xcel
03-03-2008, 05:39 PM
Ex-Harley staffers go full-throttle with their idea of fun. (http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716897)
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Harley_Davidson_Diesel_Conversion.jpgRick Barrett - Journal Sentinel - Feb. 11, 2008
Left to right - Gerhard Maier, Ron Barteldt, John Hickman, Nick Hirsch and Karl Nilson behind the turbocharged, diesel-powered Harley Davidson conversion while on a dyno in the lab.
Fast, fun and fuel efficient. What is not to love about this ride ;) -- Ed.
They call themselves the Gray Eagles, a group of senior engineers who would rather build motorcycles than play golf.
In a small, modest workshop in the Menomonee Valley, the Gray Eagles have built a powerful street bike that looks like a Harley-Davidson, kind of sounds like one, but has a diesel engine.
The motorcycle was developed over the past several years as a demonstration of engine technology for the U.S. military. With a little luck, it could become the nation's first turbocharged, diesel-powered bike aimed at riders wanting something different.
The bike could easily top 100 mph and get about 80 miles per gallon of fuel at normal highway speeds.
Harley-Davidson officials have looked at the bike three times, perhaps because several of the Gray Eagles are former Harley engineers and executives.
Nick Hirsch, head of the project, was Harley's director of advanced engineering for about nine years. Now he is president of Advanced Engines Development Corp., a small Milwaukee firm that has developed engines for the military.
Karl Nilson, another Gray Eagle, was a Harley engineer involved in a secret project to produce a sophisticated motorcycle that would have been years ahead of its time… http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716897
http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/Harley_Davidson_Diesel_Conversion.jpgRick Barrett - Journal Sentinel - Feb. 11, 2008
Left to right - Gerhard Maier, Ron Barteldt, John Hickman, Nick Hirsch and Karl Nilson behind the turbocharged, diesel-powered Harley Davidson conversion while on a dyno in the lab.
Fast, fun and fuel efficient. What is not to love about this ride ;) -- Ed.
They call themselves the Gray Eagles, a group of senior engineers who would rather build motorcycles than play golf.
In a small, modest workshop in the Menomonee Valley, the Gray Eagles have built a powerful street bike that looks like a Harley-Davidson, kind of sounds like one, but has a diesel engine.
The motorcycle was developed over the past several years as a demonstration of engine technology for the U.S. military. With a little luck, it could become the nation's first turbocharged, diesel-powered bike aimed at riders wanting something different.
The bike could easily top 100 mph and get about 80 miles per gallon of fuel at normal highway speeds.
Harley-Davidson officials have looked at the bike three times, perhaps because several of the Gray Eagles are former Harley engineers and executives.
Nick Hirsch, head of the project, was Harley's director of advanced engineering for about nine years. Now he is president of Advanced Engines Development Corp., a small Milwaukee firm that has developed engines for the military.
Karl Nilson, another Gray Eagle, was a Harley engineer involved in a secret project to produce a sophisticated motorcycle that would have been years ahead of its time… http://www.jsonline.com/story/index.aspx?id=716897