The Swedes Get Inline

THE SWEDES GET INLINE

BEFORE THE TRANSVERSE inline engine format was invented in the 1930s, most four-cylinder motorcycle engines were set lengthways in their frames. This was particularly true of the American Fours built by Henderson, Ace, Excelsior and Indian. But now, the old configuration is making a comeback, thanks not only to BMW’s K-bikes, but also to three Swedish engineers working under the slightly unlikely name of Wiking Motorcycles.

Company boss Sture Torngren and colleagues Bjorn Johansson and Mikael Jonsson began working on the Wiking prototype three years ago. Using a Volvo bottom end, Volkswagen Beetle barrels and a custom-made cylinder head, the Swedish trio created an experimental powerplant.

The end result was Wiking’s 1845cc air/oil-cooled ohv inline-Four. With a bore and stroke of 85.7 x 80mm, the extensively finned engine has two stainless-steel valves per cylinder, worked by a Volvo camshaft. Volvo also supplied the crankshaft, con rods, oil pump and cam drive, but the cast crankcase is Wiking’s own. BMW provided the shaft final drive and the transmission, which was reworked into a four-speed.

The 682pound Wiking is supported by a steel chassis, and boasts a rangy 68-inch wheelbase, Showa fork and twin-shock rear suspension. Brakes consist of a Harley-Davidson single disc at the front and an oldstyle drum in the rear.

Torngren predicts the Swedish-built bikes will be available in the U.S. by the end of this year. “We know there’s a demand out there,” he says.

“The Wiking is a unique product that recalls the spirit of America’s most traditional and distinctive classic motorcycles.”

Given the Wiking’s $40,000 price tag, it should.

Alan Cathcart