Harley-Davidson by Egli

Former Swiss racing champion Fritz Egli has § been building beautifully engineered bikes around his own chassis for over 25 years. When Egli adapted his traditional steel spine frame to hold a tuned, 1607cc Harley-Davidson V-twin engine, the result was an exciting machine that was outrageous by any standards - and especially those of environment-conscious Switzerland, notorious for its strict limits on motorcycles' power and noise.

Big, basic and muscular, the first Egli Harley, built in 1992, had an aggressive and vaguely classic look, thanks to bodywork fashioned from 1960s-style unpainted aluminium. A huge petrol tank curved over the top of the grey-finished Evolution engine. Large triangular sidepanels ran below a one-and-a-half-person seat. Front and rear mudguards were also made from bare alloy sheet.

The frame consisted of a main steel spine, which doubled as the oil reservoir, plus narrower tubes that held the motor in a conventional twin cradle. Egli himself built numerous parts, including the 38mm diameter front forks and their yokes. At the rear, the triangulated steel swing-arm worked a single, multi-adjustable White Power shock absorber.

The motor was far from standard, having 1: built by Egli to incorporate a long list of tut parts including Cosworth pistons, Carrillo rods Manley valves. Plumbed with a 36mm Mik carburettor and an Egli-made exhaust system, result was an increase in the V-twin's capacity f. 1340cc to a massive 1607cc, raising peak outpu 120bhp at 5500rpm.

When the big Harley burst into life, it die with enough noise to start an avalanche. The v from the pilot's seat was intimidating. There w; long stretch across the alloy tank to adjustable c on bars that were set low and wide. Stand Harley clocks perched above the protruding fi tops, the tacho needle flicking across the dial \ every blip of the throttle.

Riding the Egli Harley confirmed that it was docile modern sportster but a big, old-fashio: bruiser of a bike that needed a firm hand to giv its best. Its wheelbase was compact by Hai standards, at 60ins. But conservative steer geometry, an 18-inch front wheel and a high cei of gravity meant a good deal of effort was needec change direction.

Suspension was firm and worked well on smooth roads, the forks feeling reassuringly rigid and the well-damped rear unit keeping the back end under control. Despite its much-increased output, the engine was as tractable as any Harley motor. Crack open the throttle, and the bike hurtled forward to the accompaniment of an increasingly frenzied barrage of sound from the exhaust.

Vibration from the solidly-mounted motor added to the sensation of speed, too. Below 3000rpm the big V-twin was smooth, giving a relaxed feel up to 60mph in top gear. But the vibes arrived at that figure and increased steadily. Although the Egli stormed past lOOmph on the way to a top speed of about 130mph, fast cruising was best limited to short bursts.

Rubber-mounting the engine would have been one solution - but, as Fritz Egli pointed out, much of the bike's appeal came from its raw feel, to which the untamed V-twin lump was a major contributor. At least there was no pretence with an Egli Harley. What you saw was a big, old-fashioned V-twin brute of a machine, and that was precisely what you got. Plenty of sports bikes were faster and more agile than the Egli. Few were more thrilling to ride.