and tuning. The stock Ignition(Carburated) or stock ECM program just won't do anymore, A performance Ignition or SE Race tuner needs to be included, the wrong timing or fuel curve, and you can do major damage to the inside of your engine.
There are two type of tuning, basic, a quick flash programing of adding a performance ignition and throwing jets in to the carb, it is crude, but will get you a fair running bike. You need to do this right after a build to get the bike to run well enough to get through the break-in period.
Then there is dyno tuning.
This is far more expensive to do, but will get the engine running at efficacy, getting all the power you paid for out of your build. Be sure to ask around to who is the best in the area, in the Notherwest, Mike Stegmen at Latus is one.
Many people skip this step, it is expensive, usually 3-5 hours on the dyno to get it right on the money.
But it is were you will get all the power you paid for, so please, budget it in.