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It looks to me like HD tried to do too much too soon with that bike. I think they should have gone with a conventional frame with the radiator out front, like Honda's GL1000.
I was sad to see Honda take the lead with V-4 motorcycle engine development in the early 1980s because that should have been Harley Davidson's engine.
It looks to me like HD tried to do too much too soon with that bike. I think they should have gone with a conventional frame with the radiator out front, like Honda's GL1000.
I was sad to see Honda take the lead with V-4 motorcycle engine development in the early 1980s because that should have been Harley Davidson's engine.
I had an 83 Honda Magna V45 (750cc) and then upgraded to an 84 V65 Magna (1100cc) back in the 90s and early 2000s. While the V45 was smooth and fast the V65 would pull your eyballs through your head. That bike was way too fast for the 70's style cradle frame, but what a blast to drive.
Probably a good thing that H-D didn't end up with a Porsche engine. It would have been so overly complex that no one could work on it.
It appeared to be an engineering masterpiece but it likely would be a sales disaster as it looked more like it came from Japan and did not look anything like a Harley.
The best thing that happened from project NOVA was it led to the birth of the evolution engine which is what saved the company from passing into the dust bin of history.
Anyone that remembers the Suzuki RE5 Rotary engine motorcycle of 1975, that was a magnificent work of engineering but a sales disaster that disappeared after the first year of production.
Last edited by MRFREEZE57; Jul 2, 2024 at 10:29 PM.
It appeared to be an engineering masterpiece but it likely would be a sales disaster as it looked more like it came from Japan and did not look anything like a Harley.
The best thing that happened from project NOVA was it led to the birth of the evolution engine which is what saved the company from passing into the dust bin of history.
Anyone that remembers the Suzuki RE5 Rotary engine motorcycle of 1975, that was a magnificent work of engineering but a sales disaster that disappeared after the first year of production.
I remember how popular the Mazda rotary-engine cars were in that era.
Yamaha only produced their TX 750 motorcycles for two years, '73 and '74. I owned one.
I had an 83 Honda Magna V45 (750cc) and then upgraded to an 84 V65 Magna (1100cc) back in the 90s and early 2000s. While the V45 was smooth and fast the V65 would pull your eyballs through your head. That bike was way too fast for the 70's style cradle frame, but what a blast to drive.
Probably a good thing that H-D didn't end up with a Porsche engine. It would have been so overly complex that no one could work on it.
I had a 87 V700 Magna (698 cc) for the tariffs.
That bikes engine was smooth and fast but nothing like the 1100 I would assume.
The Wild Story of Harley-Davidson and Porsche’s Failed V4 Engine
