Which scooter powerplant for a project?

[vortexau]

Originally Posted by brianwheelies

. . .
Not sure about air versus water cooled. Obviously the air cooled will be simpler with the lack of plumbing.

If a 'special' is enclosed in a streamlined shell for efficiency, then keeping an air-cooled motor from frying is going to be difficult. An advantage of the Liquid-cooled powerplant is that the radiator can be positioned at the optimum location -- and just connected up to the engine coolant stubs by hose cut to custom lengths.

Experimental multi-cylinder liquid-cooled Harley Davidson prototypes built back in the sixties used an under-seat radiator.

[brianwheelies]

Originally Posted by vortexau

If a 'special' is enclosed in a streamlined shell for efficiency, then keeping an air-cooled motor from frying is going to be difficult. An advantage of the Liquid-cooled powerplant is that the radiator can be positioned at the optimum location -- and just connected up to the engine coolant stubs by hose cut to custom lengths.

Experimental multi-cylinder liquid-cooled Harley Davidson prototypes built back in the sixties used an under-seat radiator.

The engine will definitely be exposed to the outside world. Most scooter designs conceal the head of the engine behind the riders feet. My plan is for the bottom frame to be at the top of the engine line.

This idea is going to be tubular construction first. Then a body panel or two later for wind management.

[knucklehead90]

Originally Posted by vortexau

If a 'special' is enclosed in a streamlined shell for efficiency, then keeping an air-cooled motor from frying is going to be difficult. An advantage of the Liquid-cooled powerplant is that the radiator can be positioned at the optimum location -- and just connected up to the engine coolant stubs by hose cut to custom lengths.

Experimental multi-cylinder liquid-cooled Harley Davidson prototypes built back in the sixties used an under-seat radiator.

Never heard about those but have read about the Nova project a few times.

http://www.bikerenews.com/AntiqueBikes/CodeNameNova.htm

[vortexau]

Originally Posted by knucklehead90

Never heard about those but have read about the Nova project a few times.

http://www.bikerenews.com/AntiqueBikes/CodeNameNova.htm

That series was the one/s to which I was making reference.

But Willie G. Davidson, who oversaw the Nova's appearance, refused to buy into the function-over-form philosophy prevalent in the styling of high-performance bikes of the day, insisting that a large, flat radiator stuck on the front of the bike was an affront to the eye. (Davidson holds this opinion to this day, as evidenced by the V-Rod.) It was his insistence on a concealed radiator that led to one of the Nova's most unusual-and patented-features, an underseat radiator.

from
Nova The V-4 Harley you never saw!

[knucklehead90]

Originally Posted by vortexau

That series was the one/s to which I was making reference.



from
Nova The V-4 Harley you never saw!

The Nova Project was in development in the mid-late 70's. I thought you might have been referring to something I hadn't heard about since you mentioned it was something in the 60's the HD was developing.

I remember reading an article back in the early 80's about the Evolution motor - the article mentioned a multi-cylinder project that 'might' get on the market 'sometime'. I think it was Cycle World since I had a subscription to that mag at the time. Never heard any more about that. When the V-Rod rumors first came out I thought it might be a 4 cylinder motor and thought about that article.

The latest rumor is that HD is going to place water cooling into a few of their larger touring models. The radiators (twin ones) would be on the crash bars (one to a side) and be quite small. Since the water jackets will only be in the heads the cylinders will be real cooling fins - not fake like we see on many water cooled cruisers trying to emulate the HD look.

[brianwheelies]

Guys! This is not a Harley topic!

Please start another thread under Road Warriors.