The Kneeslider

Doers Builders and Positive People

Stellan Egeland Takes the Harrier to the Track

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Stellan Egeland's Harrier on the track
Stellan Egeland's Harrier on the track

If you're going to build a custom bike, why not build one that handles like a real motorcycle? Stellan Egeland certainly seems to think that way and he sent me a note about his new video. He came home from the World Championship the other day with his Harrier in tow and the very next day he thought a trip to the racetrack was in order.

Check out the tire and think about how many custom bikes can do that. I like the way Stellan thinks. Be sure to watch the video.

Stellan Egeland's Harrier uses the whole tire!
Stellan likes to use the whole tire

Link: SE Service

Video below:

Comments

  1. a very interesting bike for sure. i’m trying to wrap my head around it’s looks and it is a challenge. i think i’d really need to take it for a test ride before i could truly appreciate it.

  2. Awesome looking bike! The bare essentials, thats what bikes should be about. Head and shoulders above all the fashionable independent bike designs out there.

  3. I love this guy’s work. And I love the way he thinks, building custom bikes you can take for a ride around a track, and not so many builders can do the same with their fat tyre mammoths. Not all the custom bikes have to be V-Twins.

  5. Honestly, that looks to me like the front end is pushing due to improper suspension set-up more than anything.

    Awesome and unique bike, either way!

  6. I was privileged to see John Bitten’s creation running at a local track many years ago. It took me a while to realise that I was looking at probably the most advanced innovative motorcycle design in the world at that time. Surely, had the major manufacturers picked up his ideas, they would have blown their track competitors off the map.

    To me, the rather radical design ideas of Egeland are the first true fresh ideas in motorcycle design in over 100 years. Well, save for some intellectual property copyrights filed by some Scuderia Ferarri engineers a while ago … but never built. Did Michael Schumacher’s come-off have something to do with the project shelving?

    For some reason the current manufacturers are very slow to think “outside the box”. More power to Stellan and his ideas …..

  7. Reminds me of the porsche boxster.
    The term “hot seat” also comes to mind.
    Very unique and interesting bike.

  8. Hawk: the mfg’s probably figure if it ain’t broke… And don’t you remember the Yamaha GTS1000? Sold like crap.

    Building motorcycles is not a huge profit industry. Lots of red tape too. In the States, stuff like the Harrier are a lawsuit just waiting to happen (look at the Yamaha Rhino).

    Alas, in this day and age this type of stuff will only come from builders like Egeland.

  9. Hahaha! Love it, and another plus for hub center steering. best onboard vid i’ve seen in ages.
    Were there any issues with ground clearance, the cylinder heads i mean?

  10. Thanks for all the positive comments. (Especially Hawks)
    The seat doesnt get hot at all because of the airscoops on the tank that blows air between the seat and the muffler.
    And yes, there is a little problem with the valvecovers, i thought 52 degrees of lean angle would be more than enogh for a rider like me, but i was wrong. Its not a big issue, i just have to learn to move my body more around the bike.
    The Yamaha was a pretty strange piece of work…

  11. thats not good its really pushing the front, either chassis or suspension
    local tracks normally have a set up guru although this one might be a challenge !

    loooooooove the bike minamalist creative i wish more custom builders would focus on engineering and function rather than just looks

    congrats

  12. As I watched the vid, a thought about “al-turn-ative” steering came to mind, particularly swingarm/hub steer…

    if the rear swingarm of motorcycles (with all of the power & forces acting on it) can provide excellent handling for the mid-to-rear of the bike, then the front swingarm design must have amazing potential for the rest.

    Stellan – do you know someone with a Tesi? If so, a filmed trackday with both bikes would be very interesting.

    Great bike!

  14. Great addition. 3 distinct motors using front swingarm & hub steer.

    Speed, Discovery, etc. should be leading the way with this type of “documentary”. Long live do-it-yourself & youtube

  15. That rear tire looks pretty shredded too. I’d say the bike isn’t ploughing, the guy just rides hard ! Also, think about it, anyone who can build a machine like this and ride it as we saw on the video can probably sort out a minor handling problem.

  16. There’s been a couple of articles about the bike here in Sweden and the bike was actually setup with Öhlins test team at the track. Öhlins test rider felt something was slightly off with the handling at the first try, can’t recal exactly what it was…
    Öhlins, Stellan and I.S.R then adjusted the suspension and front fork, I’m sure Stellan will chip in here if I’m way off 🙂

    The test rider then said the bike handled great, aside from the hard seat! 🙂
    /Björn

  17. Yes, Björn, thats correct.
    The throttle had too long stroke for his taste also.
    At the first try the trail was too long, and after that was sorted out we just worked with the suspension.
    I think the problem this day was that the tires simply got overheated, since they are street tires.
    Too high tirepressure could be a part of the problem.

  19. Neat bike, but that tire isn’t even close to shredded or completely used. He’s got a ways to go before he’s using the “whole” tire! All that mucky rubber should be flowing off of the edge of the tire- not sticking to the surface a 1/4″ from the edge of the tire.

  20. the more and more I look at the bike, I realise how beautiful it is! top effort on making something so nice, usable as well