Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

distortion even under severe conditions. The head and cylinder. as a unit. are fastened to the engine cases by four alloy studs. A computer. along with sophisticated high-speed strobe equipment to compute precise valve opening and closing velocities, was used to design the camshaft for the Evolution V2 engine. Theresult wa5 a shon duration camshaft, designed to match the changes in the SSCc. The cam· shaft design was dubbed Compucam. New one-piece hydraulic lifters work off large rollers for better cam lobe surface speed control. Oil is fed to the new. one-piece hollow push rods by the lifters. The rods feed oLi to the rocker shafts and eliminate the need for outside oil delivery lines. The spark which adds fire to the engine is delivered by Harley's new V-Fire III Electronic Breakerless Ignition System. The system is twostage with dual advance and retard curves. The Magnavox control module has two microprocessor circuits which are controlled by pulses coming from a speed cup and a special vacuum-actuated sensor in the carburetor's venturi. Under acceleration, ignition timing is advanced while under light loads-like idling or half-throule cruising-a different advance curve is switched to. The ignition, since it is electronic, needs no maintenance. It was designed to provide optimum fuel economy and improved performance. Another investment by HarleyDavidson in their future is a brand new test facility located next to Alabama International Speedway (better known as Talladega Speedway) in Talladega, Alabama, where yearround testing is performed. It was at the new facility that a major portion of the durability testing on the engine was conducted. The non-descript Butler buildingplans call for a large "Harley-Davidson Motor CompanylTalladega Test Facility" sign to soon adorn one ex tel'ior wall of the building - is a major leap from the initial workshop in a Talladega hangar with a dirt floor where the center was located for nearly I two years. During that time, HarleyDavidson and International Speedway Corporation. owners of Daytona International Speedway and AIS, sought to find out if they were compatible with the other's testing schedules. The new building, and a IS-year lease thaI goes with it, signify a common ground was reached. A work/test force of 43 is employed under the direction of Tom Folev and, at times, testing goes on around the clock. The 10,000-square-foot building with addiLional space for expansion, contains an emissions and sound lab, a technical analysis lab, a full parts inventory and plenty of work area pi us offices and amenities - for the work force. Durability testing is the name of the game at the facility. The general test, which comprises 20 percent of Jthe program, is basically take-the-bikeout-for-a-ride testing. Various routes are used comprising city streets, primary and secondary roads and interstate riding. A further 20 percent takes place on ~he Speedway's tri-oval/road course and that is classified as unofficial Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) testing. These tests are'c1osely monitored and may consist of stop and go.riding to check anything from gas consumption to tire wear to exhaust emissions. Aftermarket items, su~h as tires, may be included in the t sts. A rolling com pUler lab with approximately $250,000 in monitoringequipment in a convened motorhome under the direction of Steve Archuleta han- Cl(") 00 0') This is one of many special computerized testing units utilized by Harley in their program at Talladega. A computer monitoring system is used to provide data on the testing. This is a print-out unit. The railroad tie test was computer designed and analyzed for maximum suspension punishment. The controlled braking test from 80 mph is run under strict guidelines to insure accurate evaluation. dies various segments of the testing. Test data can be transmiued. via satellite. to Harley's computers in Milwaukee. The test vehicles are hooked up with electronic sensors feeding into complicated sending devices on the bi ke performi ng the needed testing function. The accelerated durability test comprises 60 percem of the program and subjects machines to a scaled down and modified automotive torture test program. "Stress factors" is the key phrase since the motorcycle is subjected to three and four times the normal beating it would take in the plai n durability tests. One of the more interesting sections is comprised of railroad ties sunk into the ground with about four inches of tie showing. The section was computer analyzed and designed to fit a motorcycle's wheelbase. T0ke.n at moderate speed, as the testers do, the bike gyrates like a bucking bronco and the test wreaks havoc on suspensions. Other sections include two narrow concrete pads which stretch almost half a mile and duplicate the various conditions a rider might meet while out riding-small whoop-de-doos to broken and uneven pavement. Other testi ng incl udes a controlled braking test from 80 mph to measure stopping distance. Perhaps the hairiest test concerns the lime/distance it takes a bike to correct itself from a rider-induced wobble at 80 mph. The rider would reach speed and then take his hands off the grips and grab the gas tank while wriggling his torso, thus inducing a wobble. Only when the bike has corrected itself does the rider grab the grips. The .rt'J~I1~. of ·.t~is. }t:s~" Jj:k,el·nu\m~r.oYs others, are printed out on graph paper. The average test mileage per year in Milwaukee, prior to moving the facility to Talladega, was approximately 330,000. The move, coupled with the practicality of year-round testing, has allowed the mileage to 'reach one million per year. The facility enables Harley-Davidson to provide test input to their . engineers they mayor may not have had before, at a much quicker rate. Harley is definitely looking toward the future. However, the question on many minds when shown the "new" engine was, "Where's the Nova project's V4?" The answer was, "No comment." Vaughn Beals, Harley's chairman of the board, has said the company is committed to producing the engine. . J:l}~ q\l~st\0L!. is, :'.~het:t?': ; ., .. .. .25

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