Cornfed Cruiser
(Page 2 of 3)
Ned reported that the conversion process was a relatively
simple matter. "The first thing I did was to enlarge the
main jet to 35% over its original diameter, using a small
jeweler's bit and a pin vise . . . then I reamed the fuel
port in the idle circuit to about 45% larger than normal.
Both of these changes seemed to suit the bike's Keihin
carburetor while burning 185-proof fuel. I also
found—through experimentation—that the
motorcycle's response was markedly improved when I
decreased the length of the accelerator pump
stroke . . . thus slightly reducing the amount of
additional fuel injected into the carb throat when the
throttle's cracked open, and thereby diminishing
the liquid's tendency to form globules rather than
vaporize.
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"Further testing indicated that advancing the ignition
timing—a modification that's normally a matter of
course for any alcohol-powered engine, because of
the fuel's high 'octane' rating—had such a minor
effect on the vehicle's performance that I readjusted the
setting to factory specifications."
The remainder of Mr. Doyle's research work involved rigging
up a miniature coldstart system and testing the
effectiveness of a small fuel preheater. As a winter
starting aid (necessary when the temperatures drop below
45°F or so, because of the ethanol's resistance to
vaporization in cold weather), Ned simply mounted a
plunger-type plant waterer inside a homebuilt canister
fastened to the frame of his motorcycle. From the outlet
nozzle of this thumb-operated squirter he ran a short
section of 1/8" model airplane fuel line to a needle valve,
then routed a length of thin copper tubing from this
control to a small hole drilled in the wall of the
carburetor air inlet ... taking precautions that neither
the opening—nor the tube inside it—interfered
with the movement of the choke plate.
Now, when the compact container is filled with gasoline, a
pump or two on the plunger will provide a starting "prime"
for the engine . . . and the amount of boost can be
regulated with the needle valve.
