[RideApart] - Top 5 Uses of a Harley Engine

Ninjette Newsbot · August 15th, 2014, 12:50 PM

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Now, I like Harley-Davidson engines. Those big thumping V-twins make plenty of torque and if set up right make for awesome long-distance engines. Yes, some are unreliable, but they’re easy to work on. We’ve wandered around the Internet this week and found our top five favorite, unique uses of a Harley-Davidson engine.

Hot Rod Roadster*

Built by the appropriately named, Kick Ass Rod Shop in the mountains of North Carolina, this little roadster is a 3/4-scale of an original 1932 Ford Roadster. Built by shop owner JR Drake, it’s powered by a 1,200cc Sportster engine. He started with a Downs Industries fiberglass body that he sectioned, chopped and narrowed four inches.* “It’s basically a Sportster on four wheels,” said JR.

It’s a cool little roadster, and appropriate that it’s only a 3/4 of a full size car, making everything seem to make more sense. JR used a transfer case from a Legends race car, that accepts the belt drive from the engine and a driveshaft to a Toyota rear axle. He mostly built the four-link rear suspension and Mustang II front clip.

Prius*

Mount it in a Prius… or at least on a Prius. Built by the Hell’s Treehuggers, the Harley-Davidson-engined Toyota Prius raced in the 24-Hours of Lemons races last year and recently went up for sale.

The guys took an old rent-a-cop Prius and mounted a chain-driven Sportster 1100cc that runs throughout a transfer case to a welded differential out back. Check out build photos here.*

Airplane*

Apparently Harley-powered airplanes are a thing, and several guys have built planes using the V-twin power plant. Hog Air, recently changed to Sky Ray, builds conversion kits for small aircrafts to accept a Harley power plant

.

Apparently, it’s a better airplane engine than you’d think. The Twin Cam 88 produces more torque than any other engine in that class, no need to route water cooling hoses, no need to heat the carb, and it cruises around 3,800 to 4,200 rpm, resulting in 3.5-4 gallons per hour.

Supercar

Mount two of them and put it in a super car. Car builder Sundoulos decided to build an exotic car to compete against Vipers and Corvettes in Grand Am endurance races, when the series changes its rules outlawing the original twin-turbo V8 power plant and car. The guys had already made a lot of progress on the SportStar, so they decided to continue with the production, using a twin Harley engine and unique transfer case.

It was a weird design, but probably didn’t work out well with two air-cooled V-twins mounted in the rear of the car. Since the construction of this power plant the SuperStar‘s engine has been replaced with an LS1 V8.

A Boat

There are three things that will always ruin your wallet: motorcycles, women and boats. St. Martin Power Boats took one of its standard 2-person, 600 pound capacity boats and mounted a Harley-Davidson Evolution 88ci engine in the back. Since the air-cooled engine isn’t in the air, they built a custom water cooling system. The boat started at $29,995.

Sound of it running is after the 1 minute mark

The post Top 5 Uses of a Harley Engine appeared first on RideApart.

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Alex · August 15th, 2014, 03:35 PM

See, they are useful!

CZroe · August 27th, 2014, 08:00 AM

How does the fuel economy of the Prius compare to stock, I wonder?

Redgeneral · August 27th, 2014, 08:27 AM

My favourite part was the fact that in the "Top 5 uses for a harley engine", "In a motorcycle" wasn't one of them.

Whiskey · August 27th, 2014, 01:23 PM

Surprised a coffee table wasn't on the list...

Desmoluci · August 27th, 2014, 07:00 PM

Aufitt · August 28th, 2014, 06:05 AM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1D4IdO28JU

Link to original page on YouTube.

A little heavy.

Edit *Epic fail, forum is broken.

Baron · August 28th, 2014, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Redgeneral

My favourite part was the fact that in the "Top 5 uses for a harley engine", "In a motorcycle" wasn't one of them.

bwahahahahahahahahahahahah
xD

Alex · August 28th, 2014, 07:21 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aufitt

Edit *Epic fail, forum is broken.

Fixed your link. Don't put the whole URL inside the youtube tags, only put the video ID there. Edit or quote your post to see what I mean.

Desmoluci · August 28th, 2014, 10:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Aufitt

Link to original page on YouTube.

^Clickworthy^

August 15th, 2014, 12:50 PM	#1
Ninjette Newsbot All the news that's fit to excerpt Name: newsie Location: who knows? Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): only digital replicas Posts: Too much.	[RideApart] - Top 5 Uses of a Harley Engine Tweet Now, I like Harley-Davidson engines. Those big thumping V-twins make plenty of torque and if set up right make for awesome long-distance engines. Yes, some are unreliable, but they’re easy to work on. We’ve wandered around the Internet this week and found our top five favorite, unique uses of a Harley-Davidson engine. Hot Rod Roadster* Built by the appropriately named, Kick Ass Rod Shop in the mountains of North Carolina, this little roadster is a 3/4-scale of an original 1932 Ford Roadster. Built by shop owner JR Drake, it’s powered by a 1,200cc Sportster engine. He started with a Downs Industries fiberglass body that he sectioned, chopped and narrowed four inches.* “It’s basically a Sportster on four wheels,” said JR. It’s a cool little roadster, and appropriate that it’s only a 3/4 of a full size car, making everything seem to make more sense. JR used a transfer case from a Legends race car, that accepts the belt drive from the engine and a driveshaft to a Toyota rear axle. He mostly built the four-link rear suspension and Mustang II front clip. Prius* Mount it in a Prius… or at least on a Prius. Built by the Hell’s Treehuggers, the Harley-Davidson-engined Toyota Prius raced in the 24-Hours of Lemons races last year and recently went up for sale. The guys took an old rent-a-cop Prius and mounted a chain-driven Sportster 1100cc that runs throughout a transfer case to a welded differential out back. Check out build photos here.* Airplane* Apparently Harley-powered airplanes are a thing, and several guys have built planes using the V-twin power plant. Hog Air, recently changed to Sky Ray, builds conversion kits for small aircrafts to accept a Harley power plant . Apparently, it’s a better airplane engine than you’d think. The Twin Cam 88 produces more torque than any other engine in that class, no need to route water cooling hoses, no need to heat the carb, and it cruises around 3,800 to 4,200 rpm, resulting in 3.5-4 gallons per hour. Supercar Mount two of them and put it in a super car. Car builder Sundoulos decided to build an exotic car to compete against Vipers and Corvettes in Grand Am endurance races, when the series changes its rules outlawing the original twin-turbo V8 power plant and car. The guys had already made a lot of progress on the SportStar, so they decided to continue with the production, using a twin Harley engine and unique transfer case. It was a weird design, but probably didn’t work out well with two air-cooled V-twins mounted in the rear of the car. Since the construction of this power plant the SuperStar‘s engine has been replaced with an LS1 V8. A Boat There are three things that will always ruin your wallet: motorcycles, women and boats. St. Martin Power Boats took one of its standard 2-person, 600 pound capacity boats and mounted a Harley-Davidson Evolution 88ci engine in the back. Since the air-cooled engine isn’t in the air, they built a custom water cooling system. The boat started at $29,995. Sound of it running is after the 1 minute mark The post Top 5 Uses of a Harley Engine appeared first on RideApart. Related Stories Video: How Not to Stick a Landing Video: BMW S 1000 RR v. AMS Nissan GT-R Video: Motorcycles Vs. Bicycles Click here for full story... __________________________________________________ I'm a bot. I don't need no stinkin' signature...

August 15th, 2014, 03:35 PM	#2
Alex ninjette.org dude Name: 1 guess :-) Location: SF Bay Area Join Date: Jun 2008 Motorcycle(s): '13 Ninja 300 (white, the fastest color!), '13 R1200RT, '14 CRF250L, '12 TT-R125LE Posts: Too much. Blog Entries: 7	See, they are useful! __________________________________________________ Montgomery Street Motorcycle Club / cal24.com / crf250l.org / ninjette.org ninjette.org Terms of Service Shopping for motorcycle parts or equipment? Come here first. The friendliest Ninja 250R/300/400 forum on the internet! (especially Unregistered)

August 27th, 2014, 07:00 PM	#6
Desmoluci Threadkiller Name: Mick Location: Monongahela, Pa. Join Date: Apr 2014 Motorcycle(s): Yellow '04 stocker, '89 FJ1200, '87 Ducati Paso, '71 Yamaha XS1b, '99 KLR650, '81 FXE 80, '97 KTM 200EXC , etc Posts: 430	__________________________________________________ Advantages are taken, not handed out. MSF 138637

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August 27th, 2014, 08:00 AM	#3
CZroe CPT Falcon Name: J.Emmett Turner Location: Newnan, GA Join Date: Apr 2009 Motorcycle(s): '08 CP Blue EX250J, '97 unpainted EX250F, 2nd '97 unpainted EX250F (no engine), '07 black EX250F Posts: A lot.	How does the fuel economy of the Prius compare to stock, I wonder?

August 27th, 2014, 08:27 AM	#4
Redgeneral ninjette.org guru Name: Nick Location: Ontario Join Date: Feb 2012 Motorcycle(s): '09 Ninja 250r (SOLD) - Black. 2011 ZX-6R Green/Black - 2001 Garbage Bag Green KLR650 Posts: 275	My favourite part was the fact that in the "Top 5 uses for a harley engine", "In a motorcycle" wasn't one of them.

August 27th, 2014, 01:23 PM	#5
Whiskey ninjette.org certified postwhore Name: Morgan Location: A city twinned with Kawasaki Join Date: Nov 2011 Motorcycle(s): '08 Ninja 250, 2010 STR 675 Posts: A lot. Blog Entries: 1	Surprised a coffee table wasn't on the list...

August 28th, 2014, 06:05 AM	#7
Aufitt The A Team Name: Aufitt Location: Western Australia Join Date: Aug 2012 Motorcycle(s): Z50, CB125, RZ500, MC22, R3. Posts: 394	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1D4IdO28JU Link to original page on YouTube. A little heavy. Edit *Epic fail, forum is broken.