how many of you guys would like to see the v-rod motor in a softail? i never gave it a thought until i herd a v-rod with some pipes and a good tune. WOW! they sound awesome! I would not rule it out. the extra power andthe beefy sound might sway me over.. also the epa might give us no choice..

 

Might be cool from a performance standpoint, but you may get some resistance from the Harley purists.

 

Don't think the softail frame design would accept the engine/radiator without some major changes...thereby changing the entire look of the bike...no thanks.

 

LOL! Made me think of my dad, "V-ROD's are not Harley's" he says. I put a teardrop toolbox on my bike and he calls it a bagger now. Gotta love him.

 

I said this in a different post the other day, and I will say it again here.

IMHO:
The EPA is pushing the MoCo to the point where they will have to do something. And soon too, withing the next few years. My prediction is the Rev motor will show up in a touring bike (altho historically they do most "test runs" on the FX series...) to see how it is accepted.

Offering a big dresser that is liquid cooled is a logical step. It is built to run at highway speeds.

Luckily they won't back fill the regulations and I can still feel the rumble from my Shovel

 

I think this is going to happen one of these years due to the ever increasingly strict emissions regulations. I was at the dealer the other day and a fellow rode up on a V-rod with aftermarket exhaust, and it sounded GOOD!

If we can accept a Ford V8 with overhead valves, surely we can handle a water-cooled V-Twin that comes from Harley and sounds like one too.

 

I heard a v-rod with some pipes and the sound was awesome! I came home after my ride and started cking out prices on e-bay for one. I would love to see a the Heritage with a v-rod engine - it would have style and serious performance to boot. The v-rods with pipes just sound MEAN!

 

Yea, I wish they would stick the vrod motor in some other frame. I'm 6'2 and when I sit on a vrod my knees are higher than the tank! It don't feel right.

Speaking of engine swaps, I think they should try a 96B motor in a Dyna. Solid mount would stiffen up the bike and of course the B motor would reduce vibes. That's a Dyna I would buy.

 

I'm guessing that soon the air cooled pushrod motors will be gone. I don't know that the v-rod engine will be the one to go into the bikes though. It wouldn't suprise me if there was another motor that Harley builds, and keeps the v-rod motor for the v-rods. If the EPA gets worse they might be able to switch to overhead cam and some major head work and still keep the air cooled v-twin for a while longer. I would love to see a v-rod engine in a Sportster though, that would be a fun bike for blasting twisties on.

 

The water cooled engine would take the soul out of the softail.
Tom