| Author | Message | ||
     Big_island_rider |
Local radio station has the local Harley dealership on and they ask a trivia question. This week's was Erik Buell related. I won a choice of t-shirts in the shop. Didn't like any in my size so got one for my wife. The question was: "While Erik Buell was working at Harley Davidson, what was the invention he was most known for?" (Message edited by big island rider on November 22, 2015) (Message edited by big island rider on November 22, 2015) | ||
| M1combat |
Good work with the trivia answer... but... | ||
| Froggy |
Good thing it wasn't a spelling bee  | ||
| Big_island_rider |
Okay, okay I fixed it in the message. Old typing habits. But you did not answer the question. (Message edited by big island rider on November 22, 2015) | ||
| Ducbsa |
Storing fork suspension air in the handlebar. | ||
| Rick_a |
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| Fb1 |
My second (third?) Harley-Davidson was an '86 FXR (FXRP, to be exact, an ex-Seattle police bike, wig-wag lights and all). For a relatively large, relatively heavy motorcycle, that thing would chew up a twisty road like nobody's business, and was mighty darned comfortable to ride in the process. It wasn't until I got my first Buell, in 1996, that I learned that Erik's DNA was all over my then-gone-but-not-forgotten FXR.
Source, more: http://www.hotbikeweb.com/bikes/separating-men-boy s-history-fxr?image=0 My answer? The Harley-Davidson FXR frame. And yes, I wish I still had mine. | ||
| Jaimec |
Ducs, wasn't the suspension air stored in the engine guards? That's what I recall... | ||
| Court |
The air was stored BOTH ..... In the handlebars AND the crash bars. Just depends on the model year. Several years later the system would appear as A.C.T. on the BUELL RR1000. The system was quite amazing and a glimpse at Erik Buell's ... Yet to be shared .... Engineering genius. Others had tried ..... Brake dive with telescopic forks can be reduced by either increasing the spring rate (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_%28motorcy cle%29#Spring_rate) of the fork springs, or increasing the compression damping (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suspension_%28motorcy cle%29#Damping_adjustment) of the forks. However, all of these changes make the motorcycle less pleasant to ride on rough roads, since the front end will feel stiffer, in the 1980s various manufacturers attempted to get round this by methods of anti-dive such as: ACT: Developed by Marzocchi and fitted to Buell motorcycles such as the Buell RR 1200 (1988). ANDF (Anti Nose Dive Forks): This was fitted to a number of Suzuki GSX models and the RG250. AVDS (Automatic Variable Damping System): This was fitted to a number of Kawasaki motorcycles. NEAS (New Electrically Activated Suspension): As fitted to the Suzuki GSX-R 1100 and GSX-R 750 Limited Edition. PDF (Posi Damp Fork): This was fitted to the Suzuki RG500 and GSX-R 750 and worked by brake fluid pressure closing a valve in the mechanism when the brakes are applied, restricting the flow of damping oil and slowing fork compression. The valves are spring loaded so if the wheel hits a bump when the brakes are on, they bounce off their seats and restore the flow of oil for a moment to allow the suspension to absorb the shock. TCS (Travel Control System): Anti-dive system with variable damping. TCS was introduced on the FZ 400 R (1984, only for the Japanese market). TRAC (Torque Reactive Anti-dive Control): This was fitted to a number of Honda motorcycles such as the CB1100F | ||
| Jaimec |
Thanks, Court. I would've thought the volume of air in the handlebars would've been too small to be effective... but then Harley does use fatter than standard tubing and longer bars than most... Probably works best with a set of Ape Hangers?  | ||
| Zac4mac |
Dan's 1990 RS1200 has the ACT forks. They were conventional, but my 1991 RS has USD Roma forks. Z | ||
| Court |
1990 was the last year for ACT. In 1991, the "upside down" forks were introduced. I put may miles . . . . I used to use my 1990 to tour construction poorest and deliver paychecks every Thursday . . on both and have the most wonderful memories. It's nice to see folks . . . 25 years later . . . taking an renewed interest in the RS models. While they shared identical geometry with future Buells they exhibited much different handling and ride characteristics. Some of you may recall my "hang a plumb bob out of your ass" stories from the mid 90's as the S1 was being developed. I still have great memories also about how I was introduced to what would later become the S1 Lightning. Fun times. The RS models are a significant piece of motorcycle development history. | ||
| Fb1 |
Big Island Rider: And the correct answer is??? | ||
| Big_island_rider |
Fb1, The answer is in you post. It is the rubber mounted engine in the FXR. | ||
| 86129squids |
"Isolastic engine mounts"... right? Fun thread. Looking forward to seeing Erik's hugely varied imaginations manifest in 2-wheelers and other go-fast stuff in the near future! | ||
| Fb1 |
Fb1, The answer is in you post. It is the rubber mounted engine in the FXR. Rubber-mounted engines in Harleys debuted in 1980 in the FLT Tour Glide:
The FXR debuted in 1982:
Source for both: http://www.harley-davidson.com/content/h-d/en_US/h ome/museum/explore/hd-history/1980.html So, did Erik develop/invent the rubber mounting system that debuted in 1980 in the FLT? We know he played a large (perhaps pivotal?) role in the development of the FXR, which we also know used rubber engine mounting, but that engine mounting system was already a couple of years old when the FXR was introduced. Questions, questions. | ||
| Alfau |
Norton commando had them in 1968 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norton_Commando |
