Exchange Policy

This is only about cam cores for the moment. A quick search finds us only one dealer with prices listed. For cams, the closest match I can find that is still available is for the XVS1100 at $200 the pair -- plus an insane amount for shipping. I see late ('87) 700 Virago cams for three and a quarter a pair. Web-cam wants $225 to cover cores; Pacific Coast Star wants $300. Maybe I should explain:

Companies that make performance cams do not make them from scratch (usually). They take your old cam, weld material onto it, and grind it to the desired profile. This is presuming that you send them in your cams first. If they have cams that will fit your model in stock (these are called "cores"), they start with these. They charge you a core fee that varies by model. When they get back your old cams, they refund this amount. If you don't mind having your motor apart for a couple of weeks, you send in your cams and never pay this charge. If you want everything ready upon tear-down, you order your cams and pay the core charge.

We take apart a lot of engines and a lot of loose heads. The basic core with bearing journals in the right sizes and places, lobes deployed where needed, and correct drive points is found in ALL XV motors 700 to 1100, '81 to '98 and the XVS1100 '99 to '09. Some are still perfect and get sold as-is -- particularly the sought-after Gen I cams used on the 750 and 920 '81 and '82. Some have the lobes pitted and whipped: these normally still have good bearing journals, else they go in the recycle bin. If the journals are acceptable, we send them off to be welded and ground.

More to come . . .

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