3-1-2 Blast Off!
3-1-2 BLAST OFF!
Feuling’s W3 leaves its mark—a big black one!
THE ABOVE NUMBER SEQUENCE IS THE FEULING W3’S FIRing order. And when you give this 150-cubic-inch Triple the order to fire, fire it does. “I’m a firm believer in discretionary power,” says Jim Feuling, the man behind this unusual machine.
Discretionary power? This 2.5-liter, air-cooled Harley-and-a-half cranks out unbelievable urge, and is even more
impressive than the first prototype we rode late last year (CW, October, 2000).
That bike, for instance, featured chain-driven cams. Those chains are gone now, replaced by Feuling’s own gear drive. It is both more efficient (worth 6 bhp from decreased friction, he says), as well as being much more compact. Also, the cylinders and heads are Feuling designs, rather than Harley kit parts. The most apparent mechanical improvement, however, is the use of the triple 39mm Keihin flatslides. Much better response than the old Dell’Ortos, and getting to full throttle is no longer like reeling in a fish. A fuel-injection system is nearly completed, and will be available on production bikes.
The W3 is now very well finished and much more representative of what should be entering limited production by the end of the year. While the horsepower and torque figures pencil out just about how you would expect from adding a third cylinder to a built, Harley-style engine, the reality of how it runs is stunning. There is at least 150 foot-pounds of torque available from 2000 rpm to the 5500-rpm rev limit. It peaks about 4 grand, with an eyeball smashing, arm-stretching, tire-smoking 175 ft.-lbs. And this one’s running conservative cams, as well as relatively low 9.5:1 compression.
Whacking the throttle open in the lower gears makes you think of the top-fuel dragster footage you see on TV where those giant tires start spinning wildly and actually get taller from the centrifugal force. Imagine a motorcycle with a 69-inch wheelbase and 560-pound dry weight lifting its front wheel off the ground and squirming (or spinning) its giant rear meat when you twist the throttle in the lower gears. Fifth-gear roll-on performance is absolutely ridiculous, and challenges your ability to perceive acceleration. A Suzuki Hayabusa would be lunchmeat in roll-ons.
In fact, it’s somewhat terrifying to think of all this torque running through the standard Dyna Twin Cam 88’s gearbox (with Beta updates for better, but still very higheffort shifting). There is in the design stage a six-speed using an Andrews gearset. The benefits should be threefold: greater strength; a wider ratio spread, dropping revs for top-gear cruise; and the box will be turned vertically, shortening the powertrain package by at least 5 inches, facilitating the engine’s placement in a shorter, more sporting standard-style chassis.
Handling about meets one’s expectations for a bike with the “long-and-low” silhouette. It’s really not bad considering the rangy wheelbase and middle-of-the-road 30-degree rake. The FXR-style rubber-mount chassis has reasonably dialed-in suspension, and offers a comfortable, mostly vibration-free ride. The worst of the mid-comer wiggles probably come from the extreme tire-width difference front and rear. At the back is a 200mm-wide Avon, while the front is 110mm wide. But with the kind of power this bike produces, we’ll take a little comer wiggle if it means more rear grip when the throttle is screwed on.
The rest of the bike is pretty much run of the CNC mill. All nice-Storz/Ceriani front end, Performance Machine wheels and brakes, Progressive shocks and so forth-but stuff we’ve seen before. The hand-hammered aluminum tank, however, is pounded out by one of Feuling’s craftsmen, and it is a thing of beauty.
The original production plan was to supply engines and frames in kit form, which you would then take to your own builder. But Feuling found that people really wanted finished motorcycles. As a result, the expected $20,000 for the kit has doubled to $40,000 for a turnkey bike. Ouch! It is, however, a riding experience you won’t find anywhere else. And next on the list is a 183-cubicinch, 250-bhp version!
“We want to build a unique American motorcycle,” he says passionately. “I’m not interested in selling T-shirts, hats or stock. Just motorcycles.”
Feuling’s outrageous W3 is hardly “just” a motorcycle. More power to ya, Jim. -Mark Hoyer
