How much HP can you get from a V-twin Motor??

[NoDak]

I was at a local motorcycle show this weekend and I saw a HD with the following specs:

2005 HD Ultra Glide
124 CI
S & S B2 Heads
Cam -640 Lift
D & D exhaust
170+ HP

I think a stock HD is 70 HP and a Victory is hovering at 100 HP.  This motor was built by a local speed shop that just opened.

So is this possible?  Can you get 170 HP out of a air cooled V-twin?  Or is this BS?

[Bender]

Think pro stock screaming eagle drag bikes......answer....easy.

[NoDak]

Think pro stock screaming eagle drag bikes......answer....easy.

On pump gas??

[cbsnbiker]

I was at a local motorcycle show this weekend and I saw a HD with the following specs:

2005 HD Ultra Glide
124 CI
S & S B2 Heads
Cam -640 Lift
D & D exhaust
170+ HP

I think a stock HD is 70 HP and a Victory is hovering at 100 HP.  This motor was built by a local speed shop that just opened.

So is this possible?  Can you get 170 HP out of a air cooled V-twin?  Or is this BS?

Probably.

The next question: for how long? Should the service life be measured in minutes?

[bandit1250]

Anything anybody says about their Harley motor is true.

[wibornz]

I am thinking 12,000 hp with naaawwss.

[ST for me!]

The question is, why would one want to? The hd chasis can barely handle the speeds it's factory engine puts out. fucking pirates...

[caddydaddy]

So is this possible?  Can you get 170 HP out of a air cooled V-twin?  Or is this BS?

So how much cash was put into this V-Twinkie, to get only 30 HP more than a Triumph Rocket III makes STOCK!!!??  

[atadaskew]

I was at a local motorcycle show this weekend and I saw a HD with the following specs:

2005 HD Ultra Glide
124 CI
S & S B2 Heads
Cam -640 Lift
D & D exhaust
170+ HP

I think a stock HD is 70 HP and a Victory is hovering at 100 HP.  This motor was built by a local speed shop that just opened.

So is this possible?  Can you get 170 HP out of a air cooled V-twin?  Or is this BS?

Why not?  A 124 cube motor is just over 2000cc.

It's not like it's a stock motor.

[Justin]

I am thinking 12,000 hp with naaawwss.

So a 100 HP Harley Engine with 11,900 HP shot of NOS?

[tomek]

Some of you guys are funny... in a "man, wouldn't it be cool if you had a clue, or a sense of adventure" kind of way.  

Actually, yes. STOCK a modern Big Twin puts out ~90lbs torque and revs to about 5500 RPM, peaking at about 4500 RPM ( do the math for HP ). The S&S heads do NOT float valves and with the right cam profiles (and those big flowing heads), the big twins will rev to about 8000 RPM, say it bangs out 135 - 145 ft lbs.... yeah, it's doable.

But as mentioned, I wouldn't want to count on it for any kind of long-term reliability.



That's not the question... the question isn't about making a "fast" bike, it's about making a certain kind or model of bike faster.

Didn't you guys build any hot rods in the 60s, 70s or 80s?

Well , 8000 rpm on 2000 cc pushrod V2 soon or later will end up like this  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g28ZlmZKk8c

Just saying ,,,,,,Buell tried to run that kind of rpm on XBR-R , much smaller powerplant (1340 cc) , and those things were blowing up all the time .

[veefer800canuck]

The pro-stock "Harley" engines really don't have any Milwaukee parts inside them, nor are their cylinders, cases, heads, etc, anything resembling anything that The Motor Company.

They are machined from solid blocks of aluminum and everything inside is beefy to the max for dragracing.

NOT something you could slide into your Ultra-Fat-Wide-Classic-Sporty-Tour-Hyrda-Glide.

http://www.starracing.com/G2/ProStockEnginePage.htm


OTOH, you can get a 145Ci monster motor that will slot into your average street-bound HD and make 170 HP, yes.

http://www.starracing.com/G2/145EngineSpecsDynoChart.htm

[DFH]

Why not?  A 124 cube motor is just over 2000cc.

It's not like it's a stock motor.

Some simple Maths...  

2000cc Boutiqe engine company using all the latest in technology (air-cooling, 2-valve heads, push-rod drivetrain, carbs, long stroke narrow angle V & extra shiny bits) claims 170hp at the crank/brochure.
Ducati 1198cc engine hindered by silly euro tech (water-cooling, 4-valve heads, belt drive dohc desmo valvetrain, fly by wire throttle bodies with fuel injection, 90 deg short stroke v twin, no chrome) claims 170bhp at the brochure... and a real 151 hp at the rear wheel.

Is an 800cc capacity hike enough to make up for 50 years of solid design & development?

 

[sammyseaman]

Some of you guys are funny... in a "man, wouldn't it be cool if you had a clue, or a sense of adventure" kind of way.  

Didn't you guys build any hot rods in the 60s, 70s or 80s?

You have to remember the demographic of this site. Prolly not too many cats here had street rods back in the day and the ones that did aren't automatically questioning the reason to triple the power of an "old" motor.

[bomber]

Much more to to make your own horsepower/performance than to simply hand over money and take it home with you.

It's tougher to improve on factory offerings these days, as the factories have gotten much better, and the legality of modding motors has gotten hazy -- but, hey, we're motorcyclists, free spirited, open minded, welcoming of ideas other than our own . . . . .  

Oh, wait . . . . . .


Those numbers are easily achievable with an HD big twin . . . .

[DFH]

Much more to to make your own horsepower/performance than to simply hand over money and take it home with you.

It's tougher to improve on factory offerings these days, as the factories have gotten much better, and the legality of modding motors has gotten hazy -- but, hey, we're motorcyclists, free spirited, open minded, welcoming of ideas other than our own . . . . .  

Oh, wait . . . . . .


Those numbers are easily achievable with an HD big twin . . . .

Sorry, which HD delivers 170hp?

[bomber]

excuse me, I forgot where I was -- not by a stock HD, that's for certain --

The one listed in the OP, on the other hand -- those numbers are not at all surprising.

[DogBoy]

Who needs 170hp when the bikes have more than enough power in stock form?

[steve.m]

well...here's the story there.

when you "old guys" were young you had the option of changing a needle and a seat in your carburator, pulling off a 2bbl and swapping on a 4bbl.  you could undo 10 bolts, remove your intake, shop around in a junk yard for a wrecked high spec car and pull parts, swap a cam fairly easily and so on and so forth.

then electronic ignitions and fuel injection came along.  in order to make THOSE motors perform, you NEED to spend money (unless you're a fecking computer genious and can make your own fuel map)  add in a turbocharger for good measure and you're talking some serious computation before you can even THINK about making a modification without completly ruining your engine.  it's not that the current generation CAN'T do mods to an engine (i just installed a holley 4bbl & performer intake on my pontiac), it's that modern engines don't permit these kinds of changes.

and yes, an HD motor can absolutely scream with proper tuning.  the S&S models will do their share of work to embarrass a gixxer in a straight line.  0-60 times are much faster when the front wheel stays on the ground.

[sammyseaman]

well...here's the story there.

you you "old guys" were young you had the option of changing a needle and a seat in your carburator, pulling off a 2bbl and swapping on a 4bbl.  you could undo 10 bolts, remove your intake, shop around in a junk yard for a wrecked high spec car and pull parts, swap a cam fairly easily and so on and so forth.

then electronic ignitions and fuel injection came along.  in order to make THOSE motors perform, you NEED to spend money (unless you're a fecking computer genious and can make your own fuel map)  add in a turbocharger for good measure and you're talking some serious computation before you can even THINK about making a modification without completly ruining your engine.  it's not that the current generation CAN'T do mods to an engine (i just installed a holley 4bbl & performer intake on my pontiac), it's that modern engines don't permit these kinds of changes.

and yes, an HD motor can absolutely scream with proper tuning.  the S&S models will do their share of work to embarrass a gixxer in a straight line.  0-60 times are much faster when the front wheel stays on the ground.

 
Mild, somewhat inexpensive h.p. upgrade for old bikes: Jetting, pipes, airbox de-restricting.
Mild, somewhat inexpensive h.p. upgrade for new bikes: Re-mapping fuel system (forums, torrents, etc...), pipes, emissions crap removal.
Big, expensive h.p. upgrade for old bikes: Head work, bigger pistons, pipes, bigger carbs, NOS, superchargers, etc...
Big, expensive h.p. upgrade for new bikes: Head work, bigger pistons, pipes, re-mapping of fuel system, NOS, superchargers, etc...

For the most part the kids don't tinker and get hands dirty as they used to.