Noah Katz
Just got it firing!
I'm going to build something like a Morgan 3 Wheeler and was going to go with the same driveline configuration - Harley Milwaukee 8 in front of a Mazda Miata manual gearbox.
The Harley is exactly what I want, a mesmerizing rumble and is happy at lowish rpm.
However, coupling the Harley with a car trans is a mechanical nightmare, and even when accomplished doesn't necessarily give a satisfactory result - many 3 Wheelers are afflicted with bucking and driveline torsional vibrations.
The Guzzi has an ideal layout for what I'm doing, and I started off with it as a baseline, but was put off by the low gearing - about 1000 rpm higher than a Harley at highway speeds, so there goes the rumble, at least going by the dozens of youtube video reviews I've watched.
On the other hand, most of the reviews comment on its abundant low end torque, though I've also read that it's not happy below 2000 rpm.
If true, would the latter be cured with Todd's tune?
And could it tolerate a 30% taller ratio (2.75:1 from a Honda GL1800)?
I'm OK with it only accepting moderate throttle at the bottom of the rev range.
If that's asking too much, ratios available from other bikes are 2.82, 2.91, 3.09, and 3.3.
Vehicle weight will be around 900 lb, so not much more than the bike.
Oh, and another reason I ruled out the Guzzi was the clunky shifting, or is it just that most of those youtubers don't know how to rev match?
I'll be using a hand-operated shifter and feeling the clunk will make it even more distasteful than just hearing it.
The Harley is exactly what I want, a mesmerizing rumble and is happy at lowish rpm.
However, coupling the Harley with a car trans is a mechanical nightmare, and even when accomplished doesn't necessarily give a satisfactory result - many 3 Wheelers are afflicted with bucking and driveline torsional vibrations.
The Guzzi has an ideal layout for what I'm doing, and I started off with it as a baseline, but was put off by the low gearing - about 1000 rpm higher than a Harley at highway speeds, so there goes the rumble, at least going by the dozens of youtube video reviews I've watched.
On the other hand, most of the reviews comment on its abundant low end torque, though I've also read that it's not happy below 2000 rpm.
If true, would the latter be cured with Todd's tune?
And could it tolerate a 30% taller ratio (2.75:1 from a Honda GL1800)?
I'm OK with it only accepting moderate throttle at the bottom of the rev range.
If that's asking too much, ratios available from other bikes are 2.82, 2.91, 3.09, and 3.3.
Vehicle weight will be around 900 lb, so not much more than the bike.
Oh, and another reason I ruled out the Guzzi was the clunky shifting, or is it just that most of those youtubers don't know how to rev match?
I'll be using a hand-operated shifter and feeling the clunk will make it even more distasteful than just hearing it.
