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in other words, "let the games begin" each year the company dangles a new and improved slice of cheese in front of us, as if we're hungry mice. and it works. go figure.
Harley has wrung about all the performance it can out of the conventional 96 cubic inch V-Twin engine. At about 67 horsepower or thereabouts in stock configuration it lacks what we all want, more bang for our buck. Compare the horsepower output of a Harley touring bike to most any metric bike and you will quickly realize that, well, we suck. Ya, we suck bigtime.
Due to the fact that there is a new regime in place at the MOCO within the last few months, one can only surmise that some of them realize that the Harley Kool-Aid that so many of the previous management had been drinking has gone flat and it is time to start drinking something that has a bit more kick to it.
We will all have water between our legs before long, like it or not. The air-cooled, V-twin is on it's last legs. Good bye V-twin 90 degree crank and hello multi cylinder, water cooled big engines. Why not? Who amongst us would not like to have 130 hp flapping between our thighs?
HD is about to announce a collaboration with Porsche and Toyota on a new production engine that combines a tri-hybrid fuel management system. Supposedly its a flex-fuel and electricity combination with a high watt output. The only thing holding it back from full production is the traditional 'potato-potato' sound is being replaced by a mid-range pitched 'whirring'. On the heels of plummetting sales of V-rods, HD isn't sure yet whether American buyers are ready for a bike that 'whirs'. Its slated for enveiling at the dealer show in Vegas next month. I guess only time will tell.
The MOCO has stated things like this before or at least leaked info, then at the last moment, changed everything. We really wont know until it happens.
HD is being bought by China who plans on scraping motorcycles to build mini cars for South Africa. Rumor has it their first car will be called the Lion King or is that the Lying King?
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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.
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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.