9 After a long trek we finally arrived at the assembly line where a set of SE 120R cases were patiently waiting for us. Before being placed on the assembly line, the cases are precisely machined to accept the 4.060-inch cylinders.
9 After a long trek we finally arrived at the assembly line where a set of SE 120R cases
While there were several hurdles to clear in order to bring the 120R to fruition, if you ever get the chance to visit the POC, you’ll quickly see that the organization, machinery, and most importantly the staff at the facility are fully capable of tackling any challenges. Sitting on 63 acres and encompassing 850,000 square-feet, walking through the POC is astonishing. A mix of robotic machinery, high-tech tooling, rows and rows of precisely timed assembly line operations, and stacks of raw and machined materials, you would think the facility would be cold, sterile, and lifeless. However, the friendly smiles, bright personalities, and dedicated work ethic of the 800 employees at the POC help » keep it warm, personable, and highly productive. The staff is very proud of its work and takes great pleasure in knowing that through their hard work and attention to detail millions of people are able to enjoy the open road with simple a click of a button.
The facility produces almost all of the drivetrains (engines and transmissions) for all of the company’s Big Twin and middle-weight (Sportsters) motorcycles. The only drivetrain the POC doesn’t produce is the V-Rod drivetrain. The POC is divided into four manufacturing units which includes steel machining: gears, shafts, all the transmission components, rocker arms, (steel heat treating is also performed); aluminum machining: heads, cases, cylinders, inner primaries; powdercoating: two facilities handle powdercoating for all powdercoated parts; and the final unit is assembly. Assembly includes building of the transmissions and engines as well as cold testing each engine before being shipped. Cold testing is done on a dyno without actually firing the engine. Utilizing a three-minute cold test cycle they are able to obtain more measurements (200 tests) in a quicker amount of time.
The POC was originally a Briggs and Stratton facility before the MOCO took it over in 1996. The manufacturing timeline for the facility is as follows:
1998 = Started with the TC88
1999 = TC88B
2006 = Six-speed Cruise Drive for the Dyna models
2007 = 96ci/Six speed
2008 = XR1200
2009 = Tri Glide
2010 = 110ci CVO
July 2010 for model year 2011 = 120R
10 The right side of the case gets SE High Performance Inner Cam bearings. The SE bearings have more rollers than stock and help provide increased load capacity and longer engine life when using high-lift cams like the 266Es. On the left is the SE cam bearing and on the right is an OE cam bearing.
10 The right side of the case gets SE High Performance Inner Cam bearings. The SE bearing
There are approximately 750 components in each powertrain and it takes roughly two hours to produce a powertrain start to finish on the assembly line. The line takt time (amount of time the line stops at each station) is 82 seconds. There are about 1,800 machine tools worth about $600 million in the facility. The staff currently builds 100 current and non-current powertrain variations. The assembly line is inconsequential, meaning that you might see an XL1200 followed by a TC110, followed by a TC96 as opposed to say six 883s in a row. The POC ships four to five truckloads of powertrains from its plant daily.
After the brief presentation, I was now armed with a ton of new knowledge and my guides could tell I was itching to bust through the soundproof metal doors leading into the manufacturing/assembly portion of the facility and see the wonders of the POC and the building of the 120R first hand. HB
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11 To help deal with the high-torque output of the 120R, the left side of the case gets an SE Lefty Bearing. The bearing is case-hardened on the inner and outer race to provide increased load capacity and durability. The Lefty Bearing also has a special Nitride coating, which helps harden and protect the surface for more wear resistance. On the left is an OE bearing and on the right is the Lefty Bearing.
11 To help deal with the high-torque output of the 120R, the left side of the case gets a
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12 This station presses the case bearings into place. You can see the Lefty Bearing is sitting atop the case and is ready to be pressed in. This station also installs one side of the cylinder studs into the cases.
12 This station presses the case bearings into place. You can see the Lefty Bearing is si
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13 Here we see the right side of the case with the cam bearings installed. The main bearing has been installed as well and you can see the two screws that have been installed to help keep the bearing in place.
13 Here we see the right side of the case with the cam bearings installed. The main beari
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14 This is the 4-5/8-inch stroke SE Pro Flywheel Assembly. The flywheel assembly is made of high-strength forgings and then precision-machined to shape and balanced to ensure smooth operation. The high-strength material is much stronger than the OE flywheel assembly, which allows the flywheel to be pressed-fit to much tighter tolerances. Basically, the OE flywheel material couldn’t handle the press fit load the SE Pro Flywheel Assembly is subjected to. The crank pin has a thin coating on it, the coating is designed to help with the integrity when the crank pin is pressed into the flywheel assembly. Once pressed together, a Hess Mae machine checks for proper run out.
14 This is the 4-5/8-inch stroke SE Pro Flywheel Assembly. The flywheel assembly is made
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15 At this stage the flywheel was being pressed onto the left side case half. The white block at the top of the assembly holds the rods in place to prevent damage as the assembly is pressed in.
15 At this stage the flywheel was being pressed onto the left side case half. The white b
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16 Since this setup has a longer stroke with the pistons coming down lower, new piston oil jets had to be designed and made. On the left is a new jet and on the right is an OE jet. The new jet was designed to provide additional piston skirt clearance for the longer stroke.
16 Since this setup has a longer stroke with the pistons coming down lower, new piston oi
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17 Here we see the cases have been joined together, the oil pump installed, and O-rings being pushed into place.
17 Here we see the cases have been joined together, the oil pump installed, and O-rings b
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18 On the left is an SE 266E cam and on the right is an OE cam. The SE 266E cams have a modern lobe design that allows for higher valve lift for a given duration. The cams provide 0.658-inch valve lift for the intake and exhaust. The cams offer good part throttle ridability while also providing excellent wide-open power due its enhanced overlap design. The lower lobe also has a smaller diameter profile to allow for clearance.
18 On the left is an SE 266E cam and on the right is an OE cam. The SE 266E cams have a m
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19 With the cams installed in the cam plate, the cam plate was bolted into place. As you may notice, this is the OE cam plate. For 2012 the 120R comes with a new SE billet cam plate and high-volume oil pump.
19 With the cams installed in the cam plate, the cam plate was bolted into place. As you
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20 As the technician torques the cam plate and oil pump bolts, the screen in front of him/her lights up to indicate whether or not each step in the process has passed spec.
20 As the technician torques the cam plate and oil pump bolts, the screen in front of him
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21 At this point, when assembling a standard Big Twin powertrain, the transmission would be bolted to the engine as a short block assembly. The 120R doesn’t come with a trans so a block-off plate (aluminum plate on backside of the engine) is bolted in place of the trans.
21 At this point, when assembling a standard Big Twin powertrain, the transmission would
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22 This is the piston assembly station. Each piston is assembled by hand.
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23 A unique component for this engine, the SE team spent a lot of time on the piston design. The 120R comes with high-compression, 4.060-inch bore, 10.5:1 nickel-plated pistons made from high-strength forged aluminum. The pistons feature a bigger skirt design to maintain proper support as it travels up and down, and the skirt is has a proprietary coating for better wear resistance.
23 A unique component for this engine, the SE team spent a lot of time on the piston desi
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24 The pistons are outfitted with Titanium Stainless Steel Twist (SST) piston rings. With their unique design and material composition, the rings are designed to provide long life, low wear, and better compression and oil control. Here we see a ring compression tool on the rear piston…
24 The pistons are outfitted with Titanium Stainless Steel Twist (SST) piston rings. With
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25 …and here is the rear 4.060-inch Big Bore cylinder slipped in place over the piston. The cylinders are factory-honed to accept the pistons and the cylinder spigot has been machined for cylinder-to-cylinder clearance.
25 …and here is the rear 4.060-inch Big Bore cylinder slipped in place over the piston. T
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26 Here’s a look at the CNC-ported MVA head that is used on the 120R. Porting was done to ensure maximum air velocity traveling through the intake ports. To get high air speed traveling through the head, the port roof was lowered, the port volume was precisely sized at 98cc, and the shape of the port was specifically machined to complement the large intake valve.
26 Here’s a look at the CNC-ported MVA head that is used on the 120R. Porting was done to
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27 Here is an OE head. As you can tell there is quite a bit of work that went into the porting of the 120R head in image #26.
27 Here is an OE head. As you can tell there is quite a bit of work that went into the po
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28 Special attention was also applied to the combustion chamber of the 120R head. The 95cc combustion chamber has more of a kidney-bean shape as compared to the oval/bathtub shape of the OE combustion chamber. The head also features larger valves with a 2.120-inch intake and a 1.635-inch exhaust valve. They are outfitted with automatic compression releases and SE high-lift race springs.
28 Special attention was also applied to the combustion chamber of the 120R head. The 95c