The Other V-Twin Engine

This post written by “Nicker”.

“In the late 40’s Phil Irving penned the design of a legendary V-Twin motor for Phill Vincent. The stories of Vincent motored scooters are the stuff of legend. No one who ever laid their eyes on a Vincent V-twin in a Norton frame (a “Norvin”) can ever forget it. Such a machine is the epitome of the early English Rocker scene. From Roli Free to Mike Partis to Clem Johnson, all their V-twins were Killer scooters. Johnson’s “Barn Job” was an early 60’s legend. A handcrafted aluminum beauty, it shot him into uncharted territory: 9.82 e.t. 151.51 mph (Both are Lions strip club records). “I’m scared stiff every time I turn that thing on.” Before he died, Irving suggested that some one should redesigning his Engine to modern specification. So Ken and Barry Horner of Hallam Australia took on the challenge and prove their resolve with a design that won the AHRMA Battle of the Twins Race at Daytona last March.
And so, like Indian, this legend is being reborn, yet again. Visually the same as the 1940’s original. The 1571cc (110×100) version puts out 165 HP at 6500 RPM, 130 ft/lb of torque.  This gorgeous V-twin also comes in a 1300cc configuration. Now…. the question is this, will the “V-twin industry” ignore this jewel…?”

25 Responses to “The Other V-Twin Engine”


  1. 1 steveb Sep 15th, 2008 at 9:06 am

    that is without a doubt one of the coolest looking engines in motorcycling…mmmm.. really goregeous.. looks like a heart.

  2. 2 rodent Sep 15th, 2008 at 9:34 am

    The best looking motorcycle engine ever made….The Knucklehead is a close second!

  3. 3 Ken Glenn (Rat Judge) Sep 15th, 2008 at 9:54 am

    My question is will it meet EPA standards for import, and where can I get one?

  4. 4 Mike Greenwald Sep 15th, 2008 at 9:58 am
  5. 5 Ken Glenn (Rat Judge) Sep 15th, 2008 at 10:11 am

    Thanks for the link, but for $100,000 Austrailian dollars, they may have just priced them selves out of the market.

  6. 6 Mike Greenwald Sep 15th, 2008 at 10:14 am

    Guess they aren’t appealing to the H-D rider

  7. 7 Ken Glenn (Rat Judge) Sep 15th, 2008 at 10:16 am

    Just did the conversion, That is $81,000 USD.

  8. 8 Mike Greenwald Sep 15th, 2008 at 10:47 am

    Damn the weak US dollar

  9. 9 customfighterer Sep 15th, 2008 at 11:23 am

    DAAAAAAAAAAMN! beautiful work they did. an amazing update…but it sounds like they need some corporate backing to sell those things.

    essentially the cost is all research and development im sure, but 80k for a motor??? they better make sure it’ll bolt up in some high priced chopper frames or they’re fucked. haha

  10. 10 Joe Sep 15th, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    Looking at their website, it appears that the estimated $100K AUS is for a complete race bike.

    It’s pretty amazing, pure mechanical art.

  11. 11 Mario Van den Broeck Sep 15th, 2008 at 1:45 pm

    Very nice engine. I think that this one can work for a reasonable price in a lot of custom projects. In fact I would even invest in it for a vintage custom winner bike project for Europe!

    Mario Van den Broeck

  12. 12 EVSWAY Sep 15th, 2008 at 8:47 pm

    Is that the same motor that Hotch used in the vincent he did?

  13. 13 saorijohn Sep 16th, 2008 at 7:59 am

    ‘Is that the same motor that Hotch used in the vincent he did?’

    Yes it is.

  14. 14 burnout Sep 16th, 2008 at 10:27 am

    makes me wet! peace

  15. 15 hoyt Sep 16th, 2008 at 12:37 pm

    Beautiful racebike.
    Beautiful engine.

    The 2nd photo of the 2nd photo gallery on their website puts things in perspective. Based on the tank shape of the #71 bike, it appears to be a Ducati 999. The Irving Vincent racer is tiny compared to the 999, which the latter is a relatively small bike. Tremendous!

    The hp and torque numbers are impressive, yet they have a very compact drivetrain that is also a unit-construction with the engine. It is interesting to note that the original Vincent twin was 47 degree, later re-designed to a 50 degree twin.

    Anyone know if the Wakan (with the S&S-built 101.6 x 101.6 mm) competed in this race or will it compete next year? The AHRMA site did not list the results from last year.

    If you are not familiar with this site, it is worth checking out if you are a Vincent fan:
    http://www.thevincent.com/vincent%20engine.html

  16. 16 matt hotch Sep 16th, 2008 at 4:43 pm

    this is not the motor that i used in my build, but its the one that i wanted originaly. ken was not ready to sell one at that time, so i had to duplicate that motor from scratch. i wanted the electric start, fuel injection etc.that ken had developed for his engine. ken helped with some tecnical stuff with the build, but steve hammel out of MN. is the guy that built my motor. he is highly respected in the vincent world and the same guy that built the redneck vincent motor. ken and the guys are some of the nicest people i have ever meet. they have turned such a classic motor into something with modern touches. if i built another this is what i would use. not taking anything away from ken, but just wanted to give the credit to the right people. if anyone gets one u will not be disappointed!! they put out some serious reliable HP!! and great guys to boot.

  17. 17 EVSWAY Sep 16th, 2008 at 8:31 pm

    Awsome input from everyone and thanks Matt for clearing that up
    Around the 20k mark for an engine/drivetrain package or alot more?

  18. 18 matt hotch Sep 16th, 2008 at 10:16 pm

    by the time it was said and done about 110k. sounds like alot but u have to realize what was involved in making such an engine in a short amount of time, 9 months. in my opinion worth every penny!!

  19. 19 EVSWAY Sep 16th, 2008 at 10:31 pm

    Im saying in purchasing a complete package from IrvingVincent ??
    They sell the complete bike for 100k
    the Vinnie is just awsome Matt !!

  20. 20 Ron Sep 17th, 2008 at 10:19 am

    Sorry, but for $81,000, I don’t care how fast it is, or how nice it looks. 81,000 into a 10,000 custom frame…I’ll buy a porsche.

  21. 21 burnout Sep 17th, 2008 at 10:26 am

    If I had one, I probably wouldnt pull up to a stoplight and see a lot more of em beside me. This is a “true” custom! Is Porsche making bikes now? peace

  22. 22 Busfreak Sep 19th, 2008 at 8:02 am

    They should sell it to Indian, then it would make sense to ask 30k plus for there bikes.

  23. 23 Keith Sep 24th, 2008 at 4:38 pm

    Gotta admit, that is a FINE looking engine…with performance to boot…wish I could put that in my Indian!

  24. 24 Fugedaboudit Sep 25th, 2008 at 1:43 pm

    ShortBusFreak –

    The new “limited edition” (4000+ units) HD CVO Ultra-Glide is over $35k.

    The new “limited edition” (3000+ units) HD CVO Road-Glide is over $31k.

    The new “limited edition” (2500+ units) HD Springer Softail is over $27k.

    Yes – Indian will NEVER sell any bikes at $30k – There simply isn’t any market….

    Comical.

    Please stay on the short bus licking the windows. Traffic is safer without you….

    Thanx, D

  1. 1 Vincent V-Twin making a come back? - Perth Street Bikes Pingback on Sep 15th, 2008 at 9:02 am
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