less cooler to look at, slingshot harley davidson street style


This 5 speed, Harley Davidson 1200 cc pan head was parked at the Silver lake Flea Market in Los Angeles. A small headlight, aftermarket air filter and turn signals mounted to the stanchions give the bike a clean/fast look. The springer seat, leather pad passenger seat, whitewall tire and vintage Ford brake light give the bike a timeless look. The knuckled clutch and brake levers scream modern Hayabusa while the 21 inch front wheel says, "I know a dirt road that gets us there faster."

         

The heat-wrapped asymmetrical exhaust caught my attention. The front cylinder's exhaust manifold is twice as long as the rear cylinder's manifold, which would cause some performance problems. On an air-cooled bike the front cylinder is exposed to a charge of fresh air and will always run cooler then the rear cylinder. On a twin cylinder with two carburetors you can install larger jets to make the rear cylinder run cooler but this bike has one carburetor feeding both cylinders.


To make matters worse the asymmetrical exhaust means that power output and engine scavenging will be different for the front and rear cylinder. This uneven production of power will curtail power prematurely and cause uneven wear on parts. Installing two exhaust manifold of similar lengths with a crossover tube with help this bike to produce more horsepower and the bike will run cooler albeit less cooler to look at.

Comments