Cornfed Cruiser
How a motorcycle enthusiast converted his Harley-Davidson to run on corn fuel, including a step-by-step walk through the process.
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[1] Net Doyle explains the Harley's cold-start system.
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Here's how one of MOTHER's alcohol fuel seminar instructors
turned his Harley-Davidson motorcycle into a ...
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When one balances the "convenience" of owning an automobile
against today's high fuel prices and—in urban
areas—limited available parking, it's easy to see why
many people have chosen motorcycles as personal
transportation. Of course, the two-wheelers do have their
disadvantages (especially in poor weather), but as far as
MOTHER's alcohol researcher and seminar instructor Ned
Doyle is concerned, a "scooter" is the answer to
the gasoline crunch.
Quite naturally, then, between a desire to broaden his
range of alcohol fuel experience and the chance to
hit MOM up for free ethanol during the course of a yearlong
testing period, Doyle went ahead and converted his 1979
Harley-Davidson Sportster to the renewable fuel, and the
results were, in a word, amazing. The aircooled,
61-cubic-inch engine—normally well endowed with both
power and vibration as a result of its
long-stroke, twin-cylinder design—immediately became
more "civilized" . . . while apparently delivering greater
amounts of torque (Doyle attributes this to the density of
the alcohol fuel charge and its slow-burning nature, which
evenly distributes pressure on the piston head). The only
noticeable "trade-off" was a slight reduction in top speed
and a 7.8% decrease in mileage . . . both of which the
seminar instructor was content to swap for a smoother, more
comfortable ride.
Two other areas that showed marked improvement as a result
of burning the homegrown fuel were engine temperature and
oil consumption. Because ethanol has a high latent heat of
vaporization (as compared with that of gasoline), it
absorbs a good deal more warmth from the engine's
manifold and cylinder heads—in the process of
changing from a liquid to a vapor state—than does its
more conventional fuel counterpart. The result is a reduced
engine operating temperature . . . a welcome bonus
which—especially in an air-cooled
powerplant—can result in longer periods between oil
changes.
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