rod bearing cages

[camsaure]

Anyone have some opinions on which rod bearings to use on a FL panhead? Which are better the old steel cages and bearings or the newer aluminum cages with their corresponding rollers. I have plenty of each and am not sure if newer is always better as sometimes newer is actually just cheaper.

[kg993]

I never understood why they changed, never seen a broken steel cage but a lot of scored alloy cages. Alloy uses 51 rollers and steel uses 54 and the steels are much easier to assemble. And your flywheels are probably balanced for the heavier steel set.

[camsaure]

I think you sold me on the original steel type. Good points.

[knuckleheadtim]

The steel cage rollers are also longer, so it seems they would be better having more surface contact. I think they made the change because the alloy cages are cast and much cheaper to produce than the machined steel cages. Weight is not a factor because it's rotating weight, not reciproacting.