Petersen's VOLUME IV: PERFORMANCING THE EVOLUTION available
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Petersen's VOLUME IV: PERFORMANCING THE EVOLUTION available
I see Donny Petersen's long awaited latest tome, 'Volume IV: Performancing The Evolution' is available. Has anyone had a read over it yet?
I've only scanned the Google preview so far but am thinking of committing to the digital version as it's cheaper ... and more easily searchable.
I did buy a paper version of his introduction to Evos because I wanted to unplug from the computer and read a book sometimes but, to be quite frank, I found it almost unreadable because the size of the print is so small. That one's a huge book offering a wealth of informational minutiae and experience, guaranteed to turn you into an Authentic Old Hand and Greybeard™ in just over 700 pages, and one which I would recommend to newcomers to the marque. But I did not find it was really that useful, and is pretty much stuff you can find on the internet or should be able to absorb through osmosis hanging out with other riders. At least it enculturates an individual into the language of our world.
I was/am hoping that, at over 900 pages, this one will be one ...
Looking at the preview, I'll make a few criticisms; the first and foremost being that's there's a hell of a lot of stuff about bikes which are not Evos, e.g. from Panheads to V-RODs, which doesn't belong and just takes up space from writing more about Evos that isn't there.
I mean, WTF have I got to know about 1930s rocker lift, or the ideal length of a Shovelhead exhaust?
There also appears to be a lot of repetition from other books, ditto the above.
I wonder if he has just written so much he cannot remember what he put in where? All the same, I am sure the purchase price will more than save you the money in some way.
I must also say Petersen does get the odd minor factoid glaringly wrong from time to time which suggests to me that he does not have a motorcycle riding editor but generally they are minor.
Re squish he writes ...
I don't understand ... is he talking all engines or just Evos? I thought good squish was around .030"-ish. What about gasket thickness? Wouldn't +.040" put a flat top piston through the head with a 030 gasket?
There's a lot of minutiae and analysis of, e.g. metallurgy or OEM cams but I've have to ask why ... we want to "performance" our bikes, not OEM them ... and, e.g. he'll mention that high lift rockers *might* need the cover grinding but not say how or where or give details. There's a lot of general knowledge ... but not an awful of what I guess reader want, e.g. what works on an Evo!
He seems to gives various manufacturers plugs over others, talks a lot about his 103 ci TC, and even mentions that he's tired of women but still looking for a girlfriend to go sailing with (because he's not allowed to holiday in the USA) ... but doesn't mention anything about many good engine builders there are and their work, just gives lots of thumbs up for Screamin' Eagle parts which I think most folks would say are pretty "safe" at best.
OK, I'm already frustrated with it already ... An Evo's a Harley and it's very old mature technology. You don't need to study mechanical engineering theory to make it go faster. You certainly don't need to know all this stuff about bikes you'll never own. You just need to know what works where, and what to do.
BTW, Yachting is a very expensive sport someone once described as "being locked in a cardboard with a very large wet dog and ripping up $100 bills". Go speak to your local engine builder or make friends with some folks here.
It strikes me Peterson needs a better editor who will stop him dead in the tracks and say, "WTF are you talking about Donny ... you're all over the place again! Stick to the subject at hand". Are they afraid of him or just over enamoured/exhausted by all the techno waffle?
Have you bought one? Will I buy one now? I don't know ... seems like too much work to get to the good bits.
Pass me the angle grinder someone ...
I've only scanned the Google preview so far but am thinking of committing to the digital version as it's cheaper ... and more easily searchable.
I did buy a paper version of his introduction to Evos because I wanted to unplug from the computer and read a book sometimes but, to be quite frank, I found it almost unreadable because the size of the print is so small. That one's a huge book offering a wealth of informational minutiae and experience, guaranteed to turn you into an Authentic Old Hand and Greybeard™ in just over 700 pages, and one which I would recommend to newcomers to the marque. But I did not find it was really that useful, and is pretty much stuff you can find on the internet or should be able to absorb through osmosis hanging out with other riders. At least it enculturates an individual into the language of our world.
I was/am hoping that, at over 900 pages, this one will be one ...
Looking at the preview, I'll make a few criticisms; the first and foremost being that's there's a hell of a lot of stuff about bikes which are not Evos, e.g. from Panheads to V-RODs, which doesn't belong and just takes up space from writing more about Evos that isn't there.
I mean, WTF have I got to know about 1930s rocker lift, or the ideal length of a Shovelhead exhaust?
There also appears to be a lot of repetition from other books, ditto the above.
I wonder if he has just written so much he cannot remember what he put in where? All the same, I am sure the purchase price will more than save you the money in some way.
I must also say Petersen does get the odd minor factoid glaringly wrong from time to time which suggests to me that he does not have a motorcycle riding editor but generally they are minor.
Re squish he writes ...
p 672
"The distance between the piston flattop and the squish area is crucial for performance at + or - .040" depending on engine function."
"The distance between the piston flattop and the squish area is crucial for performance at + or - .040" depending on engine function."
There's a lot of minutiae and analysis of, e.g. metallurgy or OEM cams but I've have to ask why ... we want to "performance" our bikes, not OEM them ... and, e.g. he'll mention that high lift rockers *might* need the cover grinding but not say how or where or give details. There's a lot of general knowledge ... but not an awful of what I guess reader want, e.g. what works on an Evo!
He seems to gives various manufacturers plugs over others, talks a lot about his 103 ci TC, and even mentions that he's tired of women but still looking for a girlfriend to go sailing with (because he's not allowed to holiday in the USA) ... but doesn't mention anything about many good engine builders there are and their work, just gives lots of thumbs up for Screamin' Eagle parts which I think most folks would say are pretty "safe" at best.
OK, I'm already frustrated with it already ... An Evo's a Harley and it's very old mature technology. You don't need to study mechanical engineering theory to make it go faster. You certainly don't need to know all this stuff about bikes you'll never own. You just need to know what works where, and what to do.
BTW, Yachting is a very expensive sport someone once described as "being locked in a cardboard with a very large wet dog and ripping up $100 bills". Go speak to your local engine builder or make friends with some folks here.
It strikes me Peterson needs a better editor who will stop him dead in the tracks and say, "WTF are you talking about Donny ... you're all over the place again! Stick to the subject at hand". Are they afraid of him or just over enamoured/exhausted by all the techno waffle?
Have you bought one? Will I buy one now? I don't know ... seems like too much work to get to the good bits.
Pass me the angle grinder someone ...
Last edited by Dun Roamin; Aug 4, 2014 at 04:29 AM.
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From: Boston, MA
I really enjoyed his monthly contributions to AI Mag. I think i find him very insightful and am always impressed with his knowledge about motors.
Donny Petersen could not update the previous versions of his magazines and is no longer earning royalties from the prior publishings. Just an fyi.
Donny Petersen could not update the previous versions of his magazines and is no longer earning royalties from the prior publishings. Just an fyi.
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Joined: Aug 2012
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From: New Albany, Ms.
I really enjoyed his monthly contributions to AI Mag. I think i find him very insightful and am always impressed with his knowledge about motors.
Donny Petersen could not update the previous versions of his magazines and is no longer earning royalties from the prior publishings. Just an fyi.
Donny Petersen could not update the previous versions of his magazines and is no longer earning royalties from the prior publishings. Just an fyi.
Ride Safe,
Harold
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From: LA
Do you mean books rather than magazines? Or do you mean that he cannot update previous articles he wrote? Is this some kind of copyright problem he got himself into?
I would not diss the guy. He is laying down a lifetime of experience, which will be useful to folks in 10, 20 years time when the bikes are vintage classics, and certainly know his stuff ... it's just, so far, there's a lot of stuff in the book which isn't about Evos and, hence, not relevant.
At 900 pages, I am just thinking he could have afford to be a little more focused. I was looking for more comparisons between different products. I'll read on.
Some folks questioned whether the books were just articles all strung together ... hence the duplications.
Unfortunately, books aren't the internet which can be added to and updated all the time. You have choose what goes in and you might need to stray away from making more critical statements.
I'll be interested to read others review of it.
I would not diss the guy. He is laying down a lifetime of experience, which will be useful to folks in 10, 20 years time when the bikes are vintage classics, and certainly know his stuff ... it's just, so far, there's a lot of stuff in the book which isn't about Evos and, hence, not relevant.
At 900 pages, I am just thinking he could have afford to be a little more focused. I was looking for more comparisons between different products. I'll read on.
Some folks questioned whether the books were just articles all strung together ... hence the duplications.
Unfortunately, books aren't the internet which can be added to and updated all the time. You have choose what goes in and you might need to stray away from making more critical statements.
I'll be interested to read others review of it.
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From: Boston, MA
I hear you on the last post... as a younger man I used to take the train into Boston to go to work or school. I'm a student of human nature. Almost all the 30+ year olds would have a newspaper, most women had books though. Now? Lots of white wires from peoples jackets to their ears...
I have trouble reading 'literature' or periodicals on handheld devices. I like magazines and books made of paper not apples.
Tom
I have trouble reading 'literature' or periodicals on handheld devices. I like magazines and books made of paper not apples.
Tom
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From: LA
Conclusion
Would I recommend buying this book?
No, not if you want to learn how to make an Evo go faster or what does what.
Yes, if you know nothing about motor engineering and want to learn lots about general motor engineering.
I bought it. I think it's disappointingly lacking in specific information about Evos and products for Evo and, especially strangely lacking in any back up such as dyno comparisons etc. It wastes pages and pages on utterly irrelevant stuff not even about Evos or H-D, and then it does not even address or illustrate the most fundamental or important it lacks any useful drawings and diagrams, e.g. porting diagrams, tolerances etc. In fact, the entire subject of porting only gets a couple of paragraphs, then he'll waste a page on an exhaust pipe for an Ultima 140 engine ... few own.
Jeez ... how many times have I almost run down someone with their ears plugged or obsessing with the iPhone. I want some kind of electro-magnetic pulse generator that I can blow them out at a distance to wake them up.
I went ahead and purchased the digital version of the book ... not because I am cheapskate but because I hoped it would be easier to read. I am sorry Donny, you get my Buck commission but my critiques for free. The print in the books is just too small for the target audience. I have to put on the glasses I use for close up work to read it.
This is the first time I've use a Kindle reader on a laptop and so I am still finding my way. The book is less than a 1/3rd of price of a paper one. The first impression of the digital reader is good. I can read the text in bright clear text and on much shorter pages. The application allows you to make note, highlight, report content and formatting errors, search dictionary definitions ... but not copy and paste which is a pain. I suspect legally, I don't 'own' the book, I just have the right to read it or something ...
.
The application offers full screen and two page views, which I find best, and a great search facility which really makes it worthwhile. Any notes, bookmarks or highlighting you do are listed in a side window (pane?) of the application which is a great feature for listing what you want you access later.
There are a few formatting issues, e.g. tables do not fit two page views unless you go fullscreen or have a widescreen, and I would have preferred more paragraph breaks again to make it easier to read but it's much easier to read than the book. You can also adjust the number of words per line.
Recommendation of the book that I'd like to make is that it is perfectly accessible for the dedicated, enthusiastic beginning. It's going to take dedication ... because it is long ... but he really does seem to be explain everything logically, step by step. You could start knowing nothing and end up very well informed.
He also give some very good practical advice, e.g. how to judge and handle dyno testers.
My criticisms of the book remain;
Repetition
There's a lot of duplication, read ... an awful lot. No, make that an awful lot. An an awful, awful, awful lot. I've already lost count of the number of times I've read that the rocker ratio of a Knucklehead is 1:1. Or that a Evo has a D shaped combustion chamber
WTF, Donny ... if I am at the point of "performancing my Evo, I think I can *see* it has a D shape".
Product data sheet overkill
There's a lot of product data and part numbers which one can probably find on manufacturing websites and product spec sheets, especially Screamin Eagle stuff which he seems to be a fan off but I'm not.
This may be useful for the End of the World when the internet runs out but, in the meanwhile, it's just extra padding. It's like he's transcribed pages of installation sheets with his notes attached. You get JIMS break in procedure, S&S break in procedure, Ultima break in procedure ... etc.
General theory
There's also an awful lot of general theory and definition of terms that have nothing specifically to do with Evos. This is a good thing if you are starting from scratch. It may even be a good thing if you think you know something (and don't know how much you don't know or where you are wrong). But if you are like me and don't want to know stuff you don't need to know, or you already know a lot about motors but specifically want to know about Evos ... you glaze over a lot.
Lack of specific info
In comparison to data sheet sabove, there's a strange lack of specific info. For example, in the chapter on Cam zero comparison of various cams are made. Both Andrews and Wood get one line references in the entire book. It's mostly theory, aka waffle. Same with valves and guide. No comparisons. Axtell, Manley, Delkron etc gets basically no mention. Ditto others.
No discussion of economics, i.e. best bang for bucks formula.
Would I recommend buying this book?
No, not if you want to learn how to make an Evo go faster or what does what.
Yes, if you know nothing about motor engineering and want to learn lots about general motor engineering.
I bought it. I think it's disappointingly lacking in specific information about Evos and products for Evo and, especially strangely lacking in any back up such as dyno comparisons etc. It wastes pages and pages on utterly irrelevant stuff not even about Evos or H-D, and then it does not even address or illustrate the most fundamental or important it lacks any useful drawings and diagrams, e.g. porting diagrams, tolerances etc. In fact, the entire subject of porting only gets a couple of paragraphs, then he'll waste a page on an exhaust pipe for an Ultima 140 engine ... few own.
Originally Posted by Tee⋁13068630
Now? Lots of white wires from peoples jackets to their ears...
I went ahead and purchased the digital version of the book ... not because I am cheapskate but because I hoped it would be easier to read. I am sorry Donny, you get my Buck commission but my critiques for free. The print in the books is just too small for the target audience. I have to put on the glasses I use for close up work to read it.
This is the first time I've use a Kindle reader on a laptop and so I am still finding my way. The book is less than a 1/3rd of price of a paper one. The first impression of the digital reader is good. I can read the text in bright clear text and on much shorter pages. The application allows you to make note, highlight, report content and formatting errors, search dictionary definitions ... but not copy and paste which is a pain. I suspect legally, I don't 'own' the book, I just have the right to read it or something ...
.The application offers full screen and two page views, which I find best, and a great search facility which really makes it worthwhile. Any notes, bookmarks or highlighting you do are listed in a side window (pane?) of the application which is a great feature for listing what you want you access later.
There are a few formatting issues, e.g. tables do not fit two page views unless you go fullscreen or have a widescreen, and I would have preferred more paragraph breaks again to make it easier to read but it's much easier to read than the book. You can also adjust the number of words per line.
Recommendation of the book that I'd like to make is that it is perfectly accessible for the dedicated, enthusiastic beginning. It's going to take dedication ... because it is long ... but he really does seem to be explain everything logically, step by step. You could start knowing nothing and end up very well informed.
He also give some very good practical advice, e.g. how to judge and handle dyno testers.
My criticisms of the book remain;
Repetition
There's a lot of duplication, read ... an awful lot. No, make that an awful lot. An an awful, awful, awful lot. I've already lost count of the number of times I've read that the rocker ratio of a Knucklehead is 1:1. Or that a Evo has a D shaped combustion chamber
WTF, Donny ... if I am at the point of "performancing my Evo, I think I can *see* it has a D shape".
Product data sheet overkill
There's a lot of product data and part numbers which one can probably find on manufacturing websites and product spec sheets, especially Screamin Eagle stuff which he seems to be a fan off but I'm not.
This may be useful for the End of the World when the internet runs out but, in the meanwhile, it's just extra padding. It's like he's transcribed pages of installation sheets with his notes attached. You get JIMS break in procedure, S&S break in procedure, Ultima break in procedure ... etc.
General theory
There's also an awful lot of general theory and definition of terms that have nothing specifically to do with Evos. This is a good thing if you are starting from scratch. It may even be a good thing if you think you know something (and don't know how much you don't know or where you are wrong). But if you are like me and don't want to know stuff you don't need to know, or you already know a lot about motors but specifically want to know about Evos ... you glaze over a lot.
Lack of specific info
In comparison to data sheet sabove, there's a strange lack of specific info. For example, in the chapter on Cam zero comparison of various cams are made. Both Andrews and Wood get one line references in the entire book. It's mostly theory, aka waffle. Same with valves and guide. No comparisons. Axtell, Manley, Delkron etc gets basically no mention. Ditto others.
No discussion of economics, i.e. best bang for bucks formula.
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From: LA
Interestingly, Donny pretty much begins and ends the book express his pain and exhaustion (with life?) and threatens there might not be any next book ... the next one going to be "Performancing the Sportster". This might explain some of the tone and short comings of the book.
Being "paid 7 cents an hour", he calculates, is no inducement to write ... or at least copy and paste his tech articles ... he point out and I can understand that. The internet, and discussions like ours here, is killing publishing as a business, art form and public service. It will soon becoming the domain of those who can afford to write, i.e. have sufficient time and private or alternative incomes.
He's also looking to the sea and yachting which I can also understand. The sea and yachts have many similarities to bikings but much more of the liberty and freedoms of the old ... even if you do can even more wet and cold.
Perhaps we should expect, "Performancing the Nordic Folkboat" instead. There are no helmet, few laws and no "man" out on the open seas. It's time to get back in touch with out inner Vikings. Perhaps in the future, once the oil runs, it'll happen again?
I was thinking that what else is missing from the book are "good recipes". I mean, the Evo is so old hat now that pretty much all the development work has been done and much of it is beginning to be shelved etc. It'll soon become obsolete wisdom.
To a point, this is where Donny's book will be of most value in tens of years to come ... when young guys or restorers are trying to make sense of them and all the search results on the internet are dead and buried.
But in the now, I think a selection of known good recipes and demonstrated results (accumulated dyno testing) would have been more useful than all of the off topic and repetitive stuff.
For the most part, the book is telling you how, theoretically, rather than what.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
Being "paid 7 cents an hour", he calculates, is no inducement to write ... or at least copy and paste his tech articles ... he point out and I can understand that. The internet, and discussions like ours here, is killing publishing as a business, art form and public service. It will soon becoming the domain of those who can afford to write, i.e. have sufficient time and private or alternative incomes.
He's also looking to the sea and yachting which I can also understand. The sea and yachts have many similarities to bikings but much more of the liberty and freedoms of the old ... even if you do can even more wet and cold.
Perhaps we should expect, "Performancing the Nordic Folkboat" instead. There are no helmet, few laws and no "man" out on the open seas. It's time to get back in touch with out inner Vikings. Perhaps in the future, once the oil runs, it'll happen again?
I was thinking that what else is missing from the book are "good recipes". I mean, the Evo is so old hat now that pretty much all the development work has been done and much of it is beginning to be shelved etc. It'll soon become obsolete wisdom.
To a point, this is where Donny's book will be of most value in tens of years to come ... when young guys or restorers are trying to make sense of them and all the search results on the internet are dead and buried.
But in the now, I think a selection of known good recipes and demonstrated results (accumulated dyno testing) would have been more useful than all of the off topic and repetitive stuff.
For the most part, the book is telling you how, theoretically, rather than what.
Please correct me if I am wrong.
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From: Melbourne
Damn it!.....I have been waiting YEARS with bated breath for the Evo performance book and now I'm hearing its total crap! Looks like Donny lost the plot and switched over from helping riders to just milking them!
In the first Evo book (I have the electronic version and bought it day 1) he does tend to waffle on and repeat himself a bit, but it sounds like he has taken it to a whole new level.
With nearly 30 years of Evo life out there one should expect some well thought out designs etc, so if your in the market for Evo/Harley performance books then two classic books I have and that I've referred to a lot over the years are:
The Big Twin High-Performance Guide by D William Denish (this is a classic book with proven designs)
V-Twin Thunder by Carl McClanahan (old skool ponderings and tips and tricks)
In the first Evo book (I have the electronic version and bought it day 1) he does tend to waffle on and repeat himself a bit, but it sounds like he has taken it to a whole new level.
With nearly 30 years of Evo life out there one should expect some well thought out designs etc, so if your in the market for Evo/Harley performance books then two classic books I have and that I've referred to a lot over the years are:
The Big Twin High-Performance Guide by D William Denish (this is a classic book with proven designs)
V-Twin Thunder by Carl McClanahan (old skool ponderings and tips and tricks)
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From: indiana
I see Donny Petersen's long awaited latest tome, 'Volume IV: Performancing The Evolution' is available. Has anyone had a read over it yet?
I've only scanned the Google preview so far but am thinking of committing to the digital version as it's cheaper ... and more easily searchable.
I did buy a paper version of his introduction to Evos because I wanted to unplug from the computer and read a book sometimes but, to be quite frank, I found it almost unreadable because the size of the print is so small. That one's a huge book offering a wealth of informational minutiae and experience, guaranteed to turn you into an Authentic Old Hand and Greybeard™ in just over 700 pages, and one which I would recommend to newcomers to the marque. But I did not find it was really that useful, and is pretty much stuff you can find on the internet or should be able to absorb through osmosis hanging out with other riders. At least it enculturates an individual into the language of our world.
I was/am hoping that, at over 900 pages, this one will be one ...
Looking at the preview, I'll make a few criticisms; the first and foremost being that's there's a hell of a lot of stuff about bikes which are not Evos, e.g. from Panheads to V-RODs, which doesn't belong and just takes up space from writing more about Evos that isn't there.
I mean, WTF have I got to know about 1930s rocker lift, or the ideal length of a Shovelhead exhaust?
There also appears to be a lot of repetition from other books, ditto the above.
I wonder if he has just written so much he cannot remember what he put in where? All the same, I am sure the purchase price will more than save you the money in some way.
I must also say Petersen does get the odd minor factoid glaringly wrong from time to time which suggests to me that he does not have a motorcycle riding editor but generally they are minor.
Re squish he writes ...
I don't understand ... is he talking all engines or just Evos? I thought good squish was around .030"-ish. What about gasket thickness? Wouldn't +.040" put a flat top piston through the head with a 030 gasket?
There's a lot of minutiae and analysis of, e.g. metallurgy or OEM cams but I've have to ask why ... we want to "performance" our bikes, not OEM them ... and, e.g. he'll mention that high lift rockers *might* need the cover grinding but not say how or where or give details. There's a lot of general knowledge ... but not an awful of what I guess reader want, e.g. what works on an Evo!
He seems to gives various manufacturers plugs over others, talks a lot about his 103 ci TC, and even mentions that he's tired of women but still looking for a girlfriend to go sailing with (because he's not allowed to holiday in the USA) ... but doesn't mention anything about many good engine builders there are and their work, just gives lots of thumbs up for Screamin' Eagle parts which I think most folks would say are pretty "safe" at best.
OK, I'm already frustrated with it already ... An Evo's a Harley and it's very old mature technology. You don't need to study mechanical engineering theory to make it go faster. You certainly don't need to know all this stuff about bikes you'll never own. You just need to know what works where, and what to do.
BTW, Yachting is a very expensive sport someone once described as "being locked in a cardboard with a very large wet dog and ripping up $100 bills". Go speak to your local engine builder or make friends with some folks here.
It strikes me Peterson needs a better editor who will stop him dead in the tracks and say, "WTF are you talking about Donny ... you're all over the place again! Stick to the subject at hand". Are they afraid of him or just over enamoured/exhausted by all the techno waffle?
Have you bought one? Will I buy one now? I don't know ... seems like too much work to get to the good bits.
Pass me the angle grinder someone ...
I've only scanned the Google preview so far but am thinking of committing to the digital version as it's cheaper ... and more easily searchable.
I did buy a paper version of his introduction to Evos because I wanted to unplug from the computer and read a book sometimes but, to be quite frank, I found it almost unreadable because the size of the print is so small. That one's a huge book offering a wealth of informational minutiae and experience, guaranteed to turn you into an Authentic Old Hand and Greybeard™ in just over 700 pages, and one which I would recommend to newcomers to the marque. But I did not find it was really that useful, and is pretty much stuff you can find on the internet or should be able to absorb through osmosis hanging out with other riders. At least it enculturates an individual into the language of our world.
I was/am hoping that, at over 900 pages, this one will be one ...
Looking at the preview, I'll make a few criticisms; the first and foremost being that's there's a hell of a lot of stuff about bikes which are not Evos, e.g. from Panheads to V-RODs, which doesn't belong and just takes up space from writing more about Evos that isn't there.
I mean, WTF have I got to know about 1930s rocker lift, or the ideal length of a Shovelhead exhaust?
There also appears to be a lot of repetition from other books, ditto the above.
I wonder if he has just written so much he cannot remember what he put in where? All the same, I am sure the purchase price will more than save you the money in some way.
I must also say Petersen does get the odd minor factoid glaringly wrong from time to time which suggests to me that he does not have a motorcycle riding editor but generally they are minor.
Re squish he writes ...
I don't understand ... is he talking all engines or just Evos? I thought good squish was around .030"-ish. What about gasket thickness? Wouldn't +.040" put a flat top piston through the head with a 030 gasket?
There's a lot of minutiae and analysis of, e.g. metallurgy or OEM cams but I've have to ask why ... we want to "performance" our bikes, not OEM them ... and, e.g. he'll mention that high lift rockers *might* need the cover grinding but not say how or where or give details. There's a lot of general knowledge ... but not an awful of what I guess reader want, e.g. what works on an Evo!
He seems to gives various manufacturers plugs over others, talks a lot about his 103 ci TC, and even mentions that he's tired of women but still looking for a girlfriend to go sailing with (because he's not allowed to holiday in the USA) ... but doesn't mention anything about many good engine builders there are and their work, just gives lots of thumbs up for Screamin' Eagle parts which I think most folks would say are pretty "safe" at best.
OK, I'm already frustrated with it already ... An Evo's a Harley and it's very old mature technology. You don't need to study mechanical engineering theory to make it go faster. You certainly don't need to know all this stuff about bikes you'll never own. You just need to know what works where, and what to do.
BTW, Yachting is a very expensive sport someone once described as "being locked in a cardboard with a very large wet dog and ripping up $100 bills". Go speak to your local engine builder or make friends with some folks here.
It strikes me Peterson needs a better editor who will stop him dead in the tracks and say, "WTF are you talking about Donny ... you're all over the place again! Stick to the subject at hand". Are they afraid of him or just over enamoured/exhausted by all the techno waffle?
Have you bought one? Will I buy one now? I don't know ... seems like too much work to get to the good bits.
Pass me the angle grinder someone ...
optimum for just about any four stroke engine is .033 put the piston down in the hole .003 with .030 head gasket. or have the piston out of the hole .007 with a .040 head gasket. the first way in most cases is easier. most stock Harleys are in the hole .007-.010 so a thinner base gasket can get you there.
as far as his books go every time I try to read his dribble it makes my brain hurt. and I think it might be making me dumber. his books are 99%
useless.
anyone can build a engine. but if you don't do the math you will be disappointed. buying 10:1 pistons does not mean your at 10:1 buying a torque cam does not mean it will give you monster torque. any good engine builder will tell you engines run on math. if you really want to learn how to build a good performance machine. learn how to read cam specs and understand what they mean. also a really good thing to know is how to calculate static and corrected compression. once you master those the next big thing is heads they are the soul of an engine and it takes a lifetime to master the art of head porting.
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From: LA
Instead, you get two pages of obsolete knowledge about part number for various H-D OEM gaskets, and when and why they were changed (???)... and a plug for his shops way of fixing oil leaks. And no recommendation of which gaskets are the best.
anyone can build a engine. but if you don't do the math you will be disappointed.
Yes, especially if working on new stuff ... or you could just follow tried and true "good recipes" of which there are none.
Given how many Evos there are out there, how many have been tuned and dyno-ed, and that all the development work is pretty much done and over, it would have been possible to just present some recipe to result charts. and discuss why, e.g. stop light dragster ... dyno king ... economy class street ... torquey tourer.
He plugs various products but gives no performance statistics for them.
There are basically no performance statistics in the book at all.
once you master those the next big thing is heads they are the soul of an engine and it takes a lifetime to master the art of head porting.