Ue Se ala es) ae eee STROKER MOTORS eo Nth mena US Ey eee NE Aaa HIGH COMPRESSION euch sy yeaa Ry NOLES arate ca a)vi inning Combinatio Little things don’t meon a lot — they mean everything ° Practice does nut make perfect — Perfect practice makes perfectvil Contents Contents ore Preface is How Ty Leo This Rega wo How To Use This Book Bi ce oe GRBOOR™ xt Chapters L plppyednotion soon 7 1 Introduction sisignis 1 2 Powers Thoavianvat dinate = I 2 Paver Meenrear isi8 oc Pars bg 83 Motor Recipes Combinations Are The Key o yo at eU WEE aucULLeD myrns ee zrurns 39- I 3 Motor Recines combinatians Are Phe Kev Inauctidi System Heavy Breathing 51ix Preface 1 1904: bought my frst Harley-—a Sportster for $1400, At the time, the ame Harley-Davidsor ‘was synonymous with high-performanee and the Sportster was considered the Corvette of the motoreycle world, Also, Harley's race team was having great sucesee with the Sportster on the fast TT tracks that were then prevalent around the ceuntry, The competition was primarily from ‘Tr umph Bonnevilles, BSAs and other British twins. The Sportster came equipped with a very strong, highly developed engine that had reots dot ing back to the early 1950s and the side-valve win engine typically referred to as the Model K. ‘The engine was an excellent choiee for those who wanted to inerease horsepower because it se- sponded extremely well to modifications. My initial quest. for more pesfarmance led me to inorensing the size of the Sportster's engine rom 55 cubic inches to 65, along with adding hot cams, hored-out Linkert carburetor and ported heads. At that time, finding any performance tips or information was difeul: ot best. Samo racers would share their knowledge, while others would not, A performance oriented document could have ed me countess hours 0" confusion, many costly phone ealls and the effort. to reinvent the wheel Since the 1960s, the high-performance market for Elarley-Davidson motorcycles has grown tremendously and this has created a big demand for performance parts. Consequently, we are faced with choosing from a large and often confusing variety of performance parts and compo nents. Sorting through the vast arrey of sophisticated parts is amore difficult task today than it was Years ago, Although some performance information is available, itis frequontly up nature and often lacks an in-depth and complete perspective of key performance considerations, Additionally, itis usually scattered around and hard to locate. Asa result, I decided to Lake on the long process of writing this manual with hope that it would eliminate much of the confusion and pitfalls facing today’s performance enthusiast and racer, while providing essential performance information in one handy guide, The Big Twin High-Performance Guide is designed to provide performance and racing enthusiasts with the most comprehensive information ever presented in one manual dedicated Big Twin performance, It takes a vast amount of vague and confusing data and turns it into infor- mation that will help you or your mechanic build an engine that will not anly make more power, ‘but aleo have a better chance of reaching its real potential. It strips away the cloak of mystery shrouding the secrets of the fast. and famous. Discussed in detail are dil gine cornbina~ tions and why cortain combinations work botter than others, Inchided are chapters covering per formance considerations, engine combinations, earburetion,cam and valvetrain factors, high com- pression, high-flowing exhaust systems and hot ignitions, cial in Also included are many performance engine building principles and concepts along with pe formance tuning procedures that will benefit not only Big Twin enthusiasts, but also automotive enthusiast, vocational school students and avid do-it-yourself engine builders and rac Hopefully, The Big Twin High-Performance Guide will help stimnlate your creativity, en hance your dedication and promote your will te experiment by providing you with 2 base of knowl- edge required to differentiate yourself from the competition. Whether you want to learn Harley performance ongino modifications and tuning from the ground up or simply want to sharpen your general perlormance knowledge, The Big Twin High- Performance Guide is your encyclopedia for more performanee.How To Use This Book, The Big: Twin High-Performance Guide covers the Harley-Davidson Big Twin Byolution and Shovelhead models. The Evolution motor entered production in 1984 and is currently still in production, while the Shovelhead motor was produced from 1966 through 1984 ‘This comprehensive guide is di mance enthusiast. {ts wealth of information is also beneficial to automotive enthus vocational school students and avid do-it-yourself engine builders ‘The guide provides the information you need to maximize the performance of your Big ‘Twin. However, before attempting any operation involving engine disassembly or part replacement, itis suggested that first you consider your capabilitiesand skills, besides the tools and equipment available to you. If you intend to perform any performance modifi- cations, iLis highly recommended that first you buy a factory authorized service manual and parts catalog to acquaint yourself with basic maintenance procedures and major repair methods. This book is not intended to replace the factory service manual; instead, it is meant to provide supplemental information. Remember to follow all safety recom- mendations in your service manual Keep in mind that some procedures require special equipment and precision tools, Many of these toals ean bo purchased from dealers, aftermarket performance companies and some automotive specialty shops, Refer to the Performance Directory in the Appen- dices for » listing of parts and tools supplier If you're in doubt about performing any performance work, remember there are numerous highly qualified dealerships and aftermarket performance shops that special ize in performance modifications. This guide is divided into eight chapters with each chapter devoted to a major performance topic. Alco ineluded in the Appendices are camshatt specifications, ancestry of the V-Twin engine, racing organizations, high-performance parts suppliers along with ‘igned for either the serious racer or novice perfor- sts, new performance products and updated information for this edition. # XtChapter 1 Introduction hen the local small talk turns to motorcycles these days, Harley-Davidson inevitably is a major topic of discussion. Tt's not simply another motorcycle. Instead, it is an experience of sounds and sensations that generate the great interest. ameng Harley en- thusiasts in the maryuee’s performance. The Harley V-Dwinengine design has evolved through over 90 years of development. These engines are typically low-revving and provide lots of low-end power that’s ideally suited to slow, easyeruising. By today's standurds, these engines produce about half as much power per enbbir inch as do contemporary, state-of-the-art motore; gines, So they are not really fast. Nevertheless, le en- Harley-Davidsonisriding the crest ofpopularity and sales are booming. Harley’s low tech design and evolutionary developments offer owners great resale value that results in an oxeclieat investnent, Today's Harleyowners comefrom many walks oflife, Some are hard-core, tattooei others are Rolex-donned busine: rities, Others are purebred racersto whom speed is most important while still others are touring riders with fully dressed machines enjoying the sights and occasionally needing lo pass an eigh- teen-wheeler. Regardless of their lifestyle, over time the vast majority of owners develop their own ideas what a Harley should be and eventu- ally opt for more power and performance. And Harley’s low tech, evolutionary design lends itself to performance ariented projects. bikers while men or celeb- The Big Twin High-Performence Guido2 Chapter One Many riders walk into an engine shop and for the perfect engine. Thoy say, ‘Ta like lots of power down low, a bunch inthe midrange,and a strong top-end.” However, building an engine isa compromise. The componentsselecied deter mine an engines “personality” or powerband Some modifications, such as greater displace mentandhigher compression, help performance throughout the RPM range, while other en hancements invoke compromises, Generally, for agivenenginesize, iit is built primarily for top. end power some bottom end performance will be rificed, But the bigger the engine, the le: compromise thatie necessary. Having the knowl edge vo select the right parts and install them properly can help you minimize the compro- mi In general, there are five routes to more power. An engine can be built larger with a bigger bore, longer stroke, or both. It can be ade to turn faster. It can he modified to fill the cylinders with more air and fuel. It can be opti- mized to hurn more fuel, thereby increasing combustion efficiency. Finally, friction losst can he reduced. Each method offers its own ‘and each one involves various The first question the performance enthusi- ast must answer when deciding t¢ modify an The Big Twin High-Performance Guide engineis: whatis the engine’smajor purposeand how will itbe used? For example, isit going to be used for all out racing, touring, hot street. Bonneville, ete? The answerwilldetermine which methods are employed to gain more power With the vast array of performance parts available, i's casy to dump big dollars into engine modifications. Therefore, it makes sense to know what options are available and what to expect, regardless of whether you are doing the work yourself or paying someone else to do it Also, many of today’s engin part numbers and then assembled by way of instruction sheets, And this is okay for many performance enthusiasts; however, serious rac- ors need avery last frsetion of power. They need to have a “performance edge.” Consequently they need to know not only how and why things work, but also how to modify a part so it will perform at its best. This book is designed to help you better understand the available performance options along with providing the insight not only ta do things right, but also todo the right things. The book contains the essence of what Ihave learned during my 38 years of motorcycling, of which the last 29 have been devoted entirely to building, riding, and racing Harleys. Hopefully, it will be of interest and benefit to you. # sare built by catalogChapter 2 Power + he key to performance is knowing what is right, what is wrong and how to make it better, Ifyou copy the latest trick design or speed secret from someone else without having the knowl edge to understand fully how to use it and make it work, you can end up going backward instead of forward. Performance depends on the collec tion of many smallelements that collectivelyadd up toa competitive edge, To win today, a power- ful engine alone is not enough. Understanding why things work, having a specific plan, keeping ind building the engine to last to the finish is also necossary, Building a good engine takes a lot of patience, perseverance and dedication to doing things the comect way. Addi tionally, attentions to small details, mechanical skill and hard work are also required. ‘There currently existsa large variety of qual- ity, highly developed performanee parts for the Harley-Davidson Big Twin. Asa result, there is a deluge of potent, stock displacement and big inch stroker engines runniag on the streets and drag strips. So, you may wonder, what factors ow a racer to difforentiate himoclf from the competition? Why is one 98 cubic inch stroker engineconsistently fasterthan other 98 inchors? ‘There are many answers to the above guestions, but the basis of each answer is centered on one common point — and that: point is Anowledge Many of today’s engines are built by catalog part numbors and then assembled according to instruction sheets. And this is acceptable for many enthusiasts, However, if you really want Tho Big Twin High-Performance Guide4 Chapter Two lo go fast and keep a step ahead of the next guy, younced to know why things work, how to select he right combination ofparisand how tomodity parts to perform at their best. Asan example, if you want {o improve your engine’s performance, but don’t need to be the fastest guy on the block thon ‘there are many combinations of carbs, cams, exhaust systems and cylinder heads that will give a respectable power increase. Yet, if you're competing in a heads-up class, every last fraction of horsepower is vital to winning and you need the best combination of parts — not justany parts, Although, the best combination is dependent on me with the proper wledge and some experimentation, you can assemble an oxcellent combination for your ap plication Racers who are frequent winners don’t win Just because they copy the same combination everyone else is running. Although their nation may be similar to their competito: prove out the combination through trial and error testing and experimentation, Fer example, @ racers order lwo or Uhree different cams that theoretically appear correct for theirengine displacement, head flow characteristics, gear- ing, bike weight, ete, Each grind may vary in intake or exhaust duration or lobe separation angie. Then, after testing each cam, the best one is selected. This time consuming, eut-and-try experimentation often is the reason one racer consistently runs a fraction of a second faster than all the others. With the enormous interest in high-perfor- mance Harleys, the brightest racing futare lies ahead for the self-taught, cut-and-try experi- menter — perticularly one well versed in elec- tronics, chemistry ,petrochemistry, physics, met- allurgy, aerodynamics, and chassis-dynamics. In racing, your ellectiveness depends on the collectionof many techniquesthat add up to give you a competitive edge, Understanding certain principles is the genesis of that. competitive edge, And knowledge, ledieation, perseverance. preparation, experimentation, attention to de- tail andhard work, when applied to performance engine building, providethe opportunity for that competitive edge. There is a cliché that ‘Little things mean a lo" Don'tbelieve it. Little mga everything. It’s the little th thing Tie Big Twin High-Performance Guide extra 1/10 of'a second or going between engine rebuilds instead of THE OBJECTIVE Before you build an engine you must first decide the purpose of the engine and its rpm range. Por example, do you want to increase the touring performance of a heavy “dresser,” build a top- uel drag bike, or are you interested in a hot street bike or bracket racer? Your answer will help determine the engine's size and the compo nents. Currently, top-fuel drag onginos range bo- tween 114 and 120 cubic inches with some near- ing 180 eubie inches. Bracket racing and hot strect engines can be any size you can afford to build, although most generally end up between 80. and 98 cubic Inches with someas Targe as 103 fo 114 cubic inches, Stock class engines are just the name implics, unmodified 74 or 80 eubie hes (the 80 is actually 81.7) for Big Twins, Evolution Big Twin engines are limited to about 5250 rpm by the stock ignition module. Although many factors, such as stroke length, cam design and cylinder head airflow contribute rpm range, most_mild_perfor- are_revved between 5800 and le more radical enginesare turned betweon 6500 and 8000 rpm. Regardless of the en md rpm, it must be durable enough te finish a race and dependable for warry embly an 10 mance engin mn engine’ freestreet riding. This requires proper as procedures, properbreak-in, correct maintenance and using some discretion when riding. WINNING COMBINATIONS The Big Twin is composed of many complex, interdependent components and for each part to be effective it must be compatible with aume ousother components. Component selection must be based on how the pieces will work together ‘This means that each engine configuration must, be carefully matched with complementary com. binations to produce the best horsepower and torque curve for a particular application However, no combination is perfect because thereare too many tradeofis. Consequently, there Ifyou build the u'll give isno such thing as a free lunch. e primarily for top-end power.up power at the lower end. This is beeause an ub powarat Hie lower én cagine-wit only give maximum performance shart 1500 or 2000 rpm range ‘The key to Teliebly going fast is to select’ good combination of parts that all work in har- mony with each other — cach one building upon the contributions of the others. For example, a cam should be matched to tho head's airflow spability, engine displacement, bore-to-stroke relationship, rpmrange and desired torque curve. Any change to the combination requiresretesting toconfirm the impact of the change. Remember, for every engine there is one component that creates threshold point that limits an inerease in performance. Oneo the restricting camponent is replaced, the next restrietion in the chain becomes the limiting factor. In summary, run a combination of parts that work together because an engine is a system, not a list of parts, ca THE PUMP Atti +t glaneo the internal combustion engine s like a rather simple device. A mixture of fuel and air is drawn irto a closed chamber where it is ignited and burned to produee energy However, as we spend more time analyzing the engine, it becomes obvious that it is quite com- plex and offers an endless number of possibili- tiee for power and efficiency improvements. Inits simplest form, the internal combustion engine is nothing more than a pump. To be more accurate it can be called a heat punip because heat is power. Regardless of the type of engine you build, it will never live up to its potential unless it is an excellent sealing pump. What we 10 do is make a “happy motor.” By this itis that the engine dovsn't need to have the sat carb, but it dees have 10d airflow and excellent sealing char- acteristics, Excellent pump seal and the right ure the two mostimportant » good engine Tn fact, th way to tune an engine correctly unles: ‘an excellent seal. A com- mercially purchased leak-down tester can be used to determine the percentage of leak-down for am individual eylinder. The process involves pumping air at about 100 pounds per square inch into a exlinder and measuring the amo of leakage. Two percent ivak-down or less is combination of pa characteristies 0 Power Theories 5 oxcellent, Three to seven percent is considered maximum for a race engine. Many factory built engines fall into the seven percent area. Any ting abive’oeven pores (a conaldared out of tha hall le free ous acing barea power going to be down and its impossible to read the spark plugs accurately. Ideally, we are looking for a maximum of two percent leakage after three or four passes down the drag strip. To build a good pump, you need to start with round, straight cylinder bores. When head bolts or stun and distort the ylinder. To get a cylinder to seal properly, you 7 Tore platedaring te boring and E proc and is important to the Tak, holt FF studs and the verything up for wre torqued, they twit iachining To deturmine whether the torque plate is duplicating the same loads on the cylinder that he cylinder head imposes, visually cheek each bore after initial run-in, Shaded areas indicate uneven ring to cylinder wall wear. Compression | at tho top 1-3/4 inch of ring travel is the t important area. Beyond that, oil control is, the major consideration. Keep in mind thet a compression leak-down ofless than two percent when coupled with high oil ring leakage, also is a bad combination due to poiential detonation and the inability to read plugs correetly. Another important point isto ensure thatthe eylinder heads andcrankcase decksareas flat as possible, Finally, a top notch eylinder head jab with good valve guides, solid seats and eoncen- trically ground valves and seats completes the ENGINE CYCLES Now that some critical elements for a good s ing pump have been discussed, lets review the s of the four-stroke engine or pump, nlly the eyeles are the intake, compre: sion, powerand exhaust. All four eycles chrive on the efficient use of air and fuel and the key word is efficient, By efficient it is meant that the air and fuel can be examined not only for quantity but also quality During the intake cyele the piston moves down. the eylinder and the greatest possible amount of fresh air/fuel mixture must be drawn The Big Twin High-Performance Guide6 Chapter Two into the eylinder Next, the piston moves up the cylinder end compresses the mixture. During this cyele th Intake charge not only must be compressed to increase cylinder pressure, but i! also must be thoroughly mixedtfor tho highost possible amount to burn, Additionally, it must be ignited at e actly the right moment with a big fat spark from the ignition ‘The third eycle is the power stroke, Now the burning fuel creates a pressure increase on top of the piston that forcestheniston downward in the cylinder. If designed correctly, the engine will optimize cylinder pressure, maximize the burn- ing fuel's chemical energy and convert the mix- ture into the greatest amount of mechanical energy to turn the crankshaft Finally, during theexhaust stroke the piston moves back up the evlinder and purges the maining burned mixture from the cylinder. r maximum performanee, the engine must maximize the amount of burned mixture ex- pended from the effort required to purge it ption of the fourengino yysten linder while minimizing the Notice that thedeseri cycles not only mentions that the maximum quantity of mixture must be drawn in or purged out of the eylinder, but it also emphasizes the thoroughness of the air/fuel mixing, exact, tim- og of the ignition, optimizing cylinder pressure maximizing energy use and the completeness of expending exhaust. These point to the quality of the proce: that take place during the engine cycles and ar for maximizing the power output of any given engine combination. TORQUE vs. HORSEPOWER, Acompletely stock 80 eubic inch Big Twin engine produces ahout 67 horsepower at 5200 rpm and 70 foot pounds of torque at 3000 rpm, when measured at the rear wheel, Before discussing methods to increase these numbers, let’s Lake & lool at: what they mean Figure 2.1 reflecisthe horsepower and toryue curve of an average stock Big Twin engine, To understand the relationship of torque and horsepawer and their significance, it is first necessary to understand how they differ. Toque is the force that moves or accelerates the hike. I the amount of work close: is also ©: Tho Big Twin High-Performance Guide ‘STOCK EVOLUTION ENGINE ENGINE REM Figure 21 The stock Evol hieves maximum argue naar 2000 mpm because cylinder fil is highest at po The majar eascn horsepower drops off after 82 {pm Js because te rev limier hicks in. Take nove thal Rorsapawar and torgute elWways oroSs at 5 an engine can produce and is the equivalent of how much force is pushing down on the pistoa and how hard the crankshaft is being twiste Horsepower, on the other hand, is the speed at which en engine performs work. The fastar an engine performs a given amount of work, the more horsepower developed An engine is sometimes referred to as 2 “torque engine,” meaning that it was built pre Jominanily with torque in mind, In reality, thers is no such thing because any engine that has torque, also has horsepower. Figure 2.1 shows that the Big Twin produces 60 pounds-fvet of torque at 5000 rpm. In fact, any engine that has 60 pounds-feet of toryueat 5000 rpm, also has57 horsepower at that engine speed. ‘Torcue is present at all engine speeds and more torque st a given rpm always yields more horsepower at that rpm Torque and horsepower are often confused, although they are closely related in the equation for measuring horsepower. Currently, the only efficient method that exists for measuring horsepower is by measuring actual engine torque By definition, horsepower is equal to force mu tiplied by distaneo, divided by time. With the proper constant in place. a simple equations used te calculate horsepower: torque x rom ‘The constant 252 originat from the following