145 S&S Softail
In 2003, S&S celebrated its 45th anniversary. Harley-Davidson also celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2003. As a tribute to the original founders of S&S, George and Marjorie Smith, and as a tribute to Harley-Davidson (100 + 45), S&S decided to build the ultimate High Performance Street V-Twin, the 145 ci Tribute engine! S&S has put together a team of 5 custom builders in America who "may" use these engines and build bicycles with them. The S&S Tribute team consists of American Iron Horse Motorcycle Company, Bourget's Bike Works, MCC Manufacturing, Arlan Ness and Cory Ness. Cory Ness is indeed the son of and works for herself. A total of 45 motorcycles are built, 9 per company and the motorcycles are sold per sets of 5 for the price of 250,000 dollars. As you understand, this is really only possible in America, isn't it? Naturally, all these bikes are equipped with the S&S 145 ci Tribute engine.
No more than 145 of these blocks are made by S&S, so you will think, that's great, so there are still 100 for sale. Yes and no. S&S has determined that the remaining 100 engine blocks are sold by the above dealers complete as a motorcycle built by one of the above companies. Fortunately, there are of course always companies that do not fully adhere to the rules and thanks to this free trading spirit I have now been able to buy 5.
The engine block is beautiful in itself without running. Of course completely polished and it looks high and thick. A nice billet milled nose-cone and lifter blocks, a very high crankcase and nice round thick cylinders and heads with inlet and outlet ports that scare you. An oval nearly 60mm exhaust port seems to say enough to me. The inlet and outlet channels are completely CNC machined, the inlet valves are 2.2 "in size (almost 56 mm) and the exhaust valves 1.8" in size (almost 46 mm). Three springs are mounted per valve with Titanium Spring Cups. The crankshaft is pressed with a 1.5 "Big-end and a whopping 8.25" long "Billet Steel" connecting rods. The block is of course equipped with the S&S HVHP oil pump (High Volume, High Pressure). The pistons are of the Flat Top type and have a bore of 4 3/8 "(111 mm). The crankshaft makes a stroke of 4 13/16" (122 mm) and all this nice gives a displacement of 145 ci or just under 2400 cc.
There are two options for delivering the fuel. First of all you can get a version with a Super D carburettor or a double injection made by S&S with a beautiful injection body. The intake manifold is a treat in itself. The inlet channels are large and oval shaped. The double intake manifold remains separate and has 2 channels of around 50 mm. The gas valves are very nicely right next to each other in a separate housing attached to each other with 1 shaft. It is also striking that the space between the cylinder heads is very large so that the intake channels can be nice and large without having to run into strange kinks. In addition to the Body, there is an S&S fully programmable computer, 2 injectors, the Fuel Rail, 2 injectors, a fuel pump with control valve, and the gas position sensor, except for 2 sensors, completely complete. The air filter is the classic S&S Teardrop with extra slots for more air and a much higher air filter. In this case I took an engine block with the Super D carburettor. Currently the S&S injection computer has problems with a 2004 wiring and is not yet communicating properly with the TSSM module from Harley-Davidson. S&S is working hard to solve this problem, but I didn't feel like waiting for this and so took a carburettor version. This version also includes an S&S ignition that monitors whether the engine is pinging and does not get too hot.
W hen I wanted to fit the block in a Zodiac Softail frame there was a little problem. The 145 ci block is almost 3 cm higher than standard and does not fit. So that was quickly in the bus to VG, the frame in the mold and a new top in the frame to ensure that the engine does fit. The Frame also has extra thick tubes to keep things a bit stiff.
If I have to explain, you would not understand it "will here be in place. S & S claims that there is around the 180 horsepower engine and a torque of 230 Nm. Need I say more?