Harley airplane?

[PhillyKev 0]

Sportster (I'm assuming it's a newer Evo) motors and the 88B are worlds apart in terms of vibration. They actually sell little vibrating kits for the passenger seat now because too many ladies complained they lost that Harley thrill.

[shropshire 0]

You're right of course, the EVO does shake less that previous models but still a touch too much for a plane, I suspect. But I would sound great.

Alass, also, it's not the lightest engine around but it does have loads of torque .... is that good for a aircraft engine?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[PhillyKev 0]

Ahhh, no, what I meant is that the 88B (b stands for balanced) doesn't shake anywhere near as much as an Evo.

[shropshire 0]

Thanks - will I find that 'B' on my engine case?

(.)Y(.)
Chivalry is not dead; it only sleeps for want of work to do. - Jerome K Jerome

[PhillyKev 0]

No, the sportsters are still made with the EVO. The 88B is only on 2000 and newer Softails. Dyna's since 99 have the 88 (no B).

[Dumpster 0]

Quote

My wife says thet the Sportser shakes better than any washing machine .... not too sure what she means

Pull one plug wire off and she may like it even more!

THe 88B engine from Harley still sounds the same, but has two couterbalance shafts that cancel out the inherent vibration. A very smooth-running engine. I believe it came out in 2001 or 2002. A regular Harley engine would shake a plane to bits in no time.

Easy Does It

[ChangoLanzao 0]

I've owned a Suzuki 100, a Yamaha 305, a Kawasaki 500 MachIII, a Kawasaki 750, and a GoldWing, in that order ... been riding for 36 years They were all fine motorcycles, and fortunately I've been lucky enough to have never owned a lemon. My MachIII was the most fun - used to leave Harley's behind in a cloud of blue smoke The GoldWing lasted forever, and was absolutely reliable, but all it could do was to take me comfortably, in a straight line, 90 mph, ALL DAY LONG

I have derived great pleasure over the years denigrating Harley D's

Now I own a 2002 Dyna LowRider AND a 2003 Softail Heritage Classic. I've already put 6000 mi on the LowRider and more than 10000 mi. on the Softail. Last June, I drove the Softail out to San Diego and back (from Champaign, IL). It was AWESOME! More comfortable than the Goldwing, totally reliable, burned no oil, sounded great, and handled beautifully. Got passed by lots of squids on cheap, but VERY fast japanese crotch-rockets. BFD! I can go faster, assholes - head down!!

Anyway, I love my Harleys. They are well-built, solid, and reliable. The engines are smooth, and sound great! Most importantly though, they are WORKS OF ART

Irony: This August, in Rantoul, I made the mistake of parking the Softail too close to Drop Zone Row, so it got hit by a sofa on the final night Rear fender got wrinkled up. It was very sad But that's a whole 'nother story ...


************************

[PhillyKev 0]

Good post. I had a Honda that was an oil sucking monster. My sporty has been a hell of a lot more enjoyable.

[VectorBoy 0]

I dunno. Rotax (4 strokes) fall into the top end of that category. Jabiru does as well. My personal favorite, the Rotec radial ('cause it sounds "right") also falls into the top end of that category.

[cruzlite 0]

I always loved the sound of a D-18 starting up...
like ten Harleys...

Makes me wonder why nobody has ever tried bolting
3 v-twins together, one behind the other, rotated 120 degrees...

Kind of a do-it-yourself Pratt & Whitney

?

[velvetjo 0]

I'd fly it. As long as it has a slow enough stall speed and reasonable glide ratio, seems like it could be fun. That's the one feature of most light aircraft that redeems their lack of redundancy. Ever notice that most twins & turbines, while very reliable, are designed to glide like bricks?

Then again, I'll fly most anything that will get me off the ground, given the chance.

Lance

[Dutchboy 0]

Quote

I was thumbing thru the January issue of Private Pilot and noticed they built a plane using a Harley-Davidson motorcycle engine. Would anyone in their right mind fly in this thing without a rig? NOT ME!

let the flaming begin

This is the same model airplane I built. The one with the reliable Subaru engine that crapped out on me over the forest a year and a half ago. I'd go with the Rotax over the Harley (or Subaru) any day.

[algboy 0]

Quote

Harley's are complete garbage. Overpriced, unreliable, generic pieces of shit. They can't hold a candle to Japanese cruisers.

Oh YEAH???
Well check out this Harley D lawnmower my folks bought me for Christmas. Sure, it's a bit more power than I need, but it's a classic and rocks!!!!! (Neighbors are always asking to borrow it)

Try getting your typical "rice-burner" to do this!

http://mywebpages.comcast.net/mhmyers/skycutter40-1.wmv

“Keep your elbow up!"

[leroydb 0]

nice, but can it take ya to the moon?

Leroy


..I knew I was an unwanted baby when I saw my bath toys were a toaster and a radio...