TP cylinder tops: what are the indication(s) that they're about to break?

[No H2O]

Mine's an S&S 117ci on a 2005 chopper. I was told as long as you don't ride it hard they should be fine but what about idling for long periods of time in DC summer traffic?

I also noticed the S&S 107 in the 04 Ridgeback (although less displacement) seemed to have more instant power, I thought maybe the Chopper is that much heavier but according to NADA there's only a 22 lb diff (653 lbs vs 631 lbs)

For those who have S&S 117s with TP headers, how many RPMs do you typically run at?

 

[bdm7250]

TP heads will break, just a matter of time as to when.

 

[john sachs]

TP heads will break, just a matter of time as to when.

TP rocker boxes on S&S heads will ruin the guides. That's a proven fact. It will happen sooner or later.
John

 

[mleach72]

Mine's an S&S 117ci on a 2005 chopper. I was told as long as you don't ride it hard they should be fine but what about idling for long periods of time in DC summer traffic?

I also noticed the S&S 107 in the 04 Ridgeback (although less displacement) seemed to have more instant power, I thought maybe the Chopper is that much heavier but according to NADA there's only a 22 lb diff (653 lbs vs 631 lbs)

For those who have S&S 117s with TP headers, how many RPMs do you typically run at?

The 117's are detuned quite a bit compared to the 107's because of epa emissions laws, but the 05's are especially bad. They have restrictors in the intake manifold, the e carb, and smaller valves. Get rid of the restrictors, get a mikuni or g carb, and install a 585 cam and you will have a bike that will snap your neck for not a huge investment.
As for the TP rocker boxes, it seems like a real crap shoot. Some have had problems. Others have not. There's a guy on this forum that has like 80k miles with tp's and hasn't had a problem. I have 20k on my bike with tp's, and my bike doesn't use a drop of oil, so maybe I'm one of the lucky ones (fingers crossed). I don't abuse my bike, but I get on it sometimes. What fun would these bikes be if you couldn't do that once in a while?

 

[Ed U. Cator]

Approaching 11K mi. w/ TP heads on my '06 S&S and so far no problems, no noises. Now that I've published that, I hope I didn't jinx myself!