The Discovery Channels 3 part mini-series, Harley and the Davidsons aired September 5 through September 7 on the Discovery channel. The docudrama is about Harley Davidson's early beginnings and the struggles the company and owners faced to make Harley Davidson the leading motorcycle manufacturer in America.
The show is filled with race scenes using motorcycles with Chinese, single cylinder, 4 stroke engines that are usually found on Chinese pit bikes and small ATV's and dirt bikes. The small, single cylinder, Chinese engine is a copy of an older Honda 90cc, 110cc and larger engine design. They use an automatic clutch with 3 or 4 speed transmission which makes them perfect for this application. Some popular Chinese engine brands are Zongshen, Piranha and GPX. The Chinese engine has the cylinder positioned so it points out towards the front of the bike, which makes them easy to recognize. The engine cylinder head has 4 head bolts and two valve covers which also helps to identify them. The guys hired to build these bikes simply added sheet metal or wood or some other material to the sides and top of the engine to create this old style engine facade and hide the Chinese engine.
Its ironic that Discovery Channel creates a show about an iconic American motorcycle manufacturer using custom built motorcycle's with Chinese parts and a Chinese engine based on a Japanese design. I bet anything the motorcycle frames are modified bicycle frames made in Taiwan or China. It just shows how much our country has changed since 1903, and how dependent we have become on others. This is a weakness and not a strength, and that will become even more apparent as time goes on.
A scene from the first track race in Discovery Channel's mini-series Harley and the Davidson's, episode 2: Race To The Top. You can clearly see the Chinese engine powering this motorcycle. In this photo you can see the electric starter below the cylinder head.
Scene from the show. Notice the Chinese engine cooling fins and variable venturi carburetor
Scene from the show. Notice the Chinese round engine valve cover
A Chinese made GPX 90cc Engine
Another Chinese engine used on small ATV's and Dirt Bike's. This one has electric start, and is 110cc in size.
