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Harley-Davidson Electra Glide discussion forum:"Retired" Aerospace Tool Design Engineer |
| "Retired" Aerospace Tool Design Engineer |
| "Old Blue" said 2005-09-28 13:14 |
| Well hello again! Yes it is I, the bloke with the Cobalt Blue & Silver ´88 FLHS which NOW has achieved 50,000 hard-won miles! Where to began, or shall we say: continue? . . . . "Old Blue" as I´m oft´ to call her~has been a faithful and steadfast ´companion´ down those long roads of life straight into my retitrement from the Boeing Company. I fitted her with a leather Police "solo" saddle and Kayaba Hydraulic spring strut and plastic OEM factory seat/tray fairing that cleans up the lines and hides the "ugly" void that lies beneath the stock saddle mounting point. I fitted ´her´ with a descent horn cannibalized from a local auto wrecking yard from about a ´90 or later model Lincoln Towncar, for the princely sum of $2.50! and Boy oh Boy does THAT get the attention of sleepy cagers !!! I designed and heavily modified a surplus Honda Goldwing luggage rack and built custom support stays to position it just behind the solo saddle for carrying a heavy duffel or camping equipment for those long putts to Sturgis or? Engine mods continued with the replacement of the tired OEM lifters with JIMS Big axel hydraulic units, together with a fresh Torrington Cam bearing and a new .510 lift, 240 degree Intake/Exhaust Woods W-6 Camshaft; which brought the peak torque to just a little over 72 Ft Lbs from around 2,000 RPM up to 4,500 RPM; making a big difference in its tractability and roll-on power, without a lot of significant change in a quiet tickover at idle and just a slight degree more valve clatter than the Andrews EV-3 cam previously fitted. In terms of real-world performace, keeping in mind, that the original OEM ignition module with its (actual) 4,800~5,200 RPM rev limiter remains in place~the bike will accelerate to an indicated 107 MPH flat-out with me sitting fully upright behind the windshield (grinning!) in the running mile. Once past 90 MPH the rate of speed is agonizingly slow getting there, but eventually "old Blue" ´arrives´ Brrrring along in top and feeling a bit ´dancy´ in the sweepers! Straightline stability is good,but beware of heroics in the turns with any kind of weight carried in the saddlebags~as those rubber isolastic mounts and spindly swingarm/engine driveline hyme-stabilizer links will allow her to "shake her head" and potentially put both machine and rider into a hell of a speed-wobble under irregular pavement/cornering and high throttle loads!!! Fuel Mileage at todays $3.20 a gallon for Premium being paramount to most of us old retiree´s is a concern and the bike delivers 37 MPG mixed city-highway driving with freeway stints in the low 40´s @ 65~75 MPH speeds. Oil consumption (H-D 20~50Wt) is nill between changes or at most,maybe 1/2 cup @ 2,500 Mile interval oil & filter changes. Has been this way since new and remains a tight, extremely robust powerplant that never fails to start first time, every time! Aside from the aforementioned 40 MM Mikuni Carb, Woods W-6 Cam,highflow aircleaner, ACCEL "High output" coil and |Noogly high tension spark leads, low back pressure Kerker built H-D mufflers and an S & S intake manifold; the engine has never been ´down´ or out of the frame. Dynamometer readings at the rear wheel indicate a conservative 65.9 H.P (actual) with a maximum of 72 Ft. Lbs of torque over a wide range of engine RPM !! Not a lot,granted, but even after nearly 18-years of consistent use and enjoyment, still more horsepower than a new 2005(stock) fuel-injected Roadking!!! Concensus: Question~ is the H-D Electra-glide "Sport" a keeper? would I consider selling her or trading her in on something newer? Yes & No. If I could afford to keep her and buy another new machine, I would. But if I decide to try something newer or of a different brand but in the large displacement Vee-Twin "cruiser" category: I´d consider the Kawasaki Vulcan 1600 "NOMAD" or Vulcan "2000" as her replacement~ or perhaps (when one is available to test) the new Yamaha 1854cc "ROADLINER" bagger? It´s been my opinion that the current ´crop´ of Harley FLT platform bikes are ´dated´, lack the handling refinement and ´civility´ or the ultimate reliability now offered by the new Japanese baggers of similar ilk. Considering the cost of a new H-D in view of what it "brings to the table" in terms of performance and price vs functionality; they remain behind the metric cruisers by a considerable margin. I´m sorry to say, that although I dearly love my Ol´ Blue´ ~I´m keen on considering her replacement with something current that handles and has a bit more poke in the engine department. My biggest complaint (if I can venture a judgement of a failure in the basic design of Harley´s FLT platform bikes) is this: They co not offer either the "crispness" or handling solidarity of the current Japanese models mentioned previously, nor do they offer the smoothness of the counter-balanced twins from the Orient. (Yes, even the "BETA" counter-balanced 1450cc Twin-cam of Harley´s Heritage Softail series is coarser and less refined) The OTHER concern I have with Harley´s (V-ROD excepted) is the lack of liquid-cooling, which in todays traffic conditions, poses a horrific toll on the traditional air-cooled engine´s ability to shed heat in stop and go traffic. Kawasaki has chosen to liquid-cool their Vulcan line, Yamaha´s Roadliner 113 Cubic-inch "bagger"claims to be air-cooled, but on close examination of press-release photos, sports an oil cooler as standard equipment. Polaris Victory´s carry air/oil cooling as a means with dealing with reducing heat load on their engines~and are apparently successful doing it as well. Harley Davidson´s traditional line of air-cooled vee-twin motorcycles will ultimately have to go the route of the V-Rod, if higher horsepower and reliability issues are to be addressed in the future? Other issues, such as the Kevlar belt drive now fitted to the Harley Davidson motorcycles is a good, high-mileage, low maintenance means of delivering power to the rearwheel and does so efficiently. But, due to the antiquated H-D design of the once chain-driven power-train on the FL series Big twins specially, ~is an absolute %&#!¤ to change and requires the removal of the swing arm,rear wheel, primary chain, clutch basket,alternator stator & rotor, compensating sprockets and inner primary housing etc. etc. which from personal experience, is an all-day affair and a rack & a half of cold brewskies! Ya really don´t wanna GO There! Trust me on this! The Sportster line; particularly the 2004 and later rubber-mounted ones (and the new V-Rod) are much easier to change out and are the Only new Harley Davidson´s I would consider owning. I hope these comments and experiences together with the often "jaundiced eye" of an Old but experienced motorcyclist´s observations will be taken for what they are. Personal experiences and opinions, nothing more. Many people will look no further than there nearest Harley dealer, and will not consider any other brand? Others, will look to their closest Metric dealer and buy a machine of Japanese or European manufacture. Neither one is correct nor do I feel that either one has a significant advantage over the other in terms of personal owner satisfaction? I am an engineer by training and experience. I have ridden about a half-million miles over approximately 45 years of riding experience, owned & maintained about a dozen and a half machines of dissparate makes and countries of origin. There is No such thing as a "perfect" motorcycle nor will there ever be "perfect" riders? What one rides and cares to own, is a very personal and subjective experience. The expression of "whatever floats one´s boat"comes to mind. These have been my observations and mine alone. I hope however,that perhaps I might have shed a little light on one person´s experience in the saddle of an old Harley? N. L. Dunnavan |
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