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HARLEY V-TWIN ENGINES?

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Posted (edited)

Did anyone ever try using the Harley-Davidson V-twin engine in a plane?  Back when I rode them, the big hog was a 72 hp, but I have seen some lately where the owner states that their engine is anything from 140 to 180 hp.    How would this engine work mounted upside down with external oil sump?  Don't think it needs a redrive....Could be mounted upright with a belt drive tho...

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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When I was at Sun and Fun in 2003, a guy had a Harley engine display set up. Don't remember the name of his company.   Sounded nice, and blew the grass around a bunch.  Never saw it or any others on a plane though.  Back in the 1930s they put Henderson motorcycle engines in planes though, so I suppose anything can be made to work. Jim Chuk

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When I was at Sun and Fun in 2003, a guy had a Harley engine display set up. Don't remember the name of his company.   Sounded nice, and blew the grass around a bunch.  Never saw it or any others on a plane though.  Back in the 1930s they put Henderson motorcycle engines in planes though, so I suppose anything can be made to work. Jim Chuk

Model T Ford engines worked too - sometimes!  I may have been wrong on the old 72 hp, maybe that was cubic inches?

EDMO

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Posted

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Posted (edited)

Thanks for the video Luke - I bet the price for a Hardly engine just tripled! 

Wish they had given the engine weight with redrive.

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted (edited)

I just found SKY RAY on the net - they sell 100hp V-twin conversions with redrive for $10K - Redrive alone is $2500.  Not too bad, and this is the NEW Hardly engine, and they have a 4-valve 148 hp conversion (no price) - all complete weight w/ exhausts and everything is 204 lbs.

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Hog Air was sued out of business by Harley-Davidson for patent infringement on the use of the name HOG (Harley Owners Group).

The engines were too temperamental and the required redrive made them too heavy.  Another unsuccessful automotive conversion.

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Posted

Sky Ray will be sued soon, if not already for use of the engine in an aircraft.  Liability lawyers.

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Sky Ray will be sued soon, if not already for use of the engine in an aircraft.  Liability lawyers.

Guess Bombardier must have deep enough pockets for lawyers to have stayed in the aircraft business, since about 99% of the engine-out kit plane crashes are with their 2-stroke engines.

EDMO

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Posted

BRP doesn't take someone else's product and/or name and use it without permission for aviation use. 

This is why we have Bing carburetors rather than Mikuni.  This is why we have Ducati ignitions rather than Bosch.  These companies agreed to aviation use and the associated liability costs. 

Why do you think it took so long for an EFI system from Rotax?  It sure wasn't tech, it was liability. 

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Posted

How does Monett get away with his Aero-vee? And all the other Vw builders?

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Posted (edited)

Somebody may have gotten the building rights for that engine - I don't think VW has made the Boxer engine for a long time - Too busy making diesels and faking the emissions output on them.  And note, it is now the "Aero Vee", not VW.

My engine will always be a "Reductions" or I will call it a "Suber" or "Soob", and Subaru wont even sell you parts without a VIN number for your "car".

I think that if you buy an engine, you should be able to use it any way you want to - You just cant use the advertisements or copyrighted stuff that the original company owns.   But you can be sued for anything - lawyers are parasites!

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted (edited)

Somebody may have gotten the building rights for that engine - I don't think VW has made the Boxer engine for a long time - Too busy making diesels and faking the emissions output on them.  And note, it is now the "Aero Vee", not VW.

My engine will always be a "Reductions" or I will call it a "Suber" or "Soob", and Subaru wont even sell you parts without a VIN number for your "car".

I think that if you buy an engine, you should be able to use it any way you want to - You just cant use the advertisements or copyrighted stuff that the original company owns.   But you can be sued for anything - lawyers are parasites!

EDMO

BTW:  As I understand it, Subaru made the EA-51 as an experimental airplane engine originally, and it didn't have enough hp, so it was put into a car.

WHO do you think made the airplane engines that flew them to the surprise party for us at Pearl Harbor, December 7th, 1941....?

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Nakajima WRX ? Or STI ?

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Posted (edited)

Don't forget Mitsubishi...Isn't it great, that we can buy all this "advanced engineering" like Toyota and Nisson and KIA!

Oh, but I would have preferred to keep my job, instead of having it given away to the Mexicans!

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

Thank the UAW for that, Ed  

 

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Posted (edited)

Thank the UAW for that, Ed  

 

Unfortunately, the Union don't run the company, and it took advantage of NAFTA, which the Democrats under Clinton gave us! 

I will admit, that the Union is a double-edged sword, that cuts both ways.  However, as a third-generation Auto worker, I know about the horrible conditions that my Grandfather had to work in before the unions. 

Work and safety standards have changed a lot since those days because of the unions.

EDMO

Edited by EDMO

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Posted

I dont think that the power to weight is ever going to be very good! Im an avid motorcyclist, AKA, Biker guy, When we try to go beyond the design limits of Harley cases as they increase every 5 years,  we can get bigger horse power but they dont last long. The twin cam ballanced Harly motor now is 114 or 120 ci. Cubic Inches not CC, they can put out about 90-100 hrs.torck at the wheel. Some a little more depending on transmision and gearing.You find that on race bikes, 6 races and their rebuilding them. Eventualy the Harley will reach the mark of 100 true horse, will it be to heavy by then? Time will tell, .The new inovative turbo yamaha 1000cc snow machine engines show promice !

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Posted

Why is a Harley Davidson like a hound dog?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They both make a lot of noise and like to ride in the back of a pickup truck.

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