Harley engine 2CV?

[JayCV]

Quick question from a newbie to the forum... anyone know if a Harley big twin has been mated successfully to a 2CV? If so, what was the finished result like? I know there is an adapter kit out there for a Guzzi lump...
Cheers, Jay.

[Geoff Ryall-Harvey]

Anything will fit to anything with enough time and money spent. There is an adapter to fit a Harley to a VW gearbox so I guess it can be done with a 2CV gearbox.

You need to find/borrow a Harley engine and offer it up to a 2CV gearbox and see what needs doing.

[Paul]

JayCV,
I'm not sure the gains outweigh the time, effort and money put into the project. The Harley engine will be twice the capacity of the 2CV engine, but you won't be able to take advantage of the higher speeds possible because of the final drive ratio in the 2CV gearbox. As far as I'm aware, you can't alter that with an off-the-shelf differential. You could increase the wheel and tyre diameter to raise the overall gearing, but that'll entail wider tyres, which will reduce the steering lock. On top of that, the 2CV gearbox ratios are unlikely to match the ratios required for the torque curve of the Harley engine so there'll be a mismatch. Please feel free to correct me if I've got anything wrong, especially if anyone has done this conversion.

[david]

larger tyres can be 19"x350 quite easily for 2cv suspension and will upgear nicely..so not necessarily wider...or fit an Axel gearbox with much higher CWP ratio...

[Paul]

In that case, it sounds like an interesting project.

[Duncan Grimmond]

FWIW the Harley engine is not designed to take end thrust on the crankshaft. Morgan have discovered this with their new three-wheeler and have had problems dealing with it. The bearing which goes to the front when the engine is turned through 90* is a side-load bearing having a little end float and I gather that this has difficulty in dealing with the thrust.
For all that, the Guzzi Vee-twins seem to be able to take it.

[howardjs]

Re Harley transmission problems...some interesting reading...
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/motoring/fir ... eview.html
http://www.popularmechanics.com/cars/re ... es/4322992

[JayCV]

Sorry for not coming back to this sooner but me and t'other half took the MX5 up to the Lakes for a week.

As for the time/money etc. - not really the point, I love my Harley engines and building/playing with custom bikes, hot rods and kit cars and was just pondering the possibility of combining several interests... The links make interesting reading. I must admit, I hadn't heard of crank bearing problems with the Harley engine turned transverse, there are a lot of them being used in the States in the back of Beetle based trikes. I've also seen an Evo' engine running through an Astra gearbox and a Shovel through an Alfa Romeo transmission - both are far beyond my limited capabilities tho'...

Thanks for the replies folks, it was really just idle musings; the sorts of things I occupy my brain with to stop me sleeping when normal folk go to bed...

[howardjs]

Some more reading on the subject...

http://www.google.co.uk/patents/US5566591

[howardjs]

Here is a Harley engine coupled to a VW box using a clutch / thrust bearing adaptor. Nice job but would protrude well in front of the driving wheels in the case of a FWD.