Harley-davidson Motor Company

Harley-davidson Motor Company Group, LLC

Paul J Troxler

Mark A Hoffmann

John W Schanz

Robert L Leppanen

Jesse L Dees

R Bruce Dennert

Jeffrey P Coughlin

Gary L Lockwitz

David A Safarik

Timothy J Trenkle

Bernardus G H Vandenhoeven

Bruce M Roberts

Bernard F Enright

A motorcycle engine includes a crankcase, a cam chest, and a separating wall between the crankcase and cam chest. An opening is defined in the wall and communicates between the cam chest and crankcase. A valve assembly, which is preferably a reed valve assembly, covers the opening and permits one-way flow of air from the crankcase into the cam chest in response to pressure differentials caused by reciprocation of the engine's pistons. The air is then forced into the engine's rocker boxes through the engine's pushrod tubes and forces oil in the rocker boxes to return to the crankcase through narrow oil drainback passages.

Motorcycle engine cam chest having reed valve assembly

A cylinder head for a motorcycle engine includes a lower surface adapted to be coupled to a cylinder, an upper surface adapted to be coupled to a rocker box and defining a plane, and a side connected between the upper surface and the lower surface. The head also includes a breather inlet extending into the upper surface, an intermediate passage extending into the upper surface, and a breather channel connecting the inlet and the intermediate passage, the breather channel lying in a plane that is generally parallel to the plane of the upper surface. The head also includes a breather passage extending into the side of the head and connected to the intermediate passage, the breather passage having a longitudinal axis that is generally parallel to the plane of the upper surface.

Breather assembly for an internal combustion engine

A motorcycle engine includes a crankshaft rotating in response to the reciprocation of pistons in cylinder bores. The inertial effects of the reciprocating pistons cause vibrations in the engine. A pair of balancer shafts are provided on opposite sides of the crankshaft, and are driven by the crankshaft through a drive member, such as a chain or belt. The balancer shafts are supported for rotation by bearings in the left side of the engine's crankcase, and by bearings in bearing housings that are mounted to the left side of the engine's crankcase. Thus, the balancer shafts are substantially only supported for rotation by the left side of the crankcase.

Motorcycle balancer system

A rocker support assembly for a motorcycle internal combustion engine. The assembly comprises a pair of rockers positioned in spaced relation from each other, a breather housing, and a pressure-responsive member. The housing at least partially defines an inlet aperture, an outlet aperture, and a passage in fluid communication between the inlet aperture and the outlet aperture. The passage is positioned substantially between the rockers. The pressure-responsive member is disposed in the passage and is operable in response to pressure differences in the passage to permit or inhibit fluid flow through the passage from the inlet to the outlet. A filter element is disposed within the housing such that substantially all fluid flowing from the inlet aperture to the outlet aperture passes through the filter element.

A lubrication system for a motorcycle engine includes a camshaft support plate that is separable from an ornamental cam cover. The camshaft support plate at least partially defines a cam chest of the engine. A crankcase defines a crankcase sump and the cam chest defines a cam chest sump. A divider wall is disposed between the crankcase sump and the cam chest sump to prevent oil from draining from one sump into the other. An oil pump is mounted on the camshaft support plate, with a pressure chamber of the oil pump being at least partially defined by the camshaft support plate. The oil pump independently draws oil from the crankcase sump and the cam chest sump through a split-kidney intake assembly. Oil pumped from the sumps is delivered to a reservoir, and is then drawn back out of the reservoir by the oil pump and delivered to components of the engine through a series of oil passages, some of which are defined by the camshaft support plate.

Motorcycle lubrication system

A dry sump oil cooling system for an internal combustion engine includes an oil pan reservoir, an oil return port, an oil pickup port, and a baffle. The oil pan reservoir has a first end, a second end, a length therebetween, a top and a bottom. Both the oil return port and the oil pickup port are defined at the first end of the reservoir. The oil return port is located adjacent the top of the reservoir while the oil pickup port is located adjacent the bottom of the reservoir. The baffle is coupled to the reservoir between the top and the bottom or free-standing within the reservoir to divide the reservoir into a top chamber and a bottom chamber. The baffle at least partially defines an oil passageway between the top chamber and the bottom chamber at the second end such that most of the oil flows substantially across the length of the oil pan reservoir twice before being returned to the engine by the oil pickup port.

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Brookfield, WI, United States of America

Paul J Troxler