I have a 88 sportster that iam building to run 1/4 with. Just wondering what you guys are running. I dont care about going on the highway.



Thanks

19-51 will have ya revved out before the 1/8 mile. 20-49 or 20-50 worked pretty good for my 87 most of the time. 20-51 is probably making close to 7000 rpm @ 120 in high gear. :tour
Ted

i ran a 19/51 for years... great for pulling tree stumps out, but I could not go on the highway... it was screaming at 60 mph... I now run a 23/51 and now I stall it all the time in first gear... I would guess a 22/51 might be the best combination. Maybe 21/51 if you want a fast 1/4 miles... Good luck, Tom

With your 19/51 was it fun to ride. Right now its 21/47. Thats what was on it when i bought it.

There is alot bikes in town and everyone that pulls next to you trys and run you stop light to stop light. Time to show them crotch sniffers what real american power is all about.

Don Hotop lives here and he has a supercharged softtail. He is going to be mad when i beat him. lol :eek:

I am in the process of building a turbo header for it.

Time to show them crotch sniffers what real american power is all about.



Your only hope of doing this is a slow crotch rocket with a rider asleep at the light or actually having a turbo on your sporty, and even if turboed you would likely still be shy of some of the power of the new supersports which are over 170hp these days and in the 9s stock. While I love my sporty, a drag racer it is not, but I am still keeping it. Some of these crotch rockets are well over 140 mph in the quarter and only in 3rd gear. :eek:

If you truly want to turbo your sporty, taller gearing is better, keeps the engine in boost longer as the shorter gearing is real laggy till the engine is under some load.

my last sportster would out beat alot of 600's in the 1/8 mile. It only had S&S E and drag pipes. lol

my last sportster would out beat alot of 600's in the 1/8 mile. It only had S&S E and drag pipes. lol

I would be more carefull before write something like this.

70hp at rear wheel and 240kg
against
90hp (four cylinder supersport) and 170-180kg.

To outperform a modern 600cc R6, CBR, GSXR or Ninja, a 240kg Harley needs near 130hp at back wheel.

I don't know why lot of people search for power on a bike that is 40 year old in project and engine scheme, and want to compare with a light and modern 5-6 years old bike project with 4 in line cylinders.

Turbocharge an Harley, give it all the hp you want, it'll rest an undriveable piece of iron.
It has a too long wheelbase, the engine is too big and long, the frame is heavy too and the 2 valve pushrods V twin 45 degree is an inefficient scheme that delivers lot of vibrations.


In USA only Buell did an "intelligent" bike. They have choosen for a compact very enjoyable bike. It's not powerfull at all, but they did the right thing, reasonably good power and torque on a light and small bike with lot of driveability.
It's not casual that the new 1000cc is having lot of success in Europe where we think that to drive a bike is a lot more important than only show it.

And the new revolution engine of the vrod is still a big and too eavy engine for an hi grade sport use.
Ducati, KTM, Gilera, Rotax (Aprilia), Voxan, Suzuki, Honda have a lighter and more powerfull v-twin 1000cc engine.

Sorry if I really don't understand the meaning of the 1/4 mile strip races. No twisties, no pilot abilities. They are not races where to see the abilities of a good bike and a good pilot, because a bike is not made of only an engine and two wheels, but there's also tires, frames, shocks and other dinamics parts.