I'd be hard pressed to believe that HD never had a patent on the EVO motor.


Ultima and S&S are making TC motors now.
Not sure if anybody else is but I guarantee you that every TC model motor sold by either is more money in HDs pockets.

 

The Evo was not substantially different from the Shovel in many aspects. Harley did not patent the engine itself, but I remember reading the various patents they had on design aspects of the engine, such as its new aluminum cylinder liners.

In later years (can't remember when it was), they sued S&S and maybe a couple others for using their design and even the Evolution name, which they had a trademark on. H-D lost the lawsuit.

 

[QUOTE]After speed reading thru all of the exotic garble, this was my point earlier

 

Read back thru THC, I enjoy building engines

 

Like my Ruger but bringing out the Kimber is the cats-azz. How did you guys get from tractor motors to guns, keep focused

 

That's why I didn't understand the sentence I was referring too.

 

As I recall, after H-D lost that lawsuit, they tried (again unsuccessfully) to trademark the SOUND of a narrow angle V-Twin engine. I believe it was after this that work began on the Twin Cam.


I do remember back in the '90's H-D was trying to trademark everything they touched.

 

Yep. I don't remember when it was exactly, but they tried for like three years to patent the sound of the Harley engine. The USPO told 'em to go pound sand because they weren't gonna approve a patent on the sound of an engine.

 

Not exactly.

They filed in 1994. They gave up in 2000.

 

Harley pursued that for that long? I didn't recall that, but it may have been. I think there was several other aspects they tried to patent too, including the shape the gas tank.