In our chapter today of «Bizarre Preparations“, our protagonist, Al Hackelwas browsing the net without much pretension. But suddenly and without warning, he came across an incredibly attractive cylinder head of a radial engine Wright. By the way, this type of engine was used in US military aircraft, helicopters and tanks. This engine, with 9 cylinders, a displacement of 17 liters and a power of up to 550 hp, was perfect for what it was designed for. To the had in mind: the creation of a unique and hellish chopper.
And that’s how the project was born. Hackel-Wright Chopper. To the not only integrated this engine, but developed from scratch a new crank system, a valve train and a lubrication system. The bike has a gearbox of Harley-Davidson with kick start, and a fork Girder which guarantees a pleasant ride. Interestingly, the drum brake is a Toyota Matrixand the entire system can only be activated by a kick-start pedal.
To the had to completely redesign everything below the cylinder. That is, the crankshaft, the housing, a new valve train with a bottom-mounted camshaft, and a proper lubrication system. Fortunately, the experience of To the As a locksmith and agricultural machinery repairer, he familiarized himself with the dimensions and characteristics of the components, which was of great help when he welded the new rigid chassis.
Incidentally, this chassis is notable for its prominent rocker boxes and covers. The new fuel tank was also custom designed, tapering gradually to the seat, but still maintaining space for an oil pressure gauge.
For almost a century, Harley-Davidson Al maintained the tradition of making engines and transmissions separately. This made it easy to connect virtually any engine to a gearbox, ideal for those who enjoy a more rustic shifting. Being a good farm mechanic, Al chose a transmission Knucklehead from 1947 with four speeds.
Three chains perform different functions in the transmission system. That is, a double chain for the primary drive between the crankshaft and the gearbox, a secondary chain for the rear wheel, and a third, reinforced chain that acts as a linkage for the foot clutch. The four gears are selected manually, and yes, the engine can only be started with a pedal, as we mentioned before. And yes, the 1.7-liter displacement of this engine will really put you to the test.
To know if the engine actually displaces the 1.7 liters of air-gasoline mixture in the combustion chamber on each intake stroke, it had to be measured. But of course, that’s in theory. In practice, To the He soon realized that one carburettor was not enough, so he designed a long intake manifold, at the outer end of which he connected a double carburettor to a single cylinder.
But how much power does all this generate? It’s unclear, as Al never measured the exact power, but compared the performance to that of a Harley Knucklehead old, which with 1,200 cc reached 48 hp. It is worth noting that the two blue intake manifolds, the gear knob and the lights were the work of the Canadian artist Jesse Briggswho blew them into glass.
To ensure a minimum of driving comfort, Al installed a fork Girder Inspired by the Vincent GirdraulicThis trapezoidal fork was improved in the 1940s with a hydraulic shock absorber, replacing the old spring and friction system.
Finally, to ensure a safe experience, To the incorporated a brake into his peculiar single-cylinder motorcycle. He took the drum brake from a Toyota and adapted it to the rear wheel and the traction system. As a curiosity, its owner claims that this homemade bike, apparently, behaves quite well on smooth roads and in good conditions. How we would like to see preparations like this rolling on our roads… But, that is impossible.
