Hi Guys,
Sorry I have been away, I am dealing with a personal tragedy. I am laughing at the dating game twist on this thread. Without knowing Hoist, I am going to give him the benefit of the doubt anyway; I am sure his daughters are adorable.
Anyway, regarding the bikes RK listed as watercooled, yes, those are. But the big Yamaha 102 and 113 V-twins are still Air Cooled. These big Royal Star bikes do have a following, and the ones I know run trouble free. But there is no doubt that water-cooling an engine helps not only in performance but also in emissions. Confining an engine to a controlled and narrow operating temperature range allows the manufacturer to truly fine tune an engines operating parameters and build an engine to tighter specs. No doubt about that.
Kawasaki is selling their Vulcan 2000 (125 cubic inch) V-twin. This engine is water-cooled, but it still looks like an air-cooled motor with the cooling fins. It is a push rod OHV style motor just like Harley. It even has a single crank-pin like Harley with the uneven crank firing pulses giving it that Harley sound. This bike kicks ass, I have ridden them. And there are no operating issues or built-in-time bombs (as of yet). Am I saying I want one, No! But if Harley were to watercool their engine in the same fashion that Kawasaki has, I think that would be the direction to go. I would still be in the game for Harley's Big Twin.
My fear however is that Harley is going in the direction of the V-Rod. I am not knocking the V-Rod, its a great bike. It is a great bike to have in the product line, but it is not the Harley Icon that the MOCO built its reputation on; the Big V-Twin is. I keep hearing rumors that this is the motor that Harley will be using in all their bikes soon, and that would be a disaster. If Harley did that, they would stun their loyal customer base. I hope to hell that is not what they are going to do. If that is where we are heading, I will never sell any of my current collection of Harley machines. If anybody is aware of any other rumor on this, please lets air it. I am getting really nervous about this.
Regarding my comments on Harley letting bikes out with inherent problems and letting their customers Beta-test them, that is a fact. My best friends Dad taught Harley field technicians in Milwaukee for years until he passed. I know more about this subject matter than I want to discuss. Needless to say, some of the current 2007 model year issues relating to self-destructing engines, poor operating characteristics, porous heads and trans cases, etc. are an example of what I am talking about. They should not be doing it, and are taking us for granted. I am beginning to honestly believe that they do not derserve the allegiance we give them.
Ya, You Know, I bleed Harley blood too; have for many, many years. Still love the bikes, but I am starting to get tired of being bled.
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Topic: HOT CVO HEAT NOT LOOKS (Read 18775 times)