Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/727617
37 www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS nOctober 2016n The thing is, speaking of applica- tions, why put this counter-balanced engine into a rubber-mount chassis? It seems fair to say, that after the M-8 engine has spread to and through the entire Big Twin lineup for a couple of years, we just might see some new chassis to hold it. What if The Motor Company has an improved Touring chassis in the works? Or, maybe the day will come when all "long" pri- mary models go away in favor of short primary redo's of the Softail and Dyna "platforms?" And, dare I hope, if the Dyna goes away, it might it be replaced with a versatile, smooth, great-handling, light Big Twin model, that combines the best of the Dyna and the FXR… only goes both one better? Change the balance factor to suit a solid mount frame and away we go! Anyone tired of so-called "oil car- ryover" can rejoice in the fact that oil no longer goes anywhere near the air cleaner. Instead, it is routed into a cav- ity in the sump underneath the trans- mission. May not sound like much, but it's a kind of quiet revolution in that age-old bugaboo of Big V-twins with small crankcases: oil control. The massive amounts of air and oil churning within is caused by the huff- ing and puffi ng of pistons pumping up and down, creating fi rst pressure then vacuum inside. These pulses need to be vented properly. In the past it has been done directly from the cases, then up through the cylinder heads. Never, since 1936, has it been completely tamed. The proof has been found inside air cleaners for decades. After hard running, oil, in theory separated The new heads also accommodate the cooling lines, although the oil-cooled heads and water-cooled heads have these mounts in different locations respectively Finally, we get to look underneath the head at those twin 12mm spark plugs, parked at each end of the pent-roof chamber, straddling two 39.8mm (1.567-inch) intake valves and two 30mm (1.18-inch) exhaust valves. Mind you, each head has an individual port for each of the four valves! There's lot's of velocity as well as increased volume gains with that fea- ture. Helps explain the superlative throttle response of the M-8 engines! There's also a genuine knock sensor attached to each head. (No more using the spark plugs for that purpose.) These sensors don't just help prevent detonation. In combination with the twin spark plugs, they improve combustion effi ciency by holding things within proper parameters, which, in turn, reduces engine heat under any given load. A win-win for rider comfort and clean-burn emissions. New lifters run in new, anti-rotational guides, which keep the wider roller portion of the lifter pointed in the right direction, keeping wear and tear, friction and noise to a minimum See "Milwaukee-Eight," page 38, column 3