It's certainly bigger than a Harley Davidson with twice the weight and twice the cubic inches. Mick Corse says his Deutz diesel-powered hog is better too and was fun to build.
"It gets better fuel mileage than a Harley," says Corse. "As I told a Harley guy, when his motor is on its fourth or fifth rebuild, I will still be waiting for my first."
Corse is into Cushman scooters and had once mounted a 10-hp Yanmar diesel in a Cushman. This project was modeled after the Boss Hoss, made in Dyersburg, Tennessee. It uses a Chevrolet V-8 engine as an integral part of the frame.
He started out by drawing his design on the floor of the shop with soapstone. Corse bought the front end, swing arm and axle, rear tire and rim, shocks and brakes from Boss Hoss. The drive is a Gilmore belt (cogged belt). The industrial 180 cu. in. Deutz air/oil cooled engine came from a local Deutz dealership.
"I knew the Boss Hoss parts could support the weight of the Deutz engine," he explains. "I didn't need a transmission to multiply torque as the Deutz had more torque at idle than a Harley does at full speed."
What he did need was a centrifugal clutch that could be modified. An initial quote was for a clutch that couldn't be modified. An Internet search located a BLM centrifugal clutch in Canada.
He made a steel hub to fit the engine and mounted the clutch to the back of the engine. After burning out the rings due to engaging at too high a speed, Corse put in different springs and shoes to engage at a lower speed.
"My top speed is about 105 to 108 mph at 3,000 rpm," says Corse. "The bad thing about diesels is the low span between 900 and 3,000 rpm's. I had to adjust the clutch so I could go slow through school areas."
Corse built or modified all other components and cowlings for his Deutz powered machine. Once completed, it had a German motor, American brakes, Canadian clutch and a front end made in North Carolina.
He enjoys pulling in to a gathering of big bikes and walking away for a while. "It's fun to come back to see who is looking at it," he says.