Ironhead 1967 XLCH stroker project

[Keithybloodygeorge]

Originally Posted by Chuckthebeatertruck

Um, that is a fantastic weight spread out of the box. I'd go buy a lottery ticket.

Mine were considerably off!

Gotta get lucky sometimes! Do you know how that compares to a standard cast set?

Is it worth considering lightweight rods for the new crank or are they crazy expensive for the gains to be had?

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[Ferrous Head]

Originally Posted by Keithybloodygeorge

You're making me nervous here Ferrous! Hopefully I can avoid any similar issues 🤞

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On my road engines - almost nothing.

Performance engines are a different matter.
We're often using custom made aftermarket parts . Sometimes treading into the unknown. With stock parts and dimensions everything's known and you just follow the formula. Once you start trying to "improve" an engine you can hit problems.
Once you start racing that engine everything gets much harder. Time always becomes the enemy. Your racing against the clock long before you ever get to the track. Your racing to get parts or get parts made. Your racing to assemble everything. Your racing to get the thing tuned. Your racing just to get to the start line in time to race.

patience is a real virtue here. And having guys who have been down the same road your traveling is a serious help.

There is nothing worse than someone standing beside you telling you that "Oh yeah, we tried doing that a few years back. Ours broke the exact same way as yours just did."

The only thing I can tell you is, once that engine fires I'm 7 foot tall and made out of Titanium - not to mention 18 years old again.
It's all worth it in my book.

[kaveebee]

Originally Posted by Ferrous Head

On my road engines - almost nothing.

Performance engines are a different matter.
We're often using custom made aftermarket parts . Sometimes treading into the unknown. With stock parts and dimensions everything's known and you just follow the formula. Once you start trying to "improve" an engine you can hit problems.
Once you start racing that engine everything gets much harder. Time always becomes the enemy. Your racing against the clock long before you ever get to the track. Your racing to get parts or get parts made. Your racing to assemble everything. Your racing to get the thing tuned. Your racing just to get to the start line in time to race.

patience is a real virtue here. And having guys who have been down the same road your traveling is a serious help.


There is nothing worse than someone standing beside you telling you that "Oh yeah, we tried doing that a few years back. Ours broke the exact same way as yours just did."

The only thing I can tell you is, once that engine fires I'm 7 foot tall and made out of Titanium - not to mention 18 years old again.
It's all worth it in my book.

I think I read somewhere that someone said that the actual time racing the thing was the easiest, the lead up was the hard part.

[Iron Mike]

Originally Posted by Ferrous Head

On my road engines - almost nothing.

Performance engines are a different matter.
We're often using custom made aftermarket parts . Sometimes treading into the unknown. With stock parts and dimensions everything's known and you just follow the formula. Once you start trying to "improve" an engine you can hit problems.
Once you start racing that engine everything gets much harder. Time always becomes the enemy. Your racing against the clock long before you ever get to the track. Your racing to get parts or get parts made. Your racing to assemble everything. Your racing to get the thing tuned. Your racing just to get to the start line in time to race.

patience is a real virtue here. And having guys who have been down the same road your traveling is a serious help.

Well said Ferrous. Although riding a "racer" around town is fun, expect some DNF"s. The thing about the track is you push it to the side and wait for the recovery crew, return to pits, try it again. On the road, you wait and all your buddies wait.
Simple solution- Build two.
One for local hot rodding (my favorite) and one to ride regularly and chase parts for the hot rod.
A friend of mine, who plays golf (yes, he's a bit weird), were talking one day and he was trying to figure out why I have so many bikes. They range from IH's, hwy BMW's, many dirtbikes to British little guys. I said "Bobby, why do you carry so many clubs n your golf bag? One for long drives, one for short little putts, one for the rough stuff ect.
Point is, build one for all the scenerios you like. Build a screaming fire breathing stroker, have a blast tearing it up and if it breaks, in the meanwhile ride another.


There is nothing worse than someone standing beside you telling you that "Oh yeah, we tried doing that a few years back. Ours broke the exact same way as yours just did."

The only thing I can tell you is, once that engine fires I'm 7 foot tall and made out of Titanium - not to mention 18 years old again.
It's all worth it in my book.

[11B40]

.". Was the Guy in Freemont Donny Rich? ( Rich Products )"

Yes. He had made a flat jig that used all of the bolt holes to put the parts back together and then he'd weld them back together adding plenty of metal to the weak area. I don't remember what it cost but it wasn't cheap. In those days you could still buy cases sets from HD, but they looked different and you would have a DMV tag pop riveted to the side up by the case front. My brother's '65 had a set of new cases like that. The Fremont guy had all the business he could handle as guys were having those cases grenaded all of the time. It was awful to watch, like slaughtering a pig, all of the hot oil blowing out the bottom, the grinding, the shrapnel. Cut off the speedo gear at a machine shop, sweat that ring on and problem solved. We never had speedos on them anyway just a Smith's tach in the middle.

[Ferrous Head]

Originally Posted by kaveebee

I think I read somewhere that someone said that the actual time racing the thing was the easiest, the lead up was the hard part.

I spend thousands of dollars and countless hours getting my bike on to the dummy grid.
The racing is the payback for all that effort.

And I heave a sigh of relief every time that engine fires up just before I go out.

If the feelings I got from the actual track time weren't so strong I could give it up tomorrow. I guess it's a drug.

[Keithybloodygeorge]

Originally Posted by Ferrous Head

The only thing I can tell you is, once that engine fires I'm 7 foot tall and made out of Titanium - not to mention 18 years old again.

It's all worth it in my book.

I can only imagine. Sounds like it’s all worth it though!



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[MDT]

There ain't nothing like the sound of your first big incher when it fires for the first time.

[Ferrous Head]

A large part of why we like these things is the sound. It's arrhythmic, just like your heartbeat. Parallel twins and fours just can't compete in terms of sound.
The second thing we really like is the low rpm torque. These engines are more like steam engines that make maximum torque at zero revs,
We like the low down torque so much we try to build in more. And as everyone know the easiest way to add torque is to increase the capacity.

Unless you make changes to "things" when you increase the capacity you also increase the compression ratio. This also adds to the sound experience of these engines. There's nothing else that makes the same sound as a high compression V-Twin.

Harley at one time tried to patent that sound.