When building our project F-XXX-R we chose S&S Cycle’s V111 “touring” engine as the heart of this ground-up custom-built 1992 H-D FXR. Why in the hell would you put a bagger motor in a Harley-Davidson FXR chassis, you ask? Well, the S&S V111 ($5,450; sscycle.com) has a short 4-1/8-inch stroke and an equal 4-1/8-inch bore, which makes it a stump-pulling “torque monster” of a motor.

See, the V111 engine was designed for more torque than top-end horsepower, and as we all know that torque is really where the seat-of-the-pants fun resides on daily rides. And since we don’t live near the autobahn, top speeds of 150-plus mph don’t really do us a damn bit of good.

The gruntingly beautiful V111 has a low-lift S&S 585 cam and single coil Sidewinder valve springs to minimize valve train noise. The engine also comes outfitted with a three-piece flywheel, piston-cooling jets, S&S forged rocker arms, HVHP oil pump, chrome-plated rocker covers, tappet guides, and gear cover, as well as an S&S Super Stock ignition. Topping the whole package off is the venerable S&S Super E carburetor and iconic “teardrop” air cleaner.

Look for a full-build feature in the next issue of Hot Bike on how the F-XXX-R came to be and some real-deal dyno numbers once we break this S&S V111 engine in!