P.S. I have been drinking and in retrospect I think that my previous post makes no sense at all but I don't G.A.F. That's my story and I'm stickin to it..

 

Water is more efficent at keeping the whole motor within a temp range with less hot spots , at the expense of a DAMN FUGLY RADIATOR!Also as noted , more things like water pumps , hose/gasket connections to leak or break.

 

HD now has four water cooled bikes. Remember to add MV-Agusta and Cavigia.

Yes, heat transfers faster to air than to water.

I prefer an air cooled motor with oil cooling. Less weight and components with air cooled.

 

I like the simplicity of the air cooled motor. The water cooled motor has an entire system that has to be maintained and has the potential to put you on the side of the road. I like the simple air cooled motor - no radiator, H2O pump, hoses, etc cluttering things up and making it harder to work and access things.

To me simple is better.

 

I like the look of the fins on the heads and cylinders. My water cooled honda dirt bike had smooth sides on the cylinder and it just didn't look right.

 

Whatever works and isn't too fugly is fine with me. Hopefully the MoCo engineers will come up with something that fits the bill.

 

Gosh; cars have had water cooled motors for years and they're pretty reliable.....
(Just a little snipe at the "EFI" comback's us carb guys endure)

But seriously; I've had air and water cooled bikes and there's something about the total packaging of the air-cooled V-Twin that appeals to many of us. Simplicity; sound; can't really say it has to be heavier or less reliable if it's water-cooled, but it is just a bit more complicated and my bike is on of my more basic pleasures in life...don't want many more parts than required to move me down the road. In the end it's whatever you want.....

 

uhhmmm, Tradition. Harley has spent millions of dollars designing and redesigning motors over the years to keep some semblance of the traditional "Harley" look to the motor. Even the most uninitiated can recognize the Harley V-Twin. Heck, neophites have a difficult time distinguishing between any of the "big twins." If it weren't for the valve covers many could not honestly tell you a panhead from a twin cam. In fact the Twin Cam design was put in place to keep the traditional look as much as possible.

 

i get the best cooling on my air cooled engine while its raining. best of both worlds.

 

As was stated, less parts, fluids, weight. Not to mention what all you cold weather riders would be required to do for winter storage.
Draining, flushing coolant system, checking hose clamps, thermostats, refilling with proper coolant, purging system of air pockets, etc.
The bright side would be they could put a heater core with a blower to blow warm ducted air towards chest area, etc.
Then we would have to figure out how to mount an AC compressor for those hot days!!!
On the other hand the Stealers would love the $$ they could generate by selling parts and service!!!