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[DavidB]

I found in the new engine specs that Harley has removed the bronze bushings at the end of the crank rods and piston pins and the crank bushing on the engine cam plate.
Just wondering what enginering advantage this has ? 

[grc]

I found in the new engine specs that Harley has removed the bronze bushings at the end of the crank rods and piston pins and the crank bushing on the engine cam plate.
Just wondering what enginering advantage this has ?  

I believe that would be $.  There is no advantage to the end user.


Jerry

[Twolanerider]

Saw that change in the 2011 tech bulletin and was disappointed.  That's a money saving change.  A very very small one (per engine) but one that comes at the expense of serviceability and potential significant owner expense later on.

Use the wrist pin (rod end) bushings as an example.  If a bushing wears it's Saturday job with relatively minimal parts expense and little required in the way of special tools to pull a head and cylinder, remove the piston and change a bushing.  If there's no bushing, however, the engine has to come out, the cases have to be split and you either buy a new crankshaft with rods on it or the crank gets sent to some rebuilder at other significant expense.

I know, many engines don't have these bushings.  But on a Chevy or a Ford or most others you can unbolt a rod cap and take the rod off the crankshaft.  Often while it's all still in the car.  A rod isn't a directly serviceable item on our engines though.  So eliminating this one layer of serviceability from them isn't a welcome idea.

[grc]

Not to worry on the cam plate, though.  Just like when they used a cheap compensator that didn't do the job so they came out with a SE version you could buy to "upgrade" your engine, now you will be able to spend more of your cash to replace the cheap cam plate with an SE version that has bushings not only for the crank, but for the cams as well.  I guess if you want to upgrade the rods you'll have to buy the SE crank assembly ($1250).  Ouch!

I find it to be just a bit obvious when the MoCo eliminates or changes things to cut their costs, and then turns right around and offers to sell you the good stuff in the catalog for more than 10 times what it costs them to produce.  Oh, just another thought on that cam plate bushing.  We all know about the new tolerances for crank pinion shaft runout, correct?  So guess what that floppy shaft is going to be running against now.  Nice soft aluminum cam plate bore, no bushing.  Sounds like another great idea from those genius's from Milwaukee.    


Jerry  

[MY2NDCVO]

They removed the plate & bronze bushings from the 2011 motors?
Does all 110 cc motors have them prior to 2011?

[grc]

They removed the plate & bronze bushings from the 2011 motors?
Does all 110 cc motors have them prior to 2011?

The changes are for 2011.  The 2007-2010 engines have the bushing for the crank pinion shaft, but not for the cams.  The plates they sell to repair the older engines will also change to the new "bushingless" style once they use up current inventories.


Jerry

[grc]

Here's the page for the rod change.


Jerry

[grc]

BTW, the reason Harley put this information out wasn't to brag about a tech improvement, basically because it isn't one.  The reason they put this kind of info out is to keep dealerships from thinking the parts are defective when they come across the missing bushings.  Kind of creates problems when the dealers send the parts back as defective, or tear down engines and replace expensive parts because they think they're defective.  When I look back through the literature over the past several years, all I find mentioned is the stuff that would be visually obvious.  They don't tell anyone about all the other little cheapening changes that you can't see. 


Jerry

[Foolhardy]

See also my experience in thread "110 has knock in engine"

Dealer has pulled down the top end and cams - fault apears to be the circlip coming off the end of the front camshaft allowing the spacer / thrust washer to come off and the cam to float - that has caused wear in the camshaft outer housing, followers, rockers and valves as the gapping was "variable".

And that camshaft float was the result of the cam running in a "bushless" alloy plate.

Sounds like chit quality and "down to a price" engineering rather than good old fashioned engineering principles.  Hell, don't we pay enough for these rides (CVOs) already without having to buy critical basic parts masquerading as performance upgrades on a bike that is already supposed to be the dogs scrotum???

Sorry for the moan guys but in Singapore one of these bikes costs upwards of US$44k - in Malaysia the price is twice that so we CVO owners have quite a bit to bitch about!!!

Good news for me is the dealer has loaned me the demo SG and the bike is being rebuilt right now.