The diesel motorcycle project

2011-01-23T14:37:00.000-08:00

After a couple of years of not working on this bike, I've decided to sell it.
Here are some pictures that I took last summer

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2007-02-13T04:25:00.000-08:00

No new rides, not much actual work accomplished either.

I visited the Crotona Midnight Run. They had cold clear weather and had 69 bikes show up. Only 50 actually attempted the ride. I had a great time hanging out at the start line and again at the Carmel Diner. Even as a social event, this is a great ride. Now to get my bike assembled for the ride to Jacksonville.

The transmission is out for a new input shaft. The new clutch hub and fiber clutch plates have arrived.

I haven't found a radiator yet, but the primary reason for that is failing to look for one.

The swingarm is apart to remove the transmission. 3/16" steel will fit to replace the rubber doughnuts that Harley Davidson installed. The cleve blocks inside the swingarm will be left in place and will provide the bearing surface.

The Harley oil tank will be put back in service as an air separator for the fuel. I plan to allow gravity feed from the fuel tank to the oil tank and use the fuel pump to pull the fuel from the oil tank up to the engine. The fuel return from the injectors will also be run into the oil tank. This should keep the bike fed with fuel until the main tank is really empty.

2007-01-28T20:52:00.000-08:00

941 is not 1000

The 1000 mile day on the diesel was very close to being a complete success. In school, 94% would be an A-, not so here.

Things that worked.
Speed - very good. Until the end, the rolling average was above 72 mph.
The bike got smoother as the day went on. The vibration continues to go away. I think that was caused by the new engine. As the engine breaks in, it's gaining power losing vibration.

Things that need work.
The drive sprocket on the input shaft of the transmission wobbles. The assembly instructions stated to use red lock-tite when the sprocket went on the shaft. It appears that either the engineer (me) that decided this was ok for this application or the mechanic (me) who put it together made an error. I suspect I'll need a new mainshaft for the transmission and a new sprocket to put on it. Of course all the associated gaskets and bearings will also be needed.

The radiator isn't quite large enough. At 70F, I can ride at 75, but I can't ride at 80. The radiator hoses are smaller than those designed for the engine. I think the restriction in the radiator is causing cavitation in the water pump.

Electrical add-ons. The voltmeter quit working, the CB doesn't transmit. Minor items.

As a shakedown run, it was a success. But, more work is needed.

John Ryan rode with me all day. We trade boredom on each other's rides. I counted laps when he rode the New York City 1000. John took the pictures today and tried to talk me into riding a Bun Burner Gold. If we had done that, we would be near Savannah, Georgia right now instead of back here in Virginia.

2007-01-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

On operating an engine with a governor.

Jim Shaw commented that I've connected the handgrip to the governor rather than the fuel control. That is correct, but I'm not sure how to connect it to control the fuel directly.

The fuel injection pump has two levers on it. The one that is currently in use is governed. The other seems to simply slow the engine. With the governor lever held fully on, the engine increases to it's rated speed of 3000 and stays there. If at that point the second lever is moved, the engine speed decreases. No matter what the position of the governor lever, the other lever decreases engine speed. I ignore that one.

A governer is a mechanical or analog cruise control. The position of the governor control lever determines the engine speed. If I hold the handgrip WFO, the engine accelerates to 3000 RPM and stays there. I can lock the handgrip in place, run the bike up to speed, squeeze the clutch in, shift to the next gear and get an immediate pull from the engine. With the clutch in, the engine speed stays the same, but when I shift and release the clutch, engine speed drops and the governor adds fuel to bring the engine back up to speed.

Given that it works the way it does, I frequently ride with the 'throttle' locked in place. For example, in a 45mph zone, 3rd gear works well, lock the throttle down and the engine compensates for the hills automatically. The governor even works on the ramp coming out of the parking garage at work. Just leave the bike in first gear at idle and when it hits the ramp, rather than dying as a normal engine would do, the governor senses a reduction in the idle speed and adds fuel to bring it back up to where it should be. It simply climbs the ramp at idle without any intervention on my part. I suspect this is the origin of the myth about the torque of a diesel engine. It isn't that it has a lot of torque, it's the governor acting to keep the RPMs from falling.

The downside to that is when I have to brake suddenly. With electronic cruise control, applying the brake immediately releases the cruise control and the engine slows down. The governor isn't watching what's happening with the brakes. If I simply apply the brakes to slow down, the governor rolls on the 'throttle' to bring the speed back up to normal. That's scary as hell the first few times. Now I've trained my right hand to roll out of the 'throttle' when I apply the brakes. It's an extra step to slow down, but that's how this bike works.

Jim's other queston: "Does the IBA allow multiple baffles in lieu of foam?"
I don't remember that it does. I wasn't able to find the actual rule when I looked for it yesterday. I hope to talk to one or more of the rulemakers at the dinner in Florida. That rule may not have adequately considered what happens in a diesel fuel tank.

2007-01-18T18:09:00.000-08:00

Woot and John Ryan asked questions today.
Woot asks: " Is the foam retaining the fuel, or is the foam causing problems with the fuel pickup as it nears empty?"

I think it's retaining fuel as well as taking up space that could be used by the fuel. I have an extra block of foam, it would be easy enough to test it. Perhaps the diesel 'sticks' to the foam more than gasoline does. Is there a number that measures osmosis? If the diesel stays in the foam, it wouldn't be available for the engine to burn.

I think another part of the problem is that this 11 gallon fuel cell is 'only' 11 gallons, the 5 gallon cell that I once owned would routinely take 5.2 gallons of gasoline even with some foam in it. The diesel is also very susceptable to air in the intake line. If I build an air separator, I might be able to use more of the fuel in the tank . . . that's an idea worth pursuing.

John Ryan is concerned that I warned the other diesel bike owners about riding a 1000 mile day. He was also kind enough to volunteer to ride with me. Dusty Collins has also volunteered to do that ride. I need to get my CB radio hooked up. Otherwise I won't be able to participate in the conversation. It would also be interesting to find out if any of the truckers ask about it.

2007-01-17T18:47:00.000-08:00

Today marked 1000 miles for the diesel bike.

Fuel mileage for the second tank of fuel is 45 mpg. 8 gallons, 366 miles. IBA rules for the rally require the tank to be 80% filled with foam. That means 7 4x8x8 blocks in an 11 gallon tank. The bike was cutting out again before I refilled with fuel, but I was only able to add 8 gallons. It would seem I should have started with a 13 or 14 gallon tank, but unless someone has one of those to trade, I'll keep what I have.

I'm planning a Saddle Sore 1000 for Sunday January 28. So if anyone else riding a diesel bike wants the first recorded SS1K, you've got about 10 days to "get'r done." Route will probably be south on I95 and back.

2007-01-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

The bike doesn't run well when it's out of fuel.

After filling it with fuel, it continues to run. The fuel pickup is in the front of the tank, I think acceleration causes the fuel to move away from the pickup, this gets air in the line and when that bubble gets to the injectors, the engine dies. I was only able to put a little more than 9 gallons of fuel into the 11 gallon fuel cell. New fuel cell rules for the Iron Butt Rally require the tank to be 80% filled with foam, so that will cut the total capacity down a bit more. It went about 450 miles on 9 gallons, fuel economy is not quite what I'd hoped.

I've wired up a temperature gauge and the lighting for the boost gauge. I added an LED which comes on with the fan to the temp gauge, so it's both a gauge and a light. Yesterday on the commute, the temperature rose to just over 200F, but the fan didn't come on. The temp went that high at three different times, so the gauge seems to indicate everything is normal.

Next change is to add a fuse block with a total of 6 fuses. Three will be wired directly to the battery, the other three through the ignition.

2007-01-03T19:27:00.000-08:00

Two new items after riding to work two days.

On Tuesday evening, I loosened the engine mount bolts, realigned the primary drive belt and set the tension. After retightening the engine mount bolts, the bike is much smoother. There is minimal vibration and none of the growling and severe harmonic vibrations. The bike stayed smooth and pulled evenly through the entire RPM and speed range. Top speed indicated was about 83 mph; since it is geared for 77, I suspect the speedometer is about 5 mph optimistic. Between Dale City, VA and Washington, DC in the HOV lanes, the hills slowed the bike to an indicated 70 mph. Those speeds are quite acceptable.

But, the engine died twice after the high speed run into Washington DC and it died multiple times after returning to Dale City. In Washington, I thought it was an electrical problem, the engine restarts easily. After work on the ride home, the bike worked flawlessly until I got off the highway, then the engine died repeatedly. It would run for 15 seconds or so, then die again. Based on the way it died, I think this is a fuel problem. I don't plan to ride it to work tomorrow. This is a major concern, its important to identify a cause for this and fix it.

I have contacted Linda Tanner at Custom Tank Bags to build a cover for the fuel tank. Linda builds tank bags and fuel tank covers for many long distance riders. She does good work and understands what long distance riders need. I think the combination back rest and bike cover is a wonderful idea, I need both and this allows it to take no additional space.

2007-01-02T03:48:00.000-08:00

The Polar Bear Ride is another success. Potomac Area Road Riders put on a good event.

There were about 50 bikes in the parking lot at Loehmann's Plaza. That's a lot fewer than normal. I rode the event with Dusty Collins and Calvin Hagen from the HRCA Factory Riders Club. At the event, I saw Randy Kuklis and Louis Caplan along with others who are there every year, the GWRRA and Buffalo Soldiers clubs were out again as they are every year.

Several people came up and looked at the bike when we pulled in, but after that, it didn't get many looks. The major reason for the initial crowd was the diesel clatter as we pulled in. Once I get something mounted to cover the empty frame rail up front, it should be even more inconspicuous.

The route was more challenging than usual this year. Normally the route passes several places to stop, eat and admire the other bikes going by. This year, we got lots of great twisty country roads almost no major highways and even a few miles of unpaved road. Our group got extra dirt, but only because I missed a corner.

This picture was taken on Gum Springs Road in Prince William County. The roads were wet, but not enough to worry about it soaking through, even without raingear over my 'Stich.

I made another adjustment to the primary belt and it continues to be a problem. Ergonomically, the bars need to be lowered and I need to add/change the backrest. The front of the seat needs to be raised to provide better support under my thighs. The right floor board is higher than the left one, but I set it up that way because the right board got moved out a couple of inches. I've only touched each side down once, but the roads were wet on New Year's Day and I've still to finish the first tank of fuel.

I disconnected the waste gate. Even with it disconnected, I didn't see the pressure go above 5 inches of boost. The engine shouldn't have a problem with twice that much.

2006-12-31T12:32:00.000-08:00

Rode 140 miles today. The bike survived.

The resonant vibration appears to be caused by alignment or tension problems with the primary drive belt. I noticed that one of the bolts for the right side engine adjustment was loose. Tightening the bolt reduced the vibration. I plan to check the alignment tonight and make necessary changes. I think this needs to be reinforced - some redesign work is needed.

The engine is governed. The handgrip adjusts engine speed. Twisting it halfway causes the engine to spin up about halfway. If I use the throttle lock at that position, the engine accelerates until it hits it's set RPM and stays there. If it's fully open and I pull in the clutch, the engine RPM doesn't change. Going up hill, the boost comes up and the engine pulls harder, but the speed stays (nearly) constant.

Speaking of boost, I think I need more of it. The boost gauge only shows the engine getting about 4 inches of boost. Two inches of boost is about 1 psi, so it isn't getting very much pressure. For tomorrow, I plan to bypass the waste gate and see if it gets more boost that way. I'd like to see the engine getting at least 7 psi or about 15 inches of boost.

2006-12-30T17:07:00.000-08:00

It runs. I rode 40 miles today.
Biggest problem is a resonance of some sort when the engine is pulling. It seems to happen in all gears. In higher gears and up hills it's very noticeable. It isn't quite so bad in the lower gears and when descending a hill. Frequency is about 1 Hz.

The diesel has different riding characteristics than a gas engine. The diesel prefers to run wide open until it hits it's rated speed. If you hold it wide open after it reaches the 3000 RPM rated speed, it simply stays there. It usually goes to about 3 lbs of boost, then drops back to zero after reaching rated speed. So, I hold it wide open until it stops accelerating, if it hasn't reached the speed I like, I upshift and continue to hold it wide open. When it reaches the speed I want to travel, I just continue to hold it wide open. With the current gearing, it has speeds of 24, 35, 48, 62 and 77. On one pass of the Prince William Parkway, I held it wide open in 5th for the entire 9 miles. The biggest hill slowed it to about 70. However, at the end of the pass, the radiator fan came on. Since the temp was in the 50s (F) today, that indicates that the bike will need a larger radiator to ride in the heat. The fan didn't come on during either of the other two passes, both of those passes were made at a speed much closer to the posted 55 mph speed limit.

2006-12-29T21:10:00.000-08:00

Reassembled and ready to ride again. Well, almost ready to ride - I still haven't added fluid for the rear brake, engine coolant or installed the windscreen.

The new left engine guards are in this photo. Neither of them fits quite right. It seems that the dimensions change when they get painted and edge molding is added to cover the sharp edges. A couple new holes drilled in the mounting brackets and all is well again. The horn also got mounted. This time around, I changed the source for the fuel pump, fuel injectors and alternator, those items now lose power with the engine cut-off switch. The first time we rode it, the engine cut-off switch didn't do anything. This is one safety item I prefer to keep, it's nice to have it working. Additional items from this view include the boost gauge (which isn't installed yet,) some touch-up paint on the frame in front of the seat and the paint on the exhaust pipe. This photo also shows the sidecover installed.

This view shows the other engine guard. This one didn't fit correctly either, it didn't need as much work as the other to re-install. This one makes it more obvious that the wiring needs to be cleaned up. The neutral and oil pressure lights stay on all the time. I suspect there is an open circuit somewhere between the sensor and the guage; the oil light doesn't go out even if the sensor wire is touched directly to ground. Both of these sensor wires run from the instrument cluster back to near the transmission. I still hope to find a loose connector but haven't had time to find it yet. The oil filter doesn't show many of the myriad dents and paint marks.

2006-12-18T04:07:00.000-08:00

This weekend's work can be seen in various parts of this picture. First, the engine was re-installed in the chassis. The last of the motor mounts and adjustments were completed. The engine has a fresh coat of paint. Best of all, the shifter finally works.

While the engine was out, the last of the holes for vertical moto mount bolts were drilled. The L-brackets which bolt to the engine each have two bolts to hold the engine down to the frame. The corresoponding 'table' in the frame on which the engine rests has oversized holes to allow for lateral adjustment. There is no provision for camber, if the engine leans to one side, it will continue to do that. Just above the letters 'GTR' on the drive belt, the left fore/aft adjuster is visible. There is also a right adjuster which allows me to set the primary drive belt tension as well as align the engine left/right to keep the pulleys aligned. There is another adjuster visible in the very top center of the photo which is used to move the engine left/right. With the adjusters and motor mount bolts tight, engine stability seems to be improved. I haven't started the engine since putting it back in the frame, but it seems to be part of the bike now rather than simply attached to it.

I will admit that I almost didn't paint it. Paint isn't a priority for me. If it's already got a coat of paint, it doesn't need another one. But after several of the guys at the shop asked when the engine was going to be painted (and a few asked what color) I got the hint that it isn't a good idea to build something at Artisan Auto Body and not paint it. That's what they do. Kevin tooks some time out from repairing the flames on a late model Mustang to spray some black on the engine. It does look good.

Rotating the transmission arm one tooth to the rear solved the shifting problem. Now both levers are square. There isn't enough room to include the heel shifter, I've never used one of those anyway, so I won't miss it. Anyone else who rides the bike will be too busy figuring out all of the other strange controls and ergonomics, so except for the extra length on the shift lever, no one should notice. If the toe shifter needs to move farther outboard, I may have to add a bushing, if not, the end of the shaft needs a cover to protect the splines.

The focus of this blog is about to change. Since most of the fabrication is done. I hope to start showing pictures of where I've been and who I've seen.
December 30 - Ride the bike at Artisan Auto Body, Connor Drive, Manassas Park, VA. The guys at the shop have provided wonderful support, if they want to ride it, this is their opportunity to do it.
December 31 - Honda Riders Club of America, Factory Riders Club. Motorcycle Factory in Woodbridge, VA sponsors this club, we meet for breakfast at IHOP in the Manassas Mall at 9:00 and ride at 10:00. I've missed a lot of Sunday rides building this bike, I hope to make this one.
January 1, 2007 - Potomac Area Road Riders Polar Bear Ride. The ride starts at the Sign of the Whale Restaurant in Falls Church, VA. It's in Loehmann's Plaza just inside the beltway on Rt 50. The Polar Bear Ride is the social event of the season.
February 10-11, 2007 - The Crotona Midnight Run. The Midnight Run is a timed road run, it starts at Midnight Saturday night. We ride for two hours, take a two hour break and ride another two hours. Start and end is at Nathan's Famous on Rt 100 in Yonkers, NY. Mid-point break is at the Carmel, NY diner. I'll be staying with my daughter Cristine in Cliffwood, NJ when I do this ride.

2006-11-26T20:06:00.000-08:00

It runs!

On Wednesday I got the fuel delivery (throttle) connected.

On Saturday I installed two different versions of the shifter. Neither of them work reliably. Two problems contributed to the issue. First, the shifter pivot itself isn't the stock Harley Davidson item. The first version used a pillow-block bearing to support the pivot. The bearing is designed to allow some play and allow the bearing to be mounted slightly crooked to prevent bearing damage if the shaft is crooked. That doesn't work here because, pressing on the shifter also applies side forces to the shaft and instead of shifting, it moves the shaft. For the second attempt, I welded a bushing in place. This prevents yaw in the shaft, but does introduce some friction, the new problems are that the shift rod has some flex because it bends around the engine and that the shifter rod on the transmission isn't mounted orthoganally with the rod. Moving the rod on it's splines means removing the clutch and it's support. The rod can be reinforced with some gussets. Both of these will be done while the bike is apart during the next month.

Three of us rode the bike. I made three trips to the top of the hill and back, Kevin O'Grince made a trip and Mike Appleby also got to ride it. Total distance was 2.2 miles. We all agree that it's pretty cool to ride a diesel powered motorcycle, it's got quite a bit of torque and it would be more fun if we could shift more reliably.

The safety briefing mentioned that 1) the rear brake doesn't have any fluid in it yet, so don't bother trying to use it, 2) the engine cut-off switch doesn't work, 3) the neutral and oil pressure lights stay on, so those can be ignored and 4) there are unguarded belts on both the left and right sides of the engine, so keep your legs splayed and tape your shoelaces to prevent getting caught in the belts.

After riding the bike Saturday, I built the belt guard for the right side. I also got started on the left belt guard. Another day of work is needed for that one.

Rather than more riding, I intend to disassemble the bike, so it can get final assembly and be ready to ride for real by the first of the year.

2006-11-08T04:43:00.000-08:00

I started the engine on Sunday. I don't have the throttle (yes I know diesels don't have those) or the shifter connected.

There is more shaking and rattling than I wanted, but I hope that's just because the motor mounts aren't secure yet. I think that will go away once things are bolted down as they should be. I also can't hear the turbo spin up, but still have more things to check on that. I know the engine has oil pressure because it had a leak where I didn't tighten down the intake line to the turbo, but the Harley oil pressure sending unit doesn't turn the oil light off. I think that's because Harley has a lot higher oil pressure than the diesel produces.

Expect another update in a couple of days. I'll take some pictures and post them. If I can figure out how to post a video, there will be one of those as well.

2006-09-16T04:31:00.000-07:00

The appearance has changed dramatically over the past two weeks. Adding the seat, fuel cell, left floor boards, saddlebag mounts, exhaust pipe and muffler have it looking like a motor cycle again.

The right floor board, rear master cylinder and pedal still need to be mounted. I've built the brackets that need to be welded in place, but haven't got the welding done yet. The front engine guard uses the foot peg bracket as a mount, so some modification to that system will also be needed. Before the bike is finished, the frame will need to be reinforced where it was cut for oil pan clearance. The master cylinder won't mount like it did before, but I have provided space for it.

The seat is a solo police saddle from eBay. A solo saddle is necessary to allow room for the 11 gallon RJS fuel cell. I think the fuel cell was a close-out sale since I don't see it listed on line anymore. At $100 including shipping, it was the right tank at the right time. The cell has it's own subframe which attaches to the motorcycle frame in front and the luggage pad in the back. The cell with it's subframe attached can be removed from the bike with four bolts. This allows the cell and saddle to be removed and replaced with the original saddle and passenger back rest.
The plan is to put a storage compartment and "desk up front. Where there once was a Harley Davidson fuel tank I hope to have access to anything I need while riding and most of the things that I shouldn't have to get off the bike to use. The desk hasn't been designed yet, but I'd really like to have a laptop or tablet PC under a piece of Lexan so I can see a better map than the GPS provides.

The muffler and tailpipe worked out well. I'm using one stock Harley muffler. I still have an entire exhaust system from the orgininal bike for sale. The set that is for sale has aftermarket mufflers. These are fishtail pipes and while louder than stock are not completely open.

The belt guard for the primary drive will probably need to have a notch in it to accomodate the exhaust pipe. The pipe runs close enough to the flywheel that it will be easier to notch it than make the complex bends needed to keep the exhaust pipe outside the guard.

The last picture shows a closeup of the left side of the engine. I've shown views similar to this several times. This side of the engine has needed the most work. I should do something about the surface rust that's starting to appear on nearly all of the exposed surfaces, but that task will have to wait until it gets disassembled again. One of the things that the "Chopper" shows get right is that the bike gets completely assembled, then is taken apart so the parts can be painted/finished. Final assembly isn't done until everything has been test fitted at least once. In the case of this bike, I'm pretty sure I need to finish the wiring before that diassembly occurs.

I hope to make another update within a week. Thanks for everyone's support. I've received some great suggestions from those who have seen this. I don't always (well, hardly ever) follow the suggestions, but I do consider them. One of the learning points from this project is that there are a lot more ways to do something wrong than there are ways to get it to work.

2006-08-30T04:06:00.000-07:00

Just a short post this time. We took a week of vacation with family in South Dakota so not a lot got done on the bike. In the top image, the crossover from the turbocharger to the intake manifold is visible, in the other image the radiator can be seen. The radiator is still a bit crooked, the mounting brackets on the right side couldn't be installed until the radiator hoses were in place. It won't do to have the support brackets and radiator in mounted in the same space.

Although it can't be seen in these pictures, the oil supply line to the turbo charger is also in place. I was able to reuse the orginal oil supply line. The drain oil line for the turbo will need to be replaced. The drain needs two right angle bends, one right after it leaves the turbo and another just before entering the oil sump on the engine.

Since these pictures were taken, I've mocked up the left side of the bike with saddlebag rails, muffler and both rider and passenger floor boards. These are needed so the exhaust plumbing can be routed. The fuel cell has been ordered, but the fuel pump and filter have not. Right now, JCWhitney appears to be the lead vendor for the pump and filter.

The LDRider mailing list is currently having a discussion about Harley Davidson lighting for long distance riding. Eventually I'll have to fix the light that got bent when the bike fell over in the shop, but at least with this effort, I'll have plenty of power for the lights. Steve at Central Alternator in Manassas Park will beef up the alternator when it's time to do that.

2006-08-06T19:51:00.000-07:00

The motor mounts have the first set of holes drilled. The flywheel is back from the machine shop, the pulley is attached. I lined everything up and scored the other side of the motor mounts so those holes can be drilled. The Heim joints and turn-buckles used to position the Harley engine were recycled to keep the belt drive aligned. The mounts for those have been built and only a few bolts need to be purchased to keep the engine in permanent alignment. The pictures were taken before the Heim joints were installed. The screwdriver in the picture serves as a wedge to keep things lined up for measurements.

The top of the intake manifold has been cut down and capped. The plug was removed from the end of the manifold. A one inch copper street elbow still needs to be epoxied to the manifold. Once the engine is bolted down, that plumbing can be completed.

The bandsaw took about 3 hours to get through the aluminum. I stopped it several times when the motor got too hot to touch. I started sawing around noon on Saturday and finally separated the two halves around 5:30. It did make a very nice smooth cut. I can see that it will get more use as this project continues. Toward the end I found that keeping the bandsaw blade wet with water allowed it to cut a lot faster. Of course, fast is a relative term, the last half of the cut still took an hour of actual cutting time.

2006-08-04T20:48:00.000-07:00

2006-07-30T15:20:00.000-07:00

Motormounts are in place, the engine is sitting on the mounts. The flywheel and drive sprocket are at the machine shop.

The $600 piece of aluminum that connects the transmission and engine on a Softail is marked so I can have it cut in half. Maybe I can make a piece of motorcycle art from the front half. The BDL belt drive kit has enough pieces left to make a really nice bookend.

Several of the motor mount holes on the engine are stripped. It appears that some of the bolts have a different thread pitch than the engine takes. I thought I kept the bolts separate, but obviously all of them will need to be chased with a tap. Some will need to be retapped, but all of them need to be correct before the engine gets bolted down for the last time.

This view of the front of the engine shows the turbo-charger. Intake is the nozzle that points to the left side of the bike (right in this view) and the pressurized air for the intake manifold comes out of the nozzle that points forward and up. I'll need to install a pipe from there around to the left and into the intake manifold. The intake manifold itself needs to be modified, it currently expects the air to come down from the top, but that nozzle would sit under the frame in its current configuaration. It has a plug that can be removed to put the nozzle where it can be used.

You can see one of the bolts for the exhaust next to the frame rail. Exhaust plumbing should be easy enough. It simply needs a pipe that goes down and to the back of the bike.

This week the plan is to identify and begin connecting some of the other items. Before now, simply putting the engine in the right place was a challenge. Now I can concentrate on some of the other items.

2006-07-24T03:15:00.000-07:00

If spending money is an approximation of progress, then the past couple of weeks indicate the project is moving right along. The BDL primary belt conversion kit came in. I bought a kit for an Evo Softail. The transmission end fits perfectly, the cluth and starter will bolt right on. The front pulley and front half of the connector plate and belt will not fit. The new front pulley should be delivered on Wednesday, I haven't ordered a belt yet.

On Saturday July 22nd I built most of the rear engine mount/front transmission mount. This week the goal is to build the front engine mount and figure out the adjustments so the primary belt track and tension are correct. The engine mounts consist of two flat plates about an inch front to rear and 8" wide. I plant to put a piece of rubber between the plates to provide some vibration damping. Because the rubber is there, I'll need adustment links to keep the engine from sliding back and loosening the belt. One of the adjustment links will connect between the transmission plate and the engine just above the top belt run. I haven't identified the spot on the other side of the engine yet. There aren't any obvious mounting points on that side.

The next set of pictures will be of the engine sitting on the mounts with at least one of the belt pulleys installed.

2006-07-08T13:00:00.000-07:00

The engine and the bike met today. I also took an angle grinder to the frame, so I may be past the point of no return on this project.

To put the engine in the frame, the rear brake master cylinder mount and to top Heim joint mount had to be removed. With those items removed, the engine slid into the bay, but it isn't in the right place yet. As you can see from the photo, the engine is too tall. I've already removed the exhaust manfold and turbo-charger and prepared those items to be mounted low in the front of the engine, but the intake manifold still adds enough height to prevent the engine from sitting straight in the frame. The current best solution for this is to cut and plug the intake flange. The intake air would get to the engine by remove one of the plugs from the end of the intake manifold and installing a flange there. In the photo above, the plug is the little round item directly above the center of the flywheel. There is a second plug on the other end of the manifold, allowing a choice for the intake from the turbo.

The second problem with the engine is that it's still too wide. In the lower left of this photo, you can just see the end of the input shaft for the transmission. The flywheel is too far to the left for an attached pulley to drive the transmission. This means the engine will have to be moved left (or the transmission shaft lengthened.) Moving the engine will also cause the bike to be heavier on the right side. Perhaps it's time to look into the choices on primary belt conversions and determine the actual location of the transmission pulley.

On Monday, I'll show it to Kevin O'Grince. He's the owner of Artisan Auto Body in Manassas Park, VA. I'm doing the work at his shop. He may have additional ideas.

Some additional clearance might also be gained by sectioning the oil pan. With the engine moving to the right, it may only be necessary to cut the right side so the engine doesn't interfere with the frame rail. The rail would need to be replaced with a brace to maintain frame strengh, but that might also be a method for including a skid plate for the oil pan. There are a lot of options, none of them easy, but all are well within the capabilities of the guys at the shop.

2006-07-05T09:03:00.000-07:00

Stripped the diesel engine this morning. Removed the radiator and hoses, fan, alternator and alternator mount. This cleaned up the front (right side) of the engine.

Next I removed the air filter and mounting bracket, intake hoses and muffler. The top of the engine is now a lot lower.

I removed the starter, the exhaust manifold with turbocharger and oil lines. Then removed the flywheel so the engine plate at the rear of the engine could also be removed. After taking the plate off, I replaced the flywheel and did a test fit of the manifold and turbocharger mounted so the exhaust goes down rather than up. It fits like it belongs. The turbo housing will need to be rotated so the oil still fllows from top to bottom, then the wastegate will need to be mounted 180 degrees so it still connects correctly. It will also need new oil lines, but none of these looks like a show-stopper. Doing it that way, it looks easiest (at this point) to keep the Harley starter.

I also ordered a maintenance manual from Kubota. Having the manual should make it a bit easier to figure out some of these things. With a bit of luck, they'll have a photo of the turbo mounted in the 'down' position. Then I can be certain that the parts to mount it are available.

2006-07-04T07:43:00.000-07:00

Many of you have asked me to keep you up-to-date on my project. This is the beginning of that effort. The goal is to build a diesel powered motorcycle and ride it in the Iron Butt Rally. Here is a picture of the bike on the day I picked it up.

It's a '92 Harley FLHS. It was in beautiful condition, and has only 11,xxx miles. Several have expressed dismay that it has to be disassembled for this project. In the week after taking delivery, I rode the bike only enough to determine that it's in good condition. I wasn't able to find anything wrong with it. Then I started taking it apart. Within a week I had the saddlebags, seat, tank, windscreen, engine and primary drive removed.

I found an engine on-line at www.dieselenginemotors.com It's a Kubota D1105T, a 1.2 liter turbocharged diesel that produces 31.5 horsepower.

Preliminary calculations show the stock gear ratio produces 21 mph per 1000 engine RPM. The Kubota is rated at 3000, so it will have to be geared about 25% taller.

I'm looking into belt conversions for the primary since the engine won't bolt up to the standard HD primary cover.

Engine size doesn't seem to be a problem, but I haven't tried to slide it into the frame yet. Nearly all of the black items in the engine picture need to be removed, which means replacements will have to be installed later.

The radiator will be replaced, probably with one from a Kawasaki Ninja 500. Does size matter for this? I hope not. Both the Ninja 500 and the Kubota diesel produce about 30 HP. Both burn approximately the same amount of fuel (if anything, the diesel should burn less fuel.) Therefore there should be about the same amount of waste heat produced and the 500 radiator should be sufficient for the task.