I guess evo riders are out riding while:

- twinky rider are talking about riding (but rain is forcast)
- shovelhead riders are wishing they were our riding (but are waiting for parts)

 

 

Maybe because Evo's are only 80" stock and most of the touring section have those big Twinkies. Or it could be that they have a lot of time to get on the computer because they are having their cam chain tensioner shoes checked at their dealers. "Just leave it and we will get to it in a week or two" LOL

 

"..only 80".." To me, an 80 (actually 81.6) is a HUGE motor for a bike. Yet I still got 53mpg on two fills over Labor Day.
I think Harley would be smart to start offering the Evo again as an option in some bikes. Think of what a relief it would be for them not to have to worry about tensioners and overheating and rear sprocket compensators and tranny noises.......... By the way, how come my five speed with NO helical gears makes no objectionable sound in any gear? And my gear-driven cam is silent as well...
Of course, I'd expect them to go back to torrington inner cam bearings and use Cometic base gaskets........ Fat chance.

 

You are making a point that I deal with everyday in the the heavy truck repair market, owners ask me and I ask myself "why do they change a simple bullet proof design" I answer with the 6 figure a year engineer has to make changes, that is what he is paid to do. Other factors is "have to meet emission standards" I don't like what I see coming for the future.

 

Hey bikerlaw, shhhhhhhhhhhh.......quite. We are trying to relax here.

 

It isn't the Engineers that make the decisions on design changes. It's management that forces them to. If HD was run by only Engineers we would have a bike that would be so totally dependable that it would never need servicing. It would most likely be expensive as hell too.

I've been an Engineer for 25 years. Never seen a six figure a year Engineer. I hope that they are out there though.

 

You're young! Been doing it almost 40 and still hoping!

Evos were introduced when Harley was making around 30k bikes a year. They can now make over ten times that many. Emissions regulations spoiled many Evos, which is why we spent so much 'improving' them, to undo the harm of emissions. I can imagine things had to change to enable them to make so many more as well as meet emissions.

 

Ok, 2 engineers stand up, which one of you guys designed the chain tensioner? Don't take me serious, this is the Evo section

CarlGrover, thanks for clarifying a couple items. I can understand where you are coming from with upper management and non logical decisions.

Lets discuss updated designs that made a better mousetrap over the Evo

Cams - better pushrod angle, costs 3 times more to replace

Chain to drive cams over factory gear drive, HD removed the chain drive
final for a belt, reinstalled a chain in the motor dah!

Chain tensioners - brilliant

Gear drive conversion - sell a kidney

Pressed crankpin - extra crank was factored into purchase price and
givin to the purchaser with the dealership t-shirt

Big bore spigot design - add one point

Heat is an emmision factor so it is nuetral

 

More goverment more problems.

Greed. New design. More sales. The golf industry is prime example. How much of an improvement is actual and how much is mental?

The EPA and CARB are going to kill the air cooled v-twin industry.