Harley-Davidson patents supercharged V-twin motorcycle design

HARLEY-DAVIDSON has been looking at forced induction for its V-twin engines as a newly discovered patent shows.

Harley-Davidson Pan America 

The design of the supercharged engine is fairly straightforward and makes use of the packaging of the V-twin configuration. The belt-driven supercharger is located above the gearbox and aft of the rear cylinder. It sits roughly where the oil tank would be on some older Harley-Davidson models.

The location of the system is pretty standard, but there is more at work here than simply that...

So, it’s all fairly familiar so far, the charger is driven from a belt off the crank and the air is forced into the engine. What is interesting with the Harley’ patent is the method in which the system tensions the drive belt to the supercharger.

The self-tensioning system can be seen in Fig. 8 numbered 136

It is done by way of a spring that automatically adjusts the belt’s tension and it points to the possible application of the product. While the system could feasibly be used further along the line to help the brands V-twin bikes conform to emissions regulations, the self-tensioning system could also make the supercharger the perfect bolt-on aftermarket part to offer customers post-sale.

Harley-Davidson’s aftermarket parts business is almost as big as its new bikes sales. Pretty much every H-D that rolls out of a dealership has some kind of aftermarket add on or modification added during the sales stage. Owners can opt for any number of styling, performance or practical additions, and this performance boosting addition could also be added to the lengthy list.