Well, As all of you ( or most of you) will know. I've long been a non- fan of the MTW in its new guise.
My gripe has always been how they intend ( intended?) to mate the S and S Vee twin ( which let's face it they only went for after they pee'd H-D off) with the Mazda MX 5 'box and deal with the vibration/ wind up issue

The LIberty Ace did it really well but having blagged my way onto a fotoshoot at the factory last Saturday ( Auto Bild Klassic and Wolfgang Konig thank you very much) I maged to 'wander' about and get a look at the drive arrangements for the MTW

I am at best a hobbyisyt engineer so very happy to take flak from those who know better but I really do think the way MMC have done it is pants- some weird combination of a donut and what looked like two steel surfaces running ona metal to metal basis rescued only by some king of greasing mechanism

Hope it works for all of you who've bought the MTW but I ain't holding my breath

Cynically as ever
G

PS yes, Morgan fan though I am, I'd still buy a Triking

Can you elaborate on the cush drive mechanism, do you have any pictures?

I think you are wrong about the engine. I have been around Harleys for nearly 20 years and I think the S&S engine is a far superior power unit.

No, I did try but got some very searching looks and was asked not to. Since that wasn't the reason I was there I dodn't push the matter- it would have been very rude to do so and also put the guys who were letting me have a look at it in a possibly awkward position
I don't disagree about the S and S versus Harley thing. I've had several Harleys myself and, as you say, they ain't the best in terms of technology or finish but what does strike me is that if the original reason why MMC went with Harley was to strike a chord with the American market( and several statements by the factory seem to support this never mind Charles' upcoming GUmball rally exploit) why then b* gger it up by having to swithch to S ans S- admittedly a much better engine but not attracting the same mass following as the H-D oes in the states
Me. I'd have gone for Guzzi engine anyway but I'm just awkward!
regards
G

Harley has a very loyal following here in the states, to the point some of the more 'die hard' enthusiasts would scorn at the notion of using the HD brand to market for a non US moniker. With S&S being made in the USA and over all a more neutral brand, it still brings the same respect and (better) performance than HD. Also, HD has a reputation to uphold, as most all the Harley riders I know would consider themselves leather-clad road-warriors. And, while S&S may provide the upgrades to these bikes my hog-riding friends have, the S&S brand is more in tune with customs and show bikes and it really is a more applicable brand to pair with Morgan.

As for any engineering frets, it is something that comes with being an 'early adapter' to any product. I am sure, there are bound to be some aspects that can be improved upon. I was an early adapter on the E90 and the R56 and while they have both had some faults, they have both turned out to be very enjoyable. And, with Morgan being a company that is in its centennial I feel it must have a good grasp on this, so I am not worrying about it.

Personally I think that the S&S was the wise choice and much more in keeping with the bespoke image that Morgan invokes. With an H-D the focus probably would have been on the "Harley engined trike" rather than the "Morgan Three Wheeler" . Also I heard at the factory that H-D were just too demanding in their requirements.

As far as the Cush drive is concerned, I've seen the interior and the grease (!) and now that the cars are out with the public I just can't see why there should still be any secrecy.

I am happy that Morgan went for S&S.
How come that S&S makes a good living with lots of dollars selling improvement parts for HD ??

_______________________________________
Stig

This seems to be an odd post to me, and I have deliberated as to whether to reply or not, as I suspect, have several others.

It seems that the poster is a regular on TM, I am only a newbie so wouldn't have a clue who he is, but he sounds like someone looking for an arguem....whoops sorry, I meant to say, an in depth discussion.

On the one hand he says he is a great fan of the M3w and then finishes by saying he isn't a fan enough to buy one, and would still buy a Triking, then again he says that Morgan made a mistake not using the HD motor, but I think that whatever reason they didn't, most people would agree that they have just the right engine, and even some Harley owners don't want their motor and use the S&S. I was speaking to a custon bike builder the other day, and whilst most of his customs use modified HD's, he does use the S&S engine quite a lot and has a high regard for it, and would rather use an S&S over an HD lump. I would be happy to accept his recomendation.

Cush drives seems to be the way into this discussion though, and I didn't even have a clue what a cush drive was, and certainly don't know how it works, but surely a firm with the reputation of Morgan would not want to productionise something that is going to cause them ongoing warranty difficulties, so even if it is a crap design, I for one have faith that it will work, and if not, then I think the company will do the decent thing if a better design is made.

All in all, I cannot see the point in the post really, and all I can say is a wish you better luck with the next one. Perhaps it could be a bit more positive please?

Well, since I'm the culprit, I guess a reply is appropriate.
I don't think I'm negative - and I do try to be accurate in what I say,not least that if I give a view, then I've researched the facts behind it pretty thoroughly

I AM sceptical about certain aspects of the MTW and in previous posts I've articulated my concerns- I hope in a way which explains why I have them
I'm a Morgan fan and in essence, I think the MTW is a great idea. That doesn't make me blind to what I see as issues which might turn around and bite them on the bum with consequent bad publicity and alientation of that customer base which is so loyal and essential to their ( MMC's)continuation.

I don' think this is the place to go over already- aired arguments in detail but I would like to leave you with one thought and it concerns the H-D/ S and S engine issue. Regardless of which one is " The best" ( or strictly that should be " the better",) does it make sense to have a fairly high profile advance publicity blurb lauding the fact that The MTW will be H-D engined and then turn around in what was a very short space of time and have to 'backtrack' I just can't see how this is beneficial

Anyway, time will tell and if I'm wrong or overly harsh then I'm more than happy to acknowledge that
regards,
G

The original design by Pete Larson included the HD screaming eagle engine, but shortly after purchasing the rights to the M3W from Mr Larson, MMC changed the engine from a HD motor to an S&S motor. The problem was that the media kept calling it a HD motor long after it had already gone to be an S&S motor. Chances are, you may still find articles being published which will reference it as a HD motor.

Go read back and find some of the initial photos of the M3W prototypes and they all had S&S motors strapped to them. The change was extremely early and far before even prepreduction. This has been known since the Geneva launch of the M3W back in march of 2011.

Also, I dont think they are having to backtrack. To me, the Morgan company could have used a HD motor and it would have worked fine, but they took a better motor and dropped it into the Morgan. Why exactly is upgrading the motor a problem? Is any potential buyer going to be dissuaded because they changed the motor that early on in the design? Most people purchasing a M3W may not even know that the design even started with Pete Larson.

Most of the problem really stems back to the fact that Morgan keeps a very open door policy and has allowed consumers to see far more of the production stage than almost any other automotive manufacturer on the planet. A lot of people cried when the preproduction M3W had belt issues and how they wouldn't buy one due to the problem. However, Morgan has since fixed the belt issue (to the best of my knowledge).

just my 2 cents

Wow, I'm impressed by the quick replies.

With regard to the cush drive, as you say, time will tell.

With regard to the publicity regarding the engine, I have assumed that, as a small firm, Morgan do not have the luxury of being able to fully productionise a car before getting publicity to sell it, so, the thing will morph in various directions before and during production, which is why the original three wheeler used several different engines over time, and why things have changed with the present car.

I'm disappointed at the loss of horses, someone obviously left the gate open when the engine was fitted, but am stoical enough to accept the present situation, especially as those who have already taken delivery say that power is more than 'adequate'.

Does anyone know if a detailed explanation with drawings of the cush drive setup is available, then I will have a better idea of how it works.