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It came out later that as soon as the Japs heard about NOVA they set to work building their own V-four engines. They were getting big handouts from the Jap government for R&D while HD was on its own fighting to survive. Sneaky buggers were dumping cheap product into North America to try and run HD out of business. They almost succeeded.
I was an engineer at HD in the early 70's (pre AMF). Talking to Willie G one day and he opened a file drawer, pulled out a rendering of a four cylinder bike and told me they did a market study on it and marketing folks said there was no interest in a four cylinder motorcycle, and he put the file away. His last comment was "and then Honda launched the 750 Four."
Ironically, I had a Honda 750 4 when I started at HD.
The engine design that is my favorite is the triple. It has the torque of a twin but the horsepower of a four and makes an incredible sound.Triumph built their reputation on it but Yamaha has recently copied it with huge success. I'm sure others will follow. It also has the benefit of perfect primary and secondary balance due to an evenly spaced TDC and firing order which twins and fours cant match. It's also reasonably compact and lightweight. HD seems to have stuck with the narrow angle, air cooled, VTwin with a single pin crank for styling and nostalgia reasons but it has a lot of downsides from a purely mechanical stand point like cooling issues, heat output, weight and balance. Balance problems in turn create rotational vibration which limits higher RPM operation which in turn effects limits power output. The problem for HD is they could easily design a more efficient engine with much more power, half the weight and size, but would it still identify as a HD at that point?
Last edited by fat_tony; Jul 25, 2015 at 12:07 AM.
The engine design that is my favorite is the triple. It has the torque of a twin but the horsepower of a four and makes an incredible sound.Triumph built their reputation on it but Yamaha has recently copied it with huge success. I'm sure others will follow. It also has the benefit of perfect primary and secondary balance due to an evenly spaced TDC and firing order which twins and fours cant match. It's also reasonably compact and lightweight. HD seems to have stuck with the narrow angle, air cooled, VTwin with a single pin crank for styling and nostalgia reasons but it has a lot of downsides from a purely mechanical stand point like cooling issues, heat output, weight and balance. Balance problems in turn create rotational vibration which limits higher RPM operation which in turn effects limits power output. The problem for HD is they could easily design a more efficient engine with much more power, half the weight and size, but would it still identify as a HD at that point?
If they were to keep the twin and it didn't bankrupt them there are plenty of people out there that would ride Harleys with inline 4s hell I would ride one!
Last edited by 5150northrider; Jul 26, 2015 at 11:22 AM.
In 1964 Ducati came up with the Apollo - their take on a V4, and wisely decided not to go on with it. Although they made a road going replica of their MotoGP bike not so long back.
Wow! you guys never heard of the Nova Project!!?? Lotta "younguns" in here! I remember the bike well, it was cover story in a lot of magazines.
Ya, I remember all this. It was a wild time in motorcycling. The Jap dumping and tariff, the AMF buyout, the end of Triumph, BMW coming out with the K flying brick. In the early 80's the rider magazines were thick every month.
7 Surprising Harley-Davidson Products that Are Not Motorcycles
Slideshow: The bar-and-shield logo shows up on far more than motorcycles, some of the company's most unexpected products have nothing to do with riding.
Slideshow: From the troubled AMF years to modern misfires, these bikes earned reputations for reliability issues, questionable engineering, or disappointing performance.
Crazy Bunderbike Build Looks Amazing, But Is It Impossible to Ride?
Slideshow: The Swiss custom shop has taken a Harley Softail and stretched it into something so long and low that it looks closer to a rolling sculpture than a conventional motorcycle.
Engraved Rebellion: Inside Bundnerbike's Glam Rock II
Slideshow: A standard cruiser becomes an intricate metal canvas in the hands of a Swiss custom house known for pushing Harley-Davidson platforms far beyond their factory brief.
Slideshow: Harley-Davidson's challenges aren't abstract; they show up in dropping shipments, shrinking dealer traffic, and strategic decisions that aren't yet translating into growth.
I remember the bike well, it was cover story in a lot of magazines.
