Ultimate Orca FXR Turbo

A stock 1999 CVO2...not ours...just a photo we found...same paint, same bike though.

We sort of changed it around...LSR 2-1, RSR Fuel Injection, different paint....21" front 16"rear...

A number of years ago we picked up a 1999 CVO2 FXR and put on some old custom paint we had...You know keeping things stock is illegal and we sure as hell don't worship this "CVO" business. We put on a different seat and got rid of the shorter, stiff as hell, shocks and some chrome side covers we bought from Elvis. We kept the bike's motor stock and put on one of our 00-1010 B Style Turn Out exhausts and our RSR Closed Loop Fuel Injection.

Way before this we had a Shovelhead FXR that Carl Pelletier of Competition Motorcycles had loaned us for product development. We used it for carburetor and exhaust testing for several years, like developing the 41mm FCR carburetor for Keihin Corporation. Then one day Carl called us up and asked if we still had the FXR as he had a buyer for $10,000.00. We gave it back to Carl.

We also had a 1987 FXR that we used for turbocharger, exhaust and camshaft development but we eventually pushed it into the corner and then sold it.

Funny story. We let a Yamaha XS1100 owner ride our 1987 Turbo FXR and he came back saying he was surprised at how well it handled, even when it was dragging things, but that "It seemed to flatten out around 9000 RPM"...flying over the Vincent St. Thomas Bridge in San Pedro. Ouch! ..It sounded a bit rough when he brought it back..Pieces of piston rings were coming out the exhaust. The Branch heads had bits of rings embedded in them.

We got bored with the former CVO2 and its 3.5 gallon gas tank so we adapted an FLHX 5 gallon tank, painted the bike and changed the wheels. We also converted it to chain drive and got rid of the 21" front wheel that we never liked and adapted a 19" Dyna front wheel. We got rid of the shorter rear CVO rear shocks and put on 13.5" shocks for better ground clearance and a Dresser rear wheel.

Result: It handled better, we could drive further without looking for a gas station and we got 56 MPG. We ended up putting in a 24 cell Lithium Battery as it held at 13.3 VDc even after siting for a month, and had less of a voltage drops in cranking, which gave it much better and quicker starting. EFi simply hates voltage drops...Anything below 11VDc and the fuel pump output declines drastically. We still left the engine stock...no cams.

We added our instrumentation consisting of our digital Orca Bonneville Tach, GPS Speedometer , Digital Gear Indicator and our Dual RSR Air Fuel Ratio Gauge. The 5 gallon tank gave us a 200 mile range under closed loop efi. We left the tank and fenders with a painter and he came up with the copper/bronze color.

Everyone drove the bike. It was sort of quick, mainly because it was about 300 lbs lighter than a Dresser and it had instantaneous throttle response with our 56mm RSR EFi. Then we got locked into Bonneville, advanced Cosworth electronics and the Bullett. There was no time to work on the FXR. Racing eats all your time and money.

Well, we spent a lot of time and money setting records at Bonneville and since the late 1980's and we have constantly been developing Intercooled ORCA Turbo Motors and fuel injection technology. We set records on BMW's, Kawasakis, Suzukis and Harley's...at El Mirage, Muroc, Maxton, and Pro Gas Drag Racing Champioships...pretty much on our nickel. Ouch!

Over 400 HP on long course at Bonneville. Once you ride the Bullett you don't want a stock 80" FXR anymore. The Bullett occupied all of our time and money and any development on the FXR ground to a halt. FXR, the Stepsister. We left the Bullett in 2017 after spending many tens of thousands of dollars and getting a soft 200 mph record (poor conditions) that held for 5 years. Untold 3000 mile round trips.

Time to work on our own projects. As we were told by a famous tuner..."There is no end to free".

When you spend more than 40 years... Holy Shit where did the time go!... working on and designing high performance motorcycles and equipment, spending untold thousands of hours, and more late nights and lost weekends than you can imagine, a lot of people get dragged into the Vortex.

A large cast of characters, both good and bad, from many continents, have at one time or another hitched a ride on the RB Racing Express...and then faded away. Once the party starts they show up and once the party is over they head for the door. Something about not living with the consequences, or just being practical, whatever that is. As the song says "Players only love you when they're playing"

The Bullett has been a test bed for ORCA Engine technology and it's complexity is way, way, beyond things we have done before. 139 cubic inch "EVO", water cooled, 60mm fly by wire throttle body, water injected and intercooled.

It forced us to confront engineering issues and learn new disciplines. 1000 lbs, no higher than your waist, 45 degrees of rake and over 400 hp with a 560 HP Turbo... Advanced Cosworth electronics, phase anti-phase boost control and traction control. One hell of a lot on RB Racing's plate as no one else understood or wanted to understand the technical issues.

Only designed for Bonneville, it is the ultimate pushrod motorcycle and is a handful to ride until it settles down around 100 mph. Geared for 300 mph @6500 rpm it is not something you putt around on...but once you've driven it, you want that kind of power and sophistication that you can hop on anytime...like a lightweight flickable FXR.

We got a soft 200 mph record under poor salt conditions then ended our Bullett development and participation in 2017 on our terms.

Why not take the Bullett's ORCA Engine and control technology and put it into an FXR...Screw the stock 80" CVO2. We are upping the complexity and control we learned at Bonneville and applying this to our FXR. Something we can ride every day...and not have to deal with people that do not believe in either learning or testing complex systems.

Take a 113" S&S SA B1 motor we had previously developed and use it... Or a new variation on the same and adapt it to our much modifed CVO2 FXR.

Lots of decsions to make...Like go radical , or be somewhat practical, or prep it to race, or simply do all of the above. It's all ground zero. Write yourself a check and get going. Development is a bitch.

Since we've been around for awhile and have a long memory for things we are interested in, and since we had spent a lot of time at Camber Fairing in 1977 with Jerry Greer working on our 1977 Bol D'Or Monoshock racers, we knew Jerry had been involved with Don Vesco and his Rabid Transit fairings that were marketed for a few years to the BMW and Jap crowd. We tracked one down and adapted it to our FXR before we stripped it down.

Why? Simply because around 180 mph, and faster, the wind gets a bit fierce and you need a frame mounted fairing that is wide enough to get your shoulders behind...The Rabid Transit fairing is a hand-laid, sturdy piece because Jerry knew his craft. A very sophisticated aero design that gives good protection...Way better than an FXRT fairing. Get down on the tank and look over the fairing's edge.

We fabbed up these mounts and had them powder coated. They bolt to the steering head and frame.

We welded up a set of stainless handlebars prepared for our 60mm Bosch Turbo Fly By Wire Throttle Body. No available bars will fit... they have to be made. Your hands are out of the air stream and the bars go full lock staying inside the fairing. No ape hangers. No forward controls. Lock to lock inside the fairing.

Bye bye to our previous FLHX 5 gallon tank...She was too wide for the Rabid Transit fairing. We only have 1/2"clearance side to side with the smaller tank. We'll get the lost gas capacity back another way.

Once you start this you have to make all sorts of adaptations. In this case, the low bars are designed to keep your hands out of an 185mph airstream and inside the fairing even at full lock.

This necessitated running the clutch cable through the bars and welding on a stainless steel exit tube with an internal Delrin liner.

Modification for the wider 17" rim, front tire, and custom fender we will be using.

Narrowglide forks are definitely not made for the wider 110/70ZR-17 Michelin Pilot front tire. 120 series tires are too wide. We machined off the inner oem fender mount to make room for the 110 series tire on the 3.5" Buell rim.... Tire has a wider footprint than the 21" original tire.

We then fabricated a temporary two piece clamp-on fender support. We will be installing a machined fork brace. Final finished position above. Very solid.

The chromed FXR2 single disc forks have a 3/4 axle. A separate 60 tooth wheel sensor is added to get front wheel speed for speedometer / odometer as well as traction control functions.

The smaller gas tank just was not going to get us the range we needed even at 50 mpg fuel-injected. Our solution was to ditch the FXR Transmission and Oil Bag and put in a 1998 Bagger transmission with integral oil bag/pan. In place of the FXR's oil bag we are building a stainless steel secondary gas tank with an external fuel pump, regulator, and filter..

No, we are not going to cut the 1998 Evo Bagger Oil Pan to clear the under motor braces. Having welded on castings a lot in the past you get into porosity issues and we do not want to lose any oil capacity.

Secondary, under the seat, Gas Tank: Fuel feed, bypass, vent to main tank, float level sending unit, and a secondary fuel tank gauge in the fairing.

A Bosch temperature sensor monitors the fuel return or bypass temperature. We are using a fuel cooler to drop the fuel temperatures as the main gas tank sits above the hot motor.

In addition, the secondary fuel tank acts like a surge reservoir keeping fuel and not gulps of air fed to the pump... Unlike an in-tank Harley pump in a gas tank shape that was never meant for efi in-tank feed with fuel sloshing around.

We welded in a stainless return vent port that runs from the top of the secondary tank to the main tank. A stainless tube extends to the top of the main tank to vent air from the secondary tank.

.625 Transmission shaft with adaptors for Twin Cam Dresser Swingarm spherical bearings.

We are using a 2008 Touring Swingarm that we have modified for 2" chain adjustment. We use the CVO2's 5/8" pivot shaft with our $895.00 swingarm that uses the 2008 Spherical Bearings. There are no more Delkron FXR cases for 3/4" pivot shafts. Don't try to drill the bagger transmission for the 3/4" shaft.

Pictured above is our FXR Turbo Orca swingarm with 1" higher shock mounts. It has 2" of adjustment for the chain drive and uses a 25mm late model axle for a 17" Sportster rear wheel. The 2008 Swingarm has been modified to use our 5/8" 1999 FXR CVO2 transmission pivot shaft. A late model 4 piston CVO Dresser caliper provides the rear stopping power.

We raised the shock mounts 1" to use with 13.5" shocks (same as running a 14.5" Shock) to get 6.5" of lower frame ground clearance with the smaller diameter 150 x 60-17 rear tire and 17" front tire. We are also using stock Narrowglide 39mm fork tubes with a 17" Buell front wheel (110/70ZR17) with 3/4"bearings. We get an improved swingarm downward angle of 6 degrees as an additional benefit.

Sitting on the ground the bike has 28 degrees of rake. Seat height is 29.5".

OEM shocks or other rubber bushed shocks have stiction when the upper and lower bolts are tightened against the inner steel sleeves.

Rubber bushings are going away as we will be using 13.5" Supershox that use spherical rod ends. These are hand-adjustable and provide a very smooth ride. Made in USA.

RB Racing Chain drive 2008 swingarm with 2" of adjustment.

FXR to 1998 Evo Dresser Oil Bag Transmission Frame Modifications

FXR oil bag transmission: We are mounting a 1998 Evo Dresser oil bag transmission. To start, the two under frame braces and center kick stand have to go. Save the rear master cylinder mount...don't cut it off.

These two guys are history. The 1998 Evo Oil Bag transmission will run right into them.

We left the rear master cylinder mount welded to the frame. We cut off the two bolt right footpeg mount from the kick stand portion as we are going to reuse it and move it outward to clear the 1998 Dresser Oil Bag.

We cap off the left side where the kick stand was. There is no need to grind it all off...Just cap it off next to the frame where you cut it off.

Grind off and dress the rear of the frame where the rear mount MIG welds were. That bracket was too "high" and would intersect the oil bag.

On the FXR we cut off the rear of the right footpeg forging for oil bag transmission clearance and reinforced the two hole mount that we cut off of the center sidestand bracket with 1/8" stainless plate.

The right footpeg mount ready to be welded to the frame. It has to move outward to clear the transmission oil bag.

FXR oil bag transmission: We notched the right lower frame for the right footpeg mount that we had saved and reinforced.

Right footpeg frame mount TIG welded in place the inside of the right footpeg mount will now clear the oil bag. Weld held below the footpeg forging mount surface.

Shortened mid peg forging now clears the oil bag. Rear: Four piston CVO caliper on 17" rear wheel.

Jims #1134 Rolling Buddy engine spacer positions the transmission without the engine.

Positioned lower that the previous oem stamping, we welded in a new cross brace.

FXR Frame Modified for Turbo Oil Bag Transmission

Frame modified for larger AGM battery and the oil bag 5 speed transmission. We will install a Dresser Jiffy stand as we aced the oem fxr one off. Stainless steel battery box for the larger Yuasa Battery with 500 CCA (GYZ32HL). The stock FXR battery will not support fuel injection nor will the stock charging system.

FXR Dresser Jiffy Sidestand for the Oil Bag Transmission

Oil Bag Transmission FXR sidestand: Dresser Jiffy sidestand being positioned as we cut off the oem FXR one. It's about 5" further forward than on the dresser mount and is a bit higher.

The Dresser Jiffy Stand now tucks under the primary cover and springs firmly into place. Your heel easily ratchets the side stand down while sitting on the bike.

Oil Bag Transmission FXR sidestand: Triangulated support on back of bracket against the frame. Coated in black the bracket will disappear with the rest of the black frame.

Size 12 Qualified

When you are tired and just covered 150 miles at speed at the end of a 900 mile day it's easier to boot down a dresser stand and the bike won't tump over.

Oil Bag Transmission FXR sidestand: We nixed the idea of a swingarm pivot Arlen Ness type custom stand...leaning backward to deal with non oem parts was not in the cards.

Just three days, off and on, to figure it out. Two weeks to get sidestand (1st one lost in mail)...One day to design...One day to redesign...One day to finish it up and re-install with Grade 8 fasteners. Rechrome later on.

The FXR does not come with a steering damper so we fabbed one up. We welded a saddle with a 1/4" steel tab to the left down tube and machined in an offset anchor point into the triple clamp

You don't want to be on a 28 degree rake, 300 Hp FXR, with 39mm Narrowglide forks, even with a fork brace, without a steering damper.

At Bonneville steering dampers are required and you have to limit the fork stops to about 10-15 degrees left to right from center to save your ass if you get into a wobble. The damper cannot act as a stop. Having been in a lock to lock horizon-altering wobble in 1985 at Bonneville verified the need for limited lock on a race bike. We made a bolt in limiter for the fxr.

Our handlebars are not stuck up in the air like the "Ape Hanger" style bars everyone else has come up with when they try to make fairings for FXRs. The bar arrangement pictured above comes from Big Bear Choppers. You might remember them from their previous Chopper ventures. They were going to put Harley out of business. They folded shop...now they are making FXR clones.

We are go fast racers, not cruisers, and we don't need to show the world our armpits.

Take her down to ground zero. With ORCA Turbo Power and Cosworth Pectel SQ6M Electronics all the stock stuff has to go. Pull out the CVO2 FXR 80" EVO and donate it to the Men In Black (Bryan Stock) , replacing a worn out RevTech motor in Bryan's son's bike. Bryan thanked us. Nick did not.

We also donated a Twin Cam 88 with Branch Heads, SE251 cams and an updated SE Oil System out of our Turbo Road Glide (Road Toad) to Bryan, as his own 95" Twin Cam in his chopped Dresser had passed the 100,000 mile mark and his Twin Cam was on it's last legs. Bryan upped the 88 to 95" and corrected a mistake we had made in the tensioner...It runs "sweet" as Bryan said.

Since the FXR was all apart we took a set of STD heads we had planned to use on the 80" EVO down to Branch O'Keefe so one of the Men in Black in Idaho could get a good breathing EVO. The heads were later returned unsused after we split in 2017, so we sold them for what we had in them...$1,400.00.

Next : Take the bare frame down to Doctor John's to have it checked for straightness...If you put 300 hp to the road the chassis better be straight. It wasn't.

It all starts from known dimensions...FXR frame blueprint above. You have to have a frame table that has fixtures that will locate the centerline off of the neck and the swingarm pivot block locations. Rubber-mounted Harleys have special alignment procedures as the engine transmisson and swingarm do their own things.

Back from Doctor John's...$500.00 worth of tweaking to get it perfect. He's the go to guy for chassis alignment and repairs. We used to make racing frames and we build 200 mph bikes. There was no way we were going to wind out the FXR with 25 lbs of boost without having the chassis checked. The frames are not necessarily straight when they come from the factory.

The stock FXR swingarm is way too weak for 300 HP. We do chain drive conversions for Dressers and FXRs so it wasn't a stretch cut up a 2008 FLT swingarm and put in higher shock eye mounts so we can use taller shocks with the tires we are running.. With all the changes we have 6.25" of ground clearance and a better rear swingarm angle.

Ground Clearance: OEM FXR's had anywhere from 5.25" to 6.12" of ground clearance as Harley marketing kept pushing the seat height lower trying to sell more bikes as "Cruisers" and not "Go fast through the corner types", chasing Japanese sport bikes. We'll stay with 6.5" for the initial testing. 2" longer forks inpack sidestand issues.

Our Road Racing Monoshocks had seat heights of 30", raised folding spring-loaded footpegs, and lean angles of 50 degrees. Our FXR ORCA has a seat height of 29.5".

Stock FXR's have around 30 degrees of lean angle before you tuck your toes up and start scraping things.

Pictured above is our FXR Turbo Orca swingarm (modified 2008 Dresser) with 1" higher shock mounts. It has 2" of adjustment for the chain drive and uses a 25mm late model axle for a 17" Sporster rear wheel. Stronger than oem FXR swingarm, it has been modified to use our 5/8" 1999 FXR CVO2 transmission pivot shaft. A late model 4 piston CVO Dresser caliper provides the rear stopping power.

We raised the shock mounts to use with 13.5" shocks to get 6.5" of ground clearance with the smaller diameter 150 x 60-17 rear tire and the 17" front tire. We get an improved swingarm angle of 6 degrees downward as an additional benefit.

FXRs have different pivot to axle lengths as well as shock locations compared to Dressers. This is our FXR Swingarm with the stock shock location for an FXR.

FXR's had crappy rear brakes and the original caliper mount would not work anyway with the new, larger, 25mm rear axle. Simply use a late model 4 piston FLT rear caliper.

We sell these to FXR owners who put in 111/124" motors which still allows them to retain their 5/8" pivot shaft and use the late model spherical bearings.

Switch to late model caliper and disc, typically 2008 and later with 11.8" disc.

In the picture above, at the top, are some really questionable aftermarket Delrin spacers that are sold with tubular inserts that, with the help of some grease/paste, are supposted to act as bearings and pivot in the Delrin. This is by no means a bearing in any sense of the word. It is patently stupid...crude with stiction. Those go in the trash.

At RB Racing we machine up some spacers, black items pictured above, that allow you to use the OEM 9208 Spherical Bearing...that is actually a real bearing...and allows you to retain your one or two-piece 5/8" axle. We install these in the pre 2009 Twin Cam swingarms we modify for 2" adjustment, high horsepower, FXRs.

If you choose to do this be aware you must change your rear wheel, axle, and brake assembly for the 25mm rear axle and later model brake calipers. Do not attempt to drill or ream your transmission case for the late 3/4" axle. There may be more stronger Delkron FXR cases with 5/8" and 3/4"pivots...even though Delkron went away long ago.

We can supply the complete swingarm ready to fit your FXR or earlier EVO Dressers. FXR and Dresser swingarms have different shock locations.

We checked around for the best battery..i.e. the highest cranking capacity for our 126 Road Toad and 139 Cubic Inch Bullett motors and found that Absorbent Glass Mat (AGM) was our best option, and that the only battery more powerful than the OEM Harley Batteries (DEKA) that we had been using was this Yuasa Battery with 500 CCA. GYZ32HL.

We tested a Lithium Iron Phosphate battery in a smaller 80 Inch Evo motor and it worked very well for a year, always starting the efi instantly and maintaining a 13.2VDC charge...When we tried the same 24 cell battery on the Bullett it cranked very quickly but gave up quickly.

In talking to the battery engineers at what we consider to be the best Lithium Battery manufacturer, earthX , they told us the following:

"Based on your engine size (139CID), which as a V-twin engine requires much more cranking amps than a V-8 truck, we do have a battery that has 1,000 cranking amps which should keep the voltage from dropping and affecting your EFI. The model number is ETX48E and weighs only 7.7 pounds. . The bad news is this battery costs $699.00 . Lithium batteries are very different than a lead acid battery in that if you pull too much cranking amps from the battery in order to start the bike, you will damage the cells. They are not as robust as an AGM battery and for your type of application, it is very hard on any battery but I would think an AGM would fare better. This probably isn’t what you wanted to hear but lithium batteries are fantastic in the right application but your bike's demands are at the upper edge of use."

Rare to find honesty these days. AGM it is.

Make a fake wood battery with the new Yuasa GYZ32HL dimensions and cut up some stainless 16 gauge 304 stainless steel sheet. The seat frame brace has to be cut out and moved back and that means the fender has to be modified also. Fabricate a new battery hold-down and isolate the "battery" on all sides with rubber. A circular stop is added for the bump stop under the oem seat pan.

Sheet metal the cut out in the rear fender to allow clearance for the bigger AGM battery.

We put on a short backrest / sissy bar. The Pectel SQ6M will be mounted under the rack in a billet isolation mount we make. This keeps the main harness away from the gas tank, and far away from engine heat. The 600Hp fuel pump is going under the transmission clutch relase cover and all the relays and circuit breakers are moved under the right side side cover. The left side cover will house the one and three bar map sensors and the billet fuel regulator.

All oem wiring is to be redone with 22759/16 Mil-Spec wires and sealed Deutsch Autosport connectors.

FXR Turbo Fuel Pump Mount

FXR Turbo Fuel Pump: Genuine 600hp Bosch external fuel pumps are a bitch to mount or hide on a Harley like the FXR. Harley gas tanks were never really made for fuel pumps. Pump is lower than the secondary gas tank.

FXR Fuel Cooler

FXR Fuel Cooler: The fuel pump is mounted low on the frame to pick up fuel from our auxiliary fuel tank under the seat. The fuel exits the pump into sheathed 3/8" efi hoses to a stainless steel efi fuel filter...Then to a fuel cooler in the front airstream... Then to the fuel rail... Then to the fuel regulator under the left side cover and to the return port on left side of the auxillary fuel tank.

The wiring harness ties into a Bosch Fuel Temperature sensor to monitor the return fuel temperature.

FXR Fuel Cooler, Nose Mounted

On Harleys, or any motorcycle, the gas tank sits right on top of 200 lbs of hot metal. We might as well drop the fuel temperatures to get that stabilized. Sitting a fuel can on top of a 250 degree warmer makes a lot of sense.

This is even an issue in Grand Prix motorcycles that have rules on how much the fuel can be pre-chilled (15C lower than ambient) as part, or all, of the gas tank is sitting on top of a 300 hp. heat sink... Less dense, hotter fuel, costs hp.

With the tube and fin cooler mounted directly in the air stream, beneath the fairing, the fuel gets cooled before it enters the fuel rail and the motor.

We have been turbocharging things for 40 years and have seen fuel literally boil in gas tanks. Fuel density is important and we measure fuel temperature as it exits the fuel cooler headed for the fuel injetcors. Fuel temperature (density) has a correction table in the Pectel SQ6M.

Relays and Circuit Breakers FXR Orca

We need to package ten circuit breakers and five 35A relays in one place in an IP68 waterproof enclosure. This involves crafting a new side cover. The price of sophistication.

FXR Right Side Cover:

Five relays and ten circuit breakers under the right side cover (spaced out). We could have used a more expensive, programmable, Power Distribution Module (PDM) but, in this case, we'll stick with old school circuit breakers and relays. PDM's stay "hot" and use milliamps of power. When we "key off" the bike there are no milliamp draws with the fuses and relays...and no clock in the dash.

Bussmann Rear View Routing

The wires to these relays and circuit breakers are all sealed with Delphi 280 series silicone seals and all parallel splices and transitions are sealed Raychem DR-25 and Resintech RT125 epoxy.

This is the backside view, where wires are inserted, of the Bussmann enclosure.

Pectel Cosworth SQ6M Mount

Our billet mount for the Cosworth Pectel SQ6M is rubber mounted. First, the mount itself is rubber isolated and then the SQ6M is isolated in silicone rubber on all sides within the mount itself.

The main ecu wires (117 leaving the SQ6M) will snake down the left side of the bike by the seat and frame and then branch out to 72 harness connectors and 36 sub-harness connectors. The SQ6M is mounted far away from any heat. At about $6,000.00 for the SQ6M, it's a good idea to safely mount it away from harm.

FXR Turbo SQ6M Wiring Harness

The wiring harness will have about $3,000.00 alone in Deutsch Autosport, Deutsch DTM , DTP, and Deutsch aerospace D369 connectors and about 250 to 300 man hours in planning and 150 to 200 hours in execution. Add in all the external sensors like EGT(2), Lambda (2), Fly-By-Wire, Crankcase Pressure, Inlet and post intercooler temperature, and sub harnesses, and the cost of the completely sealed Mil-Spec wiring harness and sensors and labor is past $15,000.00. Way past.

The specialized TE Connectivity Type-K thermocouple 19 strand Alumel / Chromel shielded wire is alone $300.00 for 25 feet.

The harness has 72 outboard main harness connectors and more than 36 sub harness connectors. In addition, there are 105 Raychem connector boots sealed with Resintech RT125...Boots alone are over $1,000.00. There are 458 terminations and 18 internal splices.

There are 12 Deutsch Autosport connectors and 12 specialized Deutsch Aerospace D369 connectors.

That brings the electronics, with the ICD Dash to about $20,000.00. In the race car world that is chump change...not small change in the two wheeled world populated by the budget conscious who have no idea. There is a reason WRC Rally Cars are $1,000,000.00 or more each.

Lets see: 300 hours minimum wage $15.00 per hour..$4,500.00 labor alone; Lawyer rates $400.00/hour $120,000.00 labor; Basic Harley shop rates $75.00/hour $22,500.00. That's sort of interesting. As we say around here "Write yourself a check".

We are completely replacing the Stock 1986-1990 Wiring Harness.

SQ6M Data Entry: Fuel and Spark Maps

Within the SQ6M Caltool Software there are 8800 programmable parameters....Fuel Maps and Ignition Maps alone have matrix of 25 Load x 25 RPM sites (625 point matrix)...with four possible fuel maps. With up to five keystrokes per each site you are facing eight maps with, say 4 entries with a decimal point per cell, 8 x 625 x 4 = 20,000 keystrokes. Just remember this just a start of your calibration. Lambda matrices are smaller and you should strive to have your maps withing 1% of these targets.

The more resolution your table has, the more work and time it takes to tune it correctly, but the smoother and better the transitions of these sections will be when finished. Some ECMs will reduce the number of site cells, say 10 x15, to save time tuning and then allow closed loop lambda to "clean it up". The issue is, that the fewer cell sites there are, the more jagged the table becomes. The more jagged the table becomes, the larger the variances in table output become due to larger extrapolation ranges. This results in larger lambda target errors, which in turn lead to a larger correction required from the closed loop system. Typically the more it has to correct, the less accurate and responsive it is to changes.

Lots of dyno and road work to get open loop tuning within 1% of Lambda targets. Costly process.

SQ6M Injector Timing

When do you fire your injectors BTDC? What happens when you change the camshaft, the injectors, the fuel pressure, or make edits in the fuel map...Do you change your fuel injector timing for any of the four 625 (25 x 25) cell fuel maps?

We automatically recalculate injector timing for any editing or hardware changes. Four maps 16 x 16.

Cosworth has had to validate Euro Emissions for the 1000hp Aston Martin Valkyrie V12 and the new Gordon Murray T50 GMA 3.9L V12. Probably about a year of development in their multiple dyno cells.

In the picture above the three cylinder test "mule" engine for Gordon Murray's 3.9L V12 is being calibrated by Cosworth Engineers on a Cosworth Dyno with Cosworth Pectel CalTool Software. The green bar means live tuning is taking place.

Race Car Mentality/Budget v. Motorcycle

Here's a recent electronic installation by Zac Perkins of Motorsportselectronics. Approximately two months of planning and execution. 1000 Hp Turbo Nissan GTP period car. About the same sensor complexity as our FXR...Excepting the fact that we also have to do the engine, the chassis fabrication and a complete turbo system from scratch.

This has to be followed up with dyno testing and calibration at the race track. Telemetry and on track data analysis...it is a large commitment. In the scope of total expenses it is a small but significant amount of change. Not the motorcycle world.

Above Cosworth Pectel SQ6M in Subaru factory VTX20 Rallycross Supercar. Vermont Sportscars.

Car people expect to pay for this level of expertise in hardware and time. Motorcycle people do not have the budget...They do have the time to talk however. They never run out of that. Wannaknows and wannabees.

Experience

We always start out with nothing, just a blank sheet, and maybe a half-good idea. This usually gets discarded and redone multiple times. It never ends. There is no help. It is so easy to waste money on dead ends not to mention supplies you end up not using. Decades go by and it's always the same. Nothing is fixed.

People call us up telling us they have decided "To do something" but they want to know how to do it. Our standard answer is...If you have decided to do "It" then just go ahead and do "It".

These days people just want answers. Blank sheets of paper are terrifying. Yelling at that pencil won't help.

New Turbo Inlet Manifold Design: S&S SA/B1 heads 1.890" Inlet Ports; Bosch Motorsport 60mm FBW

2.43" I.D. inlet tracts. Radiused entry into 1.890" I.D. Inlet Ports. 2" radius internal inlet tract sweeps for smooth airflow. Two Bosch Motorsport Injector Dynamics EV14 Injectors to support 25 PSI boost @6750 rpm,

No drop-down airflow limitingThrottle Hog design. Inlet ports are .375" lower that the throttle body centerline. O-Ring face seal

Single bolt attached fuel rail with .500" I.D. 1000 PSI water injection port. Manifold pressure port. Set up for FXR upper mount.

New N/A and Turbo Inlet Manifold Design: S&S SA/B2 heads; Oval Inlet Ports; Bosch Motorsport 68mm FBW

2.750" I.D. inlet tracts. Radiused entry into S&S B2 Oval Ports 2.125"W I.D. x 1.825"H I.D.

Up to two 1700cc Bosch Motorsport Injector Dynamics EV14 Injectors to support 600+ HP.

No drop-down airflow limiting Throttle Hog design. Inlet ports are .375" lower that the throttle body centerline. O-Ring face seal

Single bolt attached fuel rail with .500" I.D. 1000 PSI water injection port. Manifold pressure port.

Pectel Cosworth SQ6M Mount...Powder Coat

Satin Black Powder Coat the SQ6M mount rubber isolation support brackets and the Luggage Rack/Sissy Bar.

FXR Turbo Whhels and Tires: New Dyna Rear Wheel for 25mm Axle

A 17" Sportster cast rear wheel will hold a 150 rear tire. FXRs are designed around the 16" 130 rear tire. You can just get a 150 tire in there but anything wider and the fender and frame are not wide enough.

We'll stay with the 150 because we want to preserve the excellent handling. There is no point in cutting things up for a 180 rear tire which brings all sorts of problems. 17" tires are available in road race slick and street rubber.

We have adapted a 1997-2000 era Buell 17" front wheel with a 3/4" axle as high speed rubber and racing slicks are only available for 17" rims. We will run a 110 tire with this rim for our Narrowglide front end. The front fender will mount off of the fork brace.

The Narrowglide forks just fit inside our fairing...they can't be any wider. The Narrowglide slider fender mounts were machined flat to the slider for the wider (110mm) 17" front tire. 21" and 19" fronts are much narrower.

We have installed a 60 tooth sensor for Pectel SQ6M traction control and speedometer issues. We countersunk the 5 Torx bolts so they would clear the right fork slider.

We also machined an OEM 11.5" front brake disc to fit the 17" wider register Buell front wheel. We're using the FXR 39mm forks with 3/4" axle.

There is no inner clearance for a 4-piston caliper with the Buell wheel. We machined a left side axle spacer to center the wheel and disc brake caliper using snap gauges to verify centering.

The Buell wheels had 20mm bearings. We changed these to 3/4" bearings to match the fxr axle.

A 2008 FL swingarm makes it stronger for the well over 200 horsepower. A 2014 CVO four piston rear caliper and a new 11.8" brake disc upgrades the rear braking.

Rear swingarm has correct 6 degree downward angularity with the 13.5" shocks length and 1" raised shock eye location. Front forks have 28 degree rake. Trail is 3.6" with 31" fork tubes and 4.0" with 2" over fork tubes. Ground clearance is 6.25" up a bit from typical OEM FXR 5.3".

Bosch Motorsport Ignition Coils

These are the Bosch Motorsport Ignition Coils that we use in our dual-plugged Turbo ORCA motors. We stock these along with the specialzed connectors. ORCA motors use two 12mm racing spark plugs per cylinder for bore sizes 4.000" to 4.375". We trigger these with a Cosworth Pectel SQ6M ECU, programming four separate spark maps, each with 25 x 25 sites, for a total of 2500 ignition points. In terms of keystrokes to enter this data...a bit shy of 12,500 keystrokes. No one said this was going to be easy. We use Champion resistor racing spark plugs, which we also stock.

When the Time Comes

We have a few fixtures on hand for Harley Turbos...But you know, we'll make some new ones for this FXR.

Stainless Steel FXR Orca Turbo Manifold

FXR Stainless Turbo Manifold: Stainless steel with double slip joint, dual EGT and Lambda sensor ports.... Four bolt head flanges, merge collector, 2" primaries. Fully Argon purge welded, section by section, to maintain geometry. Tack welding multiple pieces and purge welding each section is a bit time consuming. No contamination inside the tubes,

After initial running and testing it gets oxide blasted, cleaned, and ceramic coated with Glacier Forge C-8200. Stainless, left alone, gets ugly quickly. We place a chromed heat shield over the rear primary tube.

Don't ask how much this costs in time and money. We've done this a number of times for racing and test projects and it just does not get any easier.

We did two, somewhat similar, manifolds for the Bonneville Bullett project...larger turbo, different locations, same 4 bolt venturis, and nine years later they were still perfect.

Over the years we did a number of stainless steel turbo manifolds for racing projects (BMW, Suzuki, Triumph, Kawasaki, Harley) for free...and not even a thank you. Nevermore as the Raven says. One BMW K100 race manifold (206mph record) consumed 5 days of work...other manifolds had up to 37 sections due to the complex bends.

Now just for our own projects like this FXR..

On shifts, or closing the throttle under boost, this valve vents the pressure to prevent compressor surge wherein the boost goes backward through the compressor. Here we are testing it for function with boost and vacuum signals.

Compressor Discharge Valve sockets into rear of the plenum. 60mm Bosch Fly By Wire Throttle entry and two ports for the Phase-Antiphase Wastegate Pectel SQ6M boost control...Boost by gear, programmed throttle openings, and eight levels of traction control.

With over 8800 programming categories in the Cosworth Pectel SQ6M and a 360HP turbocharger, like we use on our 126 SAB2 Road Toad, we choose to use the Superflow CycleDyn for our development. Safer than running from the cops...not that we used to. Freeway cameras, helicopters, people on cell phones...you get the idea. With the Bonneville Bullett you can't do road testing...It's the Dyno and the Salt Flats.

Carbon Monoxide is a killer. It has to be positively scavenged and discharged away from the building. All exhaust fumes must be vented so the operator and the engine cannot re-breathe spent gases. Carbon Monoxide is odorless and flat-ass dangerous. We have a CO meter on the dyno operators console.

The FXR can be ridden to perfect things in the real world and the Superflow CycleDyn is about as close to the real world loads and speeds (200mph) as you are going to get without leaving the shop...Like Tom Bookhamer's 120CID Harley Bonneville bike being tuned by Shane Tecklenburg on our CycleDyn. Shane is the top Zen Master Motec Guru. Tom drove out to RB Racing, all the way from Florida, to get his M130 Motec tweaked. 8" stainess exhaust extraction with an 1100CFM fan. No carbon monoxide in the shop.

We'll do initial testing on the FXR on the Superflow CycleDyn...A long way to yet go before we get to that point.

These days there are cameras everywhere on the freeways. There are automatic license plate readers. People call the cops and take pix on their cell phones...and the Highway Patrol and local cops seem to have lost their sense of humor. It's dynos and eyes in the back of your helmet these days..or go way out in the middle of nowhere.

"Hold on, hold on, my brother
My sister, hold on tight
I finally got my orders
I'll be marching through the morning
Marching through the night
Moving cross the borders
Of my secret life..."