BratmanXj Posted April 17, 2015 #51 Posted April 17, 2015 Ironically, Harley has a "B" motor (balanced with balance shaft) that they use in a few of their bikes too. Many Harley riders stay away from these motors because the balance shafts rob power and make the bikes not feel right because they dont shake, thats right - there are many many people who actually LIKE the shake!! Anything in the Softail line has a B motor, as they are solid mounted to the frame, Dyna and Touring chassis have rubber mounting and thus the "unbalanced" motors. Exhaust note is the same for either motor, I have never really noticed a difference in engine performance as the seating position was more of a pain than the engine characteristics.
BlueSky Posted April 17, 2015 #52 Posted April 17, 2015 It's sort of funny that cars are going more and more high tech and bikes are going back to low tech.
Sailor Posted April 17, 2015 #53 Posted April 17, 2015 I don't want a Harley and I don't want a Harley clone. I want a Venture V4 with less weight, lower center of gravity, more power and full instruments. That should not be too hard to do.
dna9656 Posted April 17, 2015 #54 Posted April 17, 2015 I don't want a Harley and I don't want a Harley clone. I want a Venture V4 with less weight, lower center of gravity, more power and full instruments. That should not be too hard to do. You know; sometimes things get said JUST RIGHT and this is one of those times! AMEN Sailor!
cowpuc Posted April 17, 2015 #55 Posted April 17, 2015 Anything in the Softail line has a B motor, as they are solid mounted to the frame, Dyna and Touring chassis have rubber mounting and thus the "unbalanced" motors. Exhaust note is the same for either motor, I have never really noticed a difference in engine performance as the seating position was more of a pain than the engine characteristics. Back in my early MX days I jumped ship from Yamaha when Honda came out with the 73 CR250M Elsinore (wore out 2 in two years - just could not get enough of that wonderful stuff). Besides the amazing increase in Horsepower that the Elsie made over my Yamaha 250 MXer was how quickly it revved.. I was a gear head back than too so it didnt take long for me to have it apart (1st week of ownership) to see what was inside.. One of the big things that Honda did with the Elsie was they completely did away with the flywheel on the crankshaft.. This allowed for a quicker revving motor but also added horsepower because energy was not being used to spin the added weight of a flywheel. I later moved up to CR500's and finally to the KX500's. I woods raced these bikes and found it necessary to actually add flywheel weight on these bikes when woods racing to detune them and make them more rideable for woods usage (in woods racing on single track - the minimum distance between trees in a sanctioned race is/was 30" - an instant burst of 63 horse (about the same as a stock 103 inch Harley) is fun on a Motocross track but can be deadly when trying to dance between trees). My KX500 went from an explosive 62 rear wheel dynoed horse to a very tame and lenier 51 dynoed horse just by adding 14 onces of weight to the flywheel.. I am no engineer by any stretch of the word but I gotta wonder if some of the same principles apply withing the Harley world. I only say this because I have also hung around some at the "all Harley" drag racing events and had a few discussions with the Harley guys about why they dont use the balanced Harley motors as opposed to the unbalanced. This type of discussion usually ends up with the idea that having to rotate more mass with any given amount of horsepower/torque is not a good thing when talking performance. Matter of fact, its not uncommon for these shorter life drag racing motors to have "shaved" crank weights in an effort to do an exact opposite with the Harley motor that I had done to my KX's for woods riding.. IMHO = and that is ALL this is = opinion ,,,, another very interesting perspective about the 45 degree single pin Harley motor is that the fire order on the degree wheel that this design creates puts an enormous amount of pressure on the forward rod because it's energy is being released way out of phase.. The sound and the shake that people have come to love about these motors is actually the result of the motor attempting to self destruct (thats a crazy thought aint it ) by snapping that rod off as it takes the punishment of the previous combustion AND, if Harley changed this and made them more durable by producing a truly balanced motor (2 cylinders = firing at 180 degrees of each other,, not sure but I think Honda does this) they probably would sell a lot less bikes... Pass me the marshmellows please,, man this fun!!
Ventureless Posted April 17, 2015 #56 Posted April 17, 2015 I don't want a Harley and I don't want a Harley clone. I want a Venture V4 with less weight, lower center of gravity, more power and full instruments. That should not be too hard to do. I agree, but think you will be hard pressed to get a lower center of gravity with the big a^^ cylinder of the beastly V4 sitting up top!!
Sailor Posted April 17, 2015 #57 Posted April 17, 2015 OK, so I will settle for less weight, full instruments and a little more power. With all the 1 liter cars coming out with turbochargers it would be interesting to see one fitted to a Venture, preferably mine.
Great White Posted May 19, 2015 #58 Posted May 19, 2015 I'd rather see the venture name die than have it hung on a V-Twin. Give a new bike with a new V-Twin it's own name. Just my thoughts.
WallyG Posted May 19, 2015 #59 Posted May 19, 2015 I don't want a Harley and I don't want a Harley clone. I want a Venture V4 with less weight, lower center of gravity, more power and full instruments. That should not be too hard to do. ...and a dipstick! Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to have to balance a 900 lb bike:yikes: with one hand while kneeling on the ground peering at the sight glass:bang head::confused07:?
BigLenny Posted May 19, 2015 #60 Posted May 19, 2015 ...and a dipstick! Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to have to balance a 900 lb bike:yikes: with one hand while kneeling on the ground peering at the sight glass:bang head::confused07:? Thats a great point Wally. A dipstick. How freakin hard is it to put a dipstick on it?
cowpuc Posted May 19, 2015 #61 Posted May 19, 2015 Thats a great point Wally. A dipstick. How freakin hard is it to put a dipstick on it? Only keep the site glass cause I like to be able to see if my oil pump is working.. On the same token though, a dipstick with an oil pressure gauge would also be way cool (I dont trust computer monitoring)..
Great White Posted May 19, 2015 #62 Posted May 19, 2015 ...and a dipstick! Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to have to balance a 900 lb bike:yikes: with one hand while kneeling on the ground peering at the sight glass:bang head::confused07:? Well, in all fairness Yamaha's plan with a sight gauge was for it to put on the center stand to check oil level and/or conduct maintenance. A dip stick is still going to have to have the bike upright to check proper level so a dip stick isn't really going to get you any further ahead..... Give me a sight gauge over a dipstick any day.
slowrollwv Posted May 19, 2015 #63 Posted May 19, 2015 Well, in all fairness Yamaha's plan with a sight gauge was for it to put on the center stand to check oil level and/or conduct maintenance. A dip stick is still going to have to have the bike upright to check proper level so a dip stick isn't really going to get you any further ahead..... Give me a sight gauge over a dipstick any day. Not intirley true, if the dip stick is set to read full while on side stand.
videoarizona Posted May 19, 2015 #64 Posted May 19, 2015 ...and a dipstick! Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to have to balance a 900 lb bike:yikes: with one hand while kneeling on the ground peering at the sight glass:bang head::confused07:? I'd probably kill myself trying that. Got a little collapsable mirror I can hold down there while I'm sitting on scoot. About $3.
eagleeye Posted May 19, 2015 #65 Posted May 19, 2015 Well, in all fairness Yamaha's plan with a sight gauge was for it to put on the center stand to check oil level and/or conduct maintenance. Then if that was there plan, just maybe it should have come with one. just sayin
Pegasus1300 Posted May 19, 2015 #66 Posted May 19, 2015 I'd probably kill myself trying that. Got a little collapsable mirror I can hold down there while I'm sitting on scoot. About $3. I seem to remember back in the early days didn't Don do exactly that,dump the bike on himself while checking the oil?
Great White Posted May 20, 2015 #68 Posted May 20, 2015 Well, in all fairness Yamaha's plan with a sight gauge was for it to put on the center stand to check oil level and/or conduct maintenance. Then if that was there plan, just maybe it should have come with one. just sayin Mine does.....
Great White Posted May 20, 2015 #69 Posted May 20, 2015 Not intirley true, if the dip stick is set to read full while on side stand. That would work, except in 32 years of owniig bikes I've yet to see one that was meant to be "dipped" on the side stand. Not saying they don't exist, just I've never seen one....
slowrollwv Posted May 20, 2015 #70 Posted May 20, 2015 The old Indians were dipped and they didn't have a center stand. My uncle had one and he checked it on the side stand. I think it was from the early 40's.
Great White Posted May 20, 2015 #71 Posted May 20, 2015 The old Indians were dipped and they didn't have a center stand. My uncle had one and he checked it on the side stand. I think it was from the early 40's. Those are (and I don't say this very often!) just a touch before my time....
Silverado6x6 Posted May 20, 2015 #72 Posted May 20, 2015 You want cool? Over at the Vmax forumsa very popular mod is engine side covers that have clear lexan, you see the coolant pumping or oil splashing behind the other covers.
cowpuc Posted May 20, 2015 #73 Posted May 20, 2015 You want cool? Over at the Vmax forumsa very popular mod is engine side covers that have clear lexan, you see the coolant pumping or oil splashing behind the other covers. Hokey spamokey @Silverado6x6!! NOW we are talking cool and YES - I WANT IT!! I wonder if that "bling" (only calling it bling cause everybody's always yakkin bling and THAT is the kind of BLING that I would like!) is on the early models and then I wonder if its adaptable to our 1st Gen's.. If you happen to get a second, drop a link on here about it.. I will also do some digging on my own... THANKS 6x for getting my ol ticker pumping again!!
Flyinfool Posted May 20, 2015 #74 Posted May 20, 2015 I have already acquired a set of side covers that I was planning to cut the middles out of and install windows, And maybe even some LEDs to help see whats in there. I was going to do all 4 engine side covers. The green antifreeze will look like flowing kryptinite, Not sure what the oil will look like, flowing chocolate? Might require getting that nice purple Barnett clutch setup......... Maybe paint some swirl patterns onto the flywheel....... @cowpuc, hows them thar ideas on yer ol ticker.
cowpuc Posted May 20, 2015 #75 Posted May 20, 2015 I have already acquired a set of side covers that I was planning to cut the middles out of and install windows, And maybe even some LEDs to help see whats in there. I was going to do all 4 engine side covers. The green antifreeze will look like flowing kryptinite, Not sure what the oil will look like, flowing chocolate? Might require getting that nice purple Barnett clutch setup......... Maybe paint some swirl patterns onto the flywheel....... @cowpuc, hows them thar ideas on yer ol ticker. OH MY GOSH - would THAT be AWESOME JEFF!!! Especially LIT!!!! You my man are MY KINDA PEOPLE!!! Gonna sound nuts probably but I really really like the old JD Harleys.. I LOVE the exposed valving and I thinks its cause I LOVE watching the parts move.. I think having this window idea is AWESOME.. Wouldnt it be cool if in the near future someone was able to create clear plastic strong enough to be used as cases so we could see everything going on inside of a running motor:backinmyday:
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