We limit access by GUESTS to protect our members from spam, hacks and trolls. Please register to gain access to all our resources.
Posted by DC
- February 19, 2015, 14:13:15 PMI'm not one for going really fast. I like to take my time and enjoy the ride and the views. Basically, I just putt-putt around on my bike.
Posted by John Hopkins
- February 19, 2015, 06:46:59 AMThere is a downside, at 107 mph you only get 90 miles to a 16 litre tank and that top speed drops to 90 mph if you have a strong crosswind.
Our national speed limit is 70 mph so there are not many roads left without speed cameras that you can do that sort of speed for a full tank.
John.
Posted by jmbo
- February 18, 2015, 19:09:25 PM107 mph? Holy crap! If I rode that fast the wind would blow my beard up over my head and I wouldn't be able to see the road.
Posted by John Hopkins
- February 18, 2015, 18:18:08 PMI have had 107 mph from my VN1500, an extra gear could increase that considerably.. Trouble is if they did that nobody would ever want to buy a Harley.
John.
Posted by DC
- February 18, 2015, 14:40:46 PMMy Drifter seems to have more power than gears it could effectively use. There's so much power waiting to be tapped in 5th. It really is begging for a 6th gear.
Posted by jmbo
- February 07, 2015, 18:27:19 PMMy son and I ride together a lot. He has a Harley-Davidson FLHRI Road King. Both he and I have five speeds but on the highway his bike is alway running at a higher RPM than mine. So I checked the torque spec on the two. They are within 3 lbs of each other but the Drifter hits max tourque at. 2800 vs 3400 RPM. I was told the Drifter's top two gears were overdrive. Perhaps that is why I can cruise at a lower engine speed. I'll check that out next.
Posted by pcarrell
- February 07, 2015, 11:38:33 AMQuote from: John Hopkins on February 06, 2015, 17:13:13 PMThat is correct, but how and when they do that can effect horsepower and torque.I always thought the cams are simply there to move the valves open and closed.
John.
Posted by Troll
- February 07, 2015, 08:38:22 AMNo, you don't personally do that, unless your are a machinist/engineer. I bought several cams for my 98" shovelhead from different manufacturers and tried them. I still have a few around. I liked the powerband, for instance of the S&S 495, but it didn't make enough peak power for what I wanted. My final decision, with the low end torque and the top end rush I wanted was an Andrews "C" grind but with a custom .590 lift. The timing and such can be altered within a small window by pressing the cam gear off the cam and putting it back on, using a degree wheel to get the numbers right. I had enough time and money, at the time to do this, so I went ahead. The final result was a SuperGlide that ran 11.91 seconds, 115.7 mph in the 1/4 mile, at the top of third gear/6,600 rpm, and was still quite streetable. I sold that bike with 254,000 miles on it when I bought my W-650
Posted by John Hopkins
- February 06, 2015, 19:16:54 PMQuote from: Troll on February 06, 2015, 18:11:38 PMNot that I will ever do this at my age but I'm curious.. how did you do this..Lift, duration, overlap and timing all effect power output. Depending on how they are done, they can make a usable powerband as wide as a table top, or as narrow and peaky as a few hundred rpm....I experimented with cams in my Hotrod HD. The stock cam makes usable power from just off idle to about 4500, the one I settled on for most uses made power in several steps, starting at 2500-4000, and then a huge spike from 4000 up to 6600....
Did you simply buy several stock cams and grind them to different shapes to change the inlet opening duration and test each one on a dyno, or did you do something completely different? I haven't had that sort of dedication for about 40 years, although I can understand it completely.
John.
Posted by Troll
- February 06, 2015, 18:11:38 PMLift, duration, overlap and timing all effect power output. Depending on how they are done, they can make a usable powerband as wide as a table top, or as narrow and peaky as a few hundred rpm....I experimented with cams in my Hotrod HD. The stock cam makes usable power from just off idle to about 4500, the one I settled on for most uses made power in several steps, starting at 2500-4000, and then a huge spike from 4000 up to 6600....
Posted by John Hopkins
- February 06, 2015, 17:13:13 PMQuote from: pcarrell on January 23, 2015, 23:00:38 PMI always thought the cams are simply there to move the valves open and closed.Drifters have a little different cam grind then the other similar sized Vulcan bikes. The grind is designed to offer more bottom end torque at the loss of a bit of top end.
John.
Posted by capnconch
- February 05, 2015, 13:26:40 PMQuote from: John Hopkins on January 23, 2015, 18:53:15 PMThe difference between a Drifter VN1500 and a Meanstreak VN1600 is only 3mph.. I wouldn't bother.
John.
The MeanStreak is cranking more rpm to get there, different gearing. Putting the 1600 cylinders, pistons etc with the Drifter gearing who knows what the top speed would be.
Capn
Posted by pcarrell
- January 23, 2015, 23:00:38 PMDrifters have a little different cam grind then the other similar sized Vulcan bikes. The grind is designed to offer more bottom end torque at the loss of a bit of top end.
Posted by holycow
- January 23, 2015, 22:29:49 PMTop speed is not so important, I've never tried to max out the speed on either of these bikes- but I do really appreciate the power of the motor in my Road King vs the power in my 1100 Honda. The Harley really seems to cruise along effortlessly. I suspect the engine in the Drifter and the Road King are similar in their performance. On paper the Drifter seems to have more torque (I suppose due to its being slightly higher displacement.) I need to pretty up the Harley a bit and sell it- going to test ride a Drifter or two and see where it takes me.
Posted by John Hopkins
- January 23, 2015, 18:53:15 PMQuote from: holycow on January 21, 2015, 21:11:55 PMThe difference between a Drifter VN1500 and a Meanstreak VN1600 is only 3mph.. I wouldn't bother.I came across this just now. http://www.thundermfg.com/store/index.php?l=product_detail&p=169
Kicks it up to 1550 CC! Anyone here tried it? was it worth it? Did it take away comfort or reliability? Any info would be great.
Thanks.
Jeff
John.