This may be a dumb question. I know what a flat, knuckle, pan, and shovel head engine is, but what is a stroker engine? I saw a ad for a 74 Harley stroker and wondered what it is.

 

It's an engine that has been modified to have a longer stroke, thus giving more displacement and torque.

 

2 ways to increase the displacement (size, cubic inches) is increase the bore, which means the piston and cylinder are wider across; or to increase the stroke, which is the distance the piston travels in the cylinder. You can also increase both, which means it's been bored and stroked.

 

gotta add: don't stroke a sportster engine.

 

Man, I used to have a stroker shovel that ran like a raped ape for about 3 months out of the year, then would explode and I'd spend the the next 9 months building it up again.

Those were the days lol.

 

Isn't it amazing how a motor will sound its loudest and proudest.....right before it explodes. lol



Sorry man, I feel for yuh, I have been there myself.

 

Have to agree that stroking *generally* isn't a good idea. If you need more cubes, bore it. Your motor will be much happier.

 

20-25 years ago, there wasn't the big-bore selection of cylinders/pistons that there is now in the "aluminum age". Stroker wheels and rods were plentiful and so were stroker plates. We used what we could get our hands on. It's a lot different these days.

 

Absolutely. I had a stroked Pan chopper for years. It would run great, amazingly fast (even beating KZ1000's and Yamaha 305 two-strokes, etc.), about 6 months out of the year. Then I would rebuild it, and go again the next year. I am so much happier now with the aluminum motors that can be bored out and still be stone reliable.

 

Definately...