Although motorcycles have yet to be officially tested to see what, if any, effects an ethanol-blended fuel has on the motor, there is now a conversion kit available for those who are interested in fueling their bikes with E85.
Tony Michael Dabbs, owner and founder of Dabbs Engineering and Design, has produced a conversion kit allowing air-cooled motorcycles to accept E85. He began selling the ALKYHAWG two years ago. “The ALKYHAWG was designed at the request of a customer,” Dabbs said. “Before contacting me, he had called a couple of dealerships, a performance shop and an automotive engineer about converting his bike to E85. All responded with the same answer – impossible.” Dabbs said that when he answered “yes” to the potential customer’s question of “can you convert my [Harley Davidson] Softail to run on E85?” the phone went silent as the shocked motorcycle rider on the other end contemplated the possibility. Six months later, Dabbs’ first conversion kit was installed on his motorcycle.
The reasoning behind the initial request for a conversion kit, and Dabbs’ attempt to design it, was to coax more power from the engine. But since designing the kit, Dabbs said he has become more aware of renewable fuels and the benefits they offer. “Why not feed American Hawgs [Harley Davidsons] with American corn?” he said. “Cleaner burning E85 could add some life to the motorcycles we Americans love.”
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Although the ALKYHAWG was designed for off-road use with Harley Davidson motorcycles, Dabbs said he knows customers use his parts on the road everyday. The kit is not currently approved by the U.S. EPA, so therefore it has to be designated for off-road use. However, “clients have run their bikes through state emissions testing and passed,” Dabbs said. He added that the kit can be easily modified for use with any gasoline-powered engine and he’d be happy to design one for use on imported motorcycles.
According to Dabbs, motorcycles currently equipped with the conversion kit are used for racing, so the kit has been constantly tested. He receives regular feedback from his customers and has used that data to compile performance averages for the kit. He said a basic kit results in 33 percent higher horse power, a 13 percent increase in torque and a 10 percent gain in mileage, as compared to gasoline-powered stock engines.
The conversion kit costs approximately $2,000. “This may seem high to someone unfamiliar with performance kits for [Harley Davidson]-type engines, but it is much cheaper than kits delivering far less power gains,” Dabbs said. He is currently researching ways to lower the cost of the kit without decreasing the quality of the product. For more information interested motorcyclists can contact Dabbs at themotorsickledoc@yahoo.com.
