Cool heads confirmed!
I took the Vintage out this afternoon for a short fifteen mile trip in fifty-five
Degree weather. Just before returning to the garage I did couple of Wide open
Throttle passes through the first four gears. Immediately after shutting down
The bike I removed my glove and put my hand on the head. What i noticed was
The heads weren't even warm, in fact they were cool to the touch. The only thing
Hot were the bolts holding the head on, the fins below it, and the exhaust.
It's like the head wasn't Connected to the block. I'm thinking what the heck?
Then I remembered this cut-a-way view of the 111 and I Think I figured it out.
The head is really just a rocker cover and it appears there is a dead air space
Between the top of the cover and the inside part that seals to the block.
What appears to be the top of the cylinder head is in affect cosmetic. The only
Thing connected to the block is the rocker bolts and they get hot through heat soak.
As long as you are moving, the ambient air passes through the rocker cover and out
The back effectively keeping the top of the engine cool to the touch.
Another great piece of engineering from the folks at Polaris!