Hitchcocks Cam

[Eatmore Mudd]

There's a shiney new replacement cylinder head on order from India for the shiney new cam to go into.
My Himma's factory head parts are well mated to each other, I don't want to disturb that.

 

[Shearboy]

So completed part of the COBDR from Beaune Vista to Wyoming border, 2 Himalayans 2 DR350'S, and one DR650. Bikes were fully loaded with camping gear as motels were not on the agender. Both Himalayans have Hitchcock's cams installed.
Lots of steep climbing as CO dictates and of course Hagerman Pass. The Himalayans did well but it became very apparent that it is too big of a gap between 1st and 2nd gear and on some of the steeper places you had to potter along in first with revs pretty high because they wouldn't pull 2nd gear which the DR350'S could with ease.
The happy place on the flatter parts was 55-60mph saw 74 twice but if any hill was around it called for shifting gears rapidly.
All in all pretty pleased with the way they went but it did start me thinking about a big bore kit!
The cam is a huge step and might be more than enough for most but I guess I'm one of those power-hungry young 65-year-olds with more money than sense. Oh don't tell me to get another bike, I have 7 from Sherco 510 and 300 to a 1000 GS and 75 Norton MK3 that I also take off-road from time to time.
The Himalayans suspension handle things really well apart from bottoming the front end a couple of times which I have since rectified by cleaning out the forks and going to 15w oil, there was some nasty looking crap that came out of them so I washed out with carb cleaner before refilling, front feels great now.
She is now just on 9000 miles and starts and runs wonderfull.

 

[Coloradogoose]

Great to hear that the cam was an improvement! I'm waiting for that, or the TEC cam to be back in stock.
Agree with you 100% on the gearing. It's the only reason I wish it had 6 speeds. Shrink the gaps a bit without losing top end. I don't need more speed at all, just smaller gaps, especially between 1 and 2.
Did Ophir Pass and part of the Alpine Loop a few weeks ago. Himma does well on the scree. Can't wait for the boost that comes with the new cam though.
Glad the trip went well! I did the other half from you guys a few years ago. Looking forward to the whole thing this year or next year.

 

[Shearboy]

Where in CO are you Mate?

 

[Coloradogoose]

Where in CO are you Mate?

Between Dolores and Mancos in the Southwestern corner of the state. Beautiful place to ride the Himma, though I have hills and elevation so the additional power, while not needed, is certainly welcome. You?

 

[Shearboy]

I'm in Fort Collins till mid-August then off to NZ.

 

[OldGuy]

OK, I've got 1-1/2 years left on my factory warranty, but I'm ready to jazz things up a bit. Was cruising down my local 2-lane highway yesterday - mostly level, speed limit 55mph and hit a slight rise in the road - was at speed limit, in 5th, but had a guy in a pick-up on my ass. Opened it up and hit the throttle stop.... Nada, nothing, zip......hmmm. Dropped down a gear and had a little reserve, but at 55, 5th should be good for bit more than that. Just sayin'....
OG

 

[oldphart]

OK, I've got 1-1/2 years left on my factory warranty, but I'm ready to jazz things up a bit. Was cruising down my local 2-lane highway yesterday - mostly level, speed limit 55mph and hit a slight rise in the road - was at speed limit, in 5th, but had a guy in a pick-up on my ass. Opened it up and hit the throttle stop.... Nada, nothing, zip......hmmm. Dropped down a gear and had a little reserve, but at 55, 5th should be good for bit more than that. Just sayin'....
OG

How many miles on the clock? With only 6 months use, there's a good chance it's still being run in. Mine didn't really come strong until 1,700 kms and was still getting better at 3,000 kms

 

[Shearboy]

I agree with oldphart that they need a good few miles on them, that said I still treat 5th gear as overdrive and am ready to shift to 4th as soon as there is any hill at all, shifting just before the hill so as to hold revs helps with climbs. I like to have mine 5000 rpm or more when it's working and I'm not afraid of 6000 rpm either.

 

[OldGuy]

You're probably right about the mileage. There's still less than 1000 miles (~1200km) on it, so maybe it just needs some more break-in. I'm not shy about the RPM's either, but it just caught me by surprise that I was that close to wide-open, especially given how torque-y it seems in lower gears.

 

[Shearboy]

Not us, our handlebars never touch the ground.

 

[Eatmore Mudd]

Fwiw one night around the 3,000 mile marker my Himalayan went to sleep and woke up the next day a different running bike. Gotta love it when the break in fairy pays a visit.

 

[Roy Gavin]

Had that with a BMW F650GS, actually happened when I was riding.
It went OK when I bought it secondhand, but just didn't have the zip I expected, for a bike that claimed 50 hp.
Then one day as I was riding along the engine note changed and the speed picked up about 10 Km/ hr, and it stayed that way.
There were a few non standard bits like the muffler, air cleaner, etc, and I figured the ECU might have taken a while to adjust, or perhaps something, somewhere got a better read, or a poor connection suddenly got better, or a dirty injector cleaned itself, or---!
Didn't have to find out, but it is one thing about contemporary injection systems no one ever mentions, and that is that a minor fault somewhere can make a difference you might never know about unless you drive a similar well performing bike to compare!

 

[khardung]

So.....six moths on, has Eatmore fitted the 462 kit? Or is the review elsewhere? Love to know.

 

[OldGuy]

Bit worried about Eatmore - he hasn't checked in since the end of October...
OG

 

[Shearboy]

Bit worried about Eatmore - he hasn't checked in since the end of October...
OG

I have noticed that Mate! Bit worried myself.He hasn't been on Adventure Rider since September 27th.

 

[JulianK]

Can some of you HC cam riders describe the low end characteristics? How does it feel between 2000 and 4000 rpm?

 

[Ductor411]

Can some of you HC cam riders describe the low end characteristics? How does it feel between 2000 and 4000 rpm?

It feels smoother and stronger in that rev range, after less than 200 miles since fitting, and all on back roads. With a Booster Plug, BMC air filter, the Hitchcocks’ air filter cover and Lextek exhaust, I don’t intend to do any more to the engine: I am very happy with the cam, especially with the 14 tooth gearbox sprocket, which suits my riding style and local roads.

 

[Roy Gavin]

It feels smoother and stronger in that rev range, after less than 200 miles since fitting, and all on back roads. With a Booster Plug, BMC air filter, the Hitchcocks’ air filter cover and Lextek exhaust, I don’t intend to do any more to the engine: I am very happy with the cam, especially with the 14 tooth gearbox sprocket, which suits my riding style and local roads.

14 t makes a decent sort of difference so would try that first.
Might give all you need and is best bang for the buck by a country mile.
Actually have a Hitchcock cam waiting to be fitted, so not idle speculation!.

 

[tom_d]

Agree about the 14T, if you never exceed 55 or so you could pick up some good torque with that mechanical advantage and some say they like the closer 1-2 spacing. Those may be a more off-road focused group.
I live in a plains area so there is a surplus of torque in the engine for me, and the gearshift works well for when I need some more. 15T is the smallest I see going here.
I actually have a Tec Bike Parts and Hitchcock's camshaft and am vacillating about which to install, I kinda like the remade intake included with the Hitchcock kit and the fact it still has the decompressor. It's getting warmer and I need to pick one and go.