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[grc]

Seriously  Jerry,  we both  rode the Victorys in Sturgis and they sound alike, perform the same etc.... You have to admit ...... I know we are still HD guys but...their engine is solid

So is the S&S 127 and they do not have ths issues that the 100 does.....When will HD engineers wake up??

I don't think the HD engineers are asleep they are arrogant , if they didn't come up with it they don't want to use it.. As much as I really hate to say it I think spiderman is right a bagger makes allot of sense and all there competition is water cooled. The other reason it makes sense is if the build a trike they will need better cooling also.

I doubt it is the actual engineers who are asleep or arrogant.  It is the management types who only know spreadsheets and financial statements who set the direction at H-D.  And then you have the guy in the goofy beret who thinks a Harley should look the way it did 100 years ago, progress be damned.  That's OK though, once the current "leadership" dies off or gets run out by the stockholders and board of directors, perhaps the replacement team can at least bring the company into the current century.

Jerry

[VaEagle]

I do NOT envy Harley executives at all. I bet is is an impossible job to balance their product  with today's customers considering government regulations.
Harley has built it's client base on the very history and tradition that hampers it very development. It can't very easily talk of tradition and loyalty to the look,feel and sound  and in the next breath try to get the loyalist to change to new designs. How many Harley riders do you know that would keep their old bike vs. buying new if Harley went fully water cooled and maybe even shaft drive?
I don't know but I bet the long term owners that would switch to a new design would be in the minority.Unless due to the fact that the average Harley rider is getting older and maybe they will look at the new design as an improvement with more performance and less maintenance.
I think Harley was on the right track of trying to get the younger riders into the dealership with the V-rod and maybe getting them to be loyal customers for life. Where I see a problem is in the cost factor. How will Harley ever get the young riders to switch brands if Harleys cost twice as much as Brand X and can't perform as well and seems to have more maintenance and reliability issues?
I know this website is for Harley lovers and many of us spend thousands of dollars in getting the best performance we can out of this old engine design. But I get looks of amazement from non-Harley riders when they hear about the money spent when all they have to do is turn the key and ride off after spending 1/3 the money I did to buy their new bike with twice the power and performance.
I wish them luck in solving the issues and I hope we can keep riding Harleys for many years to come.

[SPIDERMAN]

I do NOT envy Harley executives at all. I bet is is an impossible job to balance their product  with today's customers considering government regulations.
Harley has built it's client base on the very history and tradition that hampers it very development. It can't very easily talk of tradition and loyalty to the look,feel and sound  and in the next breath try to get the loyalist to change to new designs. How many Harley riders do you know that would keep their old bike vs. buying new if Harley went fully water cooled and maybe even shaft drive?
I don't know but I bet the long term owners that would switch to a new design would be in the minority.Unless due to the fact that the average Harley rider is getting older and maybe they will look at the new design as an improvement with more performance and less maintenance.
I think Harley was on the right track of trying to get the younger riders into the dealership with the V-rod and maybe getting them to be loyal customers for life. Where I see a problem is in the cost factor. How will Harley ever get the young riders to switch brands if Harleys cost twice as much as Brand X and can't perform as well and seems to have more maintenance and reliability issues?
I know this website is for Harley lovers and many of us spend thousands of dollars in getting the best performance we can out of this old engine design. But I get looks of amazement from non-Harley riders when they hear about the money spent when all they have to do is turn the key and ride off after spending 1/3 the money I did to buy their new bike with twice the power and performance.
I wish them luck in solving the issues and I hope we can keep riding Harleys for many years to come.

Actually I do envy them because I recall the way the Execs who ran H-D right after the takeover did their jobs. And you know it seemed in those days they had their fingers on the pulse of their customers better. Now it would seem they've gone back to the Ivory tower approach and leave far too much to Willie G who as has been pointed out has his head stuck in the past too much and marketing surverys that are set up to produce a preordained set of responses. I don't think I'd have any trouble running H-D Inc. It's not like being CEO requires you to do everything for everyone. You make decisions and and a smart man would better position himself to make decisions than what I see going on at present. One facet of my job is to keep the execs in my company informed of what goes on at the pointy end of the spear so to speak. I report every two weeks on a wide variety of issues with both civilian and military sides of the customer equation. I don't find it to be difficult and I usually get a couple commendations a year for doing it well, so I would love to have that responsibility for my favorite pastime. Imagine getting paid to do something you do for fun. What could be better. As to making sure the company was profitable. How hard is that if you deliver what the customer wants. I'm not aware that H-D Inc has ever had issues with product pricing. We as customers seem willing to pay whatever price so long as we like the product(s) This is a real no brainer if you ask me. 

B B

[bbrown]

Once again i ask???Why all the problems with the 110's  S&S, Revtech, Victory are all making big air cooled engines, most of which have had many less performance problems thatn the 110's.

So if all else fails why not tear them apart and compare till HD can build a better one.....I know that is the old Japan trick but it is still valid.

Maybe I just can not get myself to go to a liq. cooled

Oh well I still like the Screamers and am still excited to see what the models will be for 2009

[CVOJOE]

The term is generic to any bike with a radiator Joe. I don't think Suziki trademarked it. Matter of fact I'll bet they weren't pleased with it being hung on their bike

B B

True, B.B., my comments were more tongue-in-cheek about  the Buffalo. I think that the Suzy GT750 was the first Japanese serial manufactured motorcycle with a liquid-cooled engine. It carried a "Le Mans" handle in the USA, and   soon received the nickname ”Water Buffalo”, and was generally known as ”Kettle” in Britain and ”Waterbottle” in Australia. Back then the Kawasaki ate its lunch as I recall.

[SPIDERMAN]

True, B.B., my comments were more tongue-in-cheek about  the Buffalo. I think that the Suzy GT750 was the first Japanese serial manufactured motorcycle with a liquid-cooled engine. It carried a "Le Mans" handle in the USA, and   soon received the nickname ”Water Buffalo”, and was generally known as ”Kettle” in Britain and ”Waterbottle” in Australia. Back then the Kawasaki ate its lunch as I recall.

The three cylinder Kawa 900 two stroke was at one time the "World's Fastest Production Motorcycle "

B B

[SBB]

The three cylinder Kawa 900 two stroke was at one time the "World's Fastest Production Motorcycle "

B B

BB

The three cylinder 2 stroke was a 500 and a 750.
The 900 is a 4 cylinder 4 stroke!

[SPIDERMAN]

BB

The three cylinder 2 stroke was a 500 and a 750.
The 900 is a 4 cylinder 4 stroke!

Well well well, look who's back from the beach

And right you are. My memory jogged into gear as I hit the send button

B B
     PS
         Are you sunburnt ?

[SBB]

Well well well, look who's back from the beach

And right you are. My memory jogged into gear as I hit the send button

B B
     PS
         Are you sunburnt ?

YUP
Forehead and knees!
 

[SPIDERMAN]

YUP
Forehead and knees!

Gimme a bit, it'll come to me

[SBB]

Gimme a bit, it'll come to me

I left it wide open for you.
Hurry up, I don't have all night!

 

[bbrown]

?? Are you all on the wrong topic???

[SBB]

?? Are you all on the wrong topic???

Who?
Me?
BB??
Or all of us?
 

[Twolanerider]

Who?
Me?
BB??
Or all of us?
 

I thought the topic was motorcycles?   Or is this the scooter thread?

[SBB]

I thought the topic was motorcycles?   Or is this the scooter thread?

The 09's are out?   

I'll be at the Harley shop in the morning to see if BB's bike has arrived?