New engine, when??

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Dec 28, 2010 | 09:06 PM

#21

Willy G.

Road Captain

Joined: Mar 2008

Posts: 517

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Rumor has it by 2015 epa will outlaw any manufacturing of air cooled motors.

Dec 28, 2010 | 09:11 PM

#22

smithbrl

Road Warrior

Joined: Oct 2008

Posts: 1,692

Likes: 22

From: Denham Springs, La

Some Harley owners build their engine for lots more power and that's fine. I don't know the numbers, but I think the majority of Harley owners either leave them stock or do a stage 1 with louder slip ons.

Harley touring bikes are obviously not built to compete with crotch rockets. They are mostly used for touring/cruising, where all that power is really not necessary. Mine is plenty powerful with stage 1. I'll stick with the air cooled engine, thank you very much.

A person could put one of those goldwing motors on a Harley touring bike. That would give them the power they like and they could be cool, too, riding a Harley. Otherwise ride the water cooled brand and not be so cool, but they'd have their power.

My

Dec 28, 2010 | 09:29 PM

#23

t. sawyer

Road Warrior

Joined: Mar 2010

Posts: 1,441

Likes: 48

From: Eastern N.C.

I don't get it . you buy it ,you know what it is, then you bitch about it cause it ain't what you want. ???????????
kroozeabout. I like mine just the way it is.

Dec 28, 2010 | 09:49 PM

#24

Allen Dye

Cruiser

Joined: May 2010

Posts: 128

Likes: 0

Quote:

Originally Posted by smithbrl

Goldwings are not crotch rockets, they are used for touring/crusing. I would love to have power of my Wing in my Limited, not for going fast but for touring in the mountains, my favorite place. A Wing has the low end power to pull up hill at 1500 rpm (95 lbs.ft. at 1500 rpm at the rear wheel) with authority, loaded to the gills. If my wife and I ride the Limited from Ashville down the BRP to Cherokee with nothing in the bags or tourpak, I have to constantly shift between third and fifth. It we are on the Wing loaded with everything you can get in the trunk and bags on the same stretch of the BRP, I stay in high gear all the way. I love my Limited, figure I'll have it the rest of my days, but it Harley came out with a new Ultra, watercooled so that my butt and right let would stay cool and with th low end torque of a GL1800, I would be first in line. I've talked to quite a few other Harley riders, some long time Harley riders, with the same opinionl.

Dec 28, 2010 | 09:54 PM

#25

kenfm2000

Cruiser

Joined: Apr 2007

Posts: 240

Likes: 0

From: Montana

Quote:

Originally Posted by smithbrl

A person could put one of those goldwing motors on a Harley touring bike. That would give them the power they like and they could be cool, too, riding a Harley. Otherwise ride the water cooled brand and not be so cool, but they'd have their power.

My

I may be misinterpreting your post, but to me and most people I know it takes more than just the brand of bike one rides to be cool. There are actually some cool people that don't ride a Harley. Some people that consider themselves cool are not cool at all. I have my Harley because I love to ride it.

Now as for the original post I do like the air cooled v twin. I would probably be hesitant to get a water cooled version, but if that is all they make in the future I would have to at least test ride one to see what it has to offer. If they never switch to water cooled I would be happy with that.

Dec 28, 2010 | 10:26 PM

#26

emwolb

Ultimate HDF Member

Joined: Aug 2008

Posts: 5,413

Likes: 17

From: eastern oklahoma

okay you say you want a water cooled v twin, right? imagine a v-rod motor in a touring harley, ultra classic if you must. those goofy things rev about 5k rpm's doing 65 mph, and they're very tough to work on. i know all the techs where i deal with, they hate working on the v-rod motors. i enjoy having a real air cooled v-twin. when the v-rod powered touring models come out, just imagine how many people will be begging for a real v-twin harley engine rather than the high horsepower-no torque motor. i'm still surprised that they've not come out with overhead cams for our current air cooled harleys, but they sell all they can build, so they're doing something right. the tractor torque is the heart of our harleys.

Dec 28, 2010 | 10:55 PM

#27

Allen Dye

Cruiser

Joined: May 2010

Posts: 128

Likes: 0

Tractor troque? Some of you guys need to ride a few other bikes. Thats the single biggist problem I have with my Limited, no low end torque. But, it is what it is, and I love it for other things it does well and I can live with no bottom end, just keep shifting them gears.

Dec 28, 2010 | 10:57 PM

#28

peddler

Club Member

Joined: Oct 2006

Posts: 1,582

Likes: 72

From: North East

Quote:

Originally Posted by slyder

HD actually built a liquid cooled touring bike back in the early 80s (?). It was a V4 designed by Porsche I believe......... There was only a couple prototypes built and then they scrapped the project. Too bad cause it was a really cool looking bike.

The motorcycle you referred to was the Nova project that was canned when the "gang of 13" took the company private. It was designed, like the Vrod, by Porsche. "The Nova project was to be a smaller displacement family of high tech water cooled engines in V-Twin, V4 and V6 configurations. The cylinder sizes of either 200cc or 250cc gave engine size options ranging from a 400cc V-Twin to a 1500cc V6, and lots of interchangeable parts. The heads were 2 valve overhead cam with the potential for 4 valves at a later time."

Interesting article about the Nova project. http://www.bikerenews.com/AntiqueBikes/CodeNameNova.htm
In addition to the current product line there could have been a product line including a watercooled 400cc V-Twin and a 1500cc V6.

Maybe the Nova project will be resurrected for the next generation.

Who knows.