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Test Titan Gecko
Echs and hops
Just dozed lazily in the sun, a blink of an eye later up and away – the gecko is already prone to echstremen.
Which would exhaust the parallels between the US chopper and its animal namesake. The flesh and blood gecko prefers to live vertically and with its inconspicuous exterior is, so to speak, the standard version of the lizard.
The metal gecko of the Titan Motorcycle Company of America in Phoenix, Arizona, clearly pursues the horizontal trade – preferably leaning cool on the side stand. This is the best way to get himself into position and does not run the risk of staining his luxury body with street dirt.
That would be a shame, because the sparkling polished aluminum this machine brings to the market could be enough to convert a daily production of Japan choppers into custom devices that are likely to hit the market. The glamorous appearance by no means ends at sparkling surfaces: Countless parts – this goes right down to the depressions of cable holders and indicator holders – are elaborately made from the full material and finely machined all around.
The attention to detail and the multitude of details made with passion invite you to an extensive, eventful tour that eventually leads to the heart of the matter – the stately VauZwo. The way he throws himself so proudly in the chest, he looks like a 1340 Harley engine that has prepared itself for the mating season: a little puffed up, a little self-absorbed, but otherwise unmistakably the well-known outdoorsman from Milwaukee.
Or not? On closer inspection, the Gecko drive looks somehow “special” – a suspicion that comes from the S imprinted on important engine parts such as the crankcase and cylinder heads&S logos confirmed. It’s hard to believe: this “Harley” engine does not need any Harley parts, it is composed from A to Z of tuning components (for Harley engines). Such an approach offers temptations to which the fathers of the gecko motor down the line have succumbed. Everything that somehow smells of performance was packed in and on the V2: almost 1.6 liters of displacement as a result of 117.4 millimeters of stroke and 92 millimeters of bore, large valves, a powerfully humped camshaft, a barn door from carburetor.
What comes out in the back is worth all honors: 108 hp at a brave 6500 rpm (piston speed 25.4 m / s) wave according to the manufacturer – but only where you don’t take it too seriously with the volume. The test gecko, domesticated with whispering bags by German standards, suffocates on its own exhaust gases at 4500 rpm – after sweating 59 hp from its ribs.
As sobering as the giant Huber’s willingness to perform is expressed in numbers, the way in which he brings his modest leverage to light is just as depressing. In the lower speed range he shakes so much that you literally lose hearing and sight, in the upper quarter of his creative range he annoys with bitter angry vibrations, in between there is a niche of relative calm, in which there are no health-endangering risks and side effects, but unfortunately no noteworthy outbursts of temper are expected. The modest presentation of the Gecko engine is reflected not least in driving performance that is just enough to be able to stand up to a Yamaha XV 535.
However, this would require a different chassis, because far more stubbornly than all large-scale choppers, the gecko gets stuck at the pivotal point of two-wheeled locomotion: cornering. What this motorcycle has noticed too much in terms of wheelbase, it lacks ground clearance – with ominous consequences: Even on slopes that are really not worth mentioning, the machine runs aground. And when the asphalt sets the file, it gets expensive, after all, one kilo of gecko (at a total price of 63,000 marks) costs around 220 marks. Of course, even greater losses threaten if the load ends up sidelined due to an urgently needed evasive maneuver due to a lack of room for maneuver. It’s good that you can at least rely on the front wheel brake, which works almost as good as it looks – while the rear stopper, thanks to its chrome-plated disc, is weak in its beauty.
Regardless of the dangers lurking in curves, the gecko has an irrepressible tendency to tilt. As soon as the machine has smelled a curve, the front wheel wants to be prevented from tipping inward with an iron hand on the handlebars. It is – especially in tight turns – to hit the line you are aiming for more or less by luck.
E.The gecko follows a clear line with the suspension elements. The flat fork is in agreement with the torsion bar-sprung rear swing arm: Too much flexibility is a sign of weakness, and if you don’t bounce you don’t have to dampen. Echs and hop. What is less important: The gecko is first and foremost an echshibitionist and only then a mobile pedestal – therefore a promising candidate for the order against seriousness.
Conclusion
Really nicely done, the gecko. Perfectly crafted details come together to create a total work of art that, despite countless highlights, has nothing to complain about. Because everything that glitters is really polished aluminum and chrome-plated steel. Unfortunately, the correspondence between reality and appearance ends with the mighty V2 engine: powerful in the art of self-expression, powerful in displacement, but weak on the chest and hostile in its expressions of life. The chassis is also more uncooperative than feared: bad handling, hardly any lean angle, painfully hard. Marvel at the gecko – anytime. Drive a gecko – better not.
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Engine Air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke 45-degree V-engine, crankshaft transverse, two underlying gear-driven camshafts, two valves per cylinder operated by hydraulic valve lifters and rocker arms, dry sump lubrication, constant pressure carburetor, contactless transistor ignition, electric starter, three-phase alternator, battery 12 V / .bore Stroke 91.6 x 117.2 mm Displacement 1545 cm³ Compression ratio 10.2: 1 Rated output 71 HP (52 kW) at 5200 rpmMax. Torque 11 kpm (108 Nm) at / min Piston speed 23.4 m / sec at 6000 / min Power transmission Primary drive via duplex chain, mechanically operated multi-disc oil bath clutch, five-speed gearbox, toothed belt. Primary gear ratio 1.54 Secondary gear ratio 2.06 Gear ratio 2.94 / 2.21 / 1, 60 / 1.23 / 1.00 Chassis Double loop frame made of tubular steel, telescopic fork, standpipe diameter, triangular swing arm made of tubular steel, torsion bar spring with separate damper, double disc brake at the front with four-piston calipers and floating brake disc, rear disc brake with four-piston caliper and floating rear brake disc, cast aluminum wheels at front 5.50 x 17 x 17 Tire size front 90/90 ZR 17 rear 180/55 ZR 17 Service dataInitial inspection after kmService intervals every kmMotor oil Oil change with filter every kmFill quantity with filter Oil tank capacity 2.8 litersSpark plugs Electrode gap Telescopic fork oil Filling quantity per spar 281 cm³Air filter Paper filterIdle speed Tire approval front rear – / – bar equipment / price guarantee price MOTORCYCLE measurements driving performance top speed solo 162 km / h acceleration0-100 km / h 7.3 sec0-140 km / h 15.1 sec0-160 km / h 23.9 secDirection60-120 km / h 14.0 60-140 km / h 21.0 secMeasured valuesTachometer deviationDisplay / effective 50/49, 80/79, 100/100, 130/129, 165/162 Fuel type Super Fuel consumption at 100 km / h 5.9 l / 100 km at 120 km / hl / 100 km at 130 km / h 6.0 l / 100 km at 160 km / hl / 100 km at 180 km / hl / 100 km Country road 5.6 l / 100 km Theor. Range 338 kmOil consumption not measurableDimensions and weightsTurning circle * 6150 mmWeight fully fueled * 284 kgWheel load distribution * v / h 44/56% Permissible total weight 447 kgload * 163 kgTank capacity / reserve 18.9 liters * MOTORCYCLE measurements
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