2012 Harley-Davidson 10th Anniversary Edition V-Rod Review

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by V2Rider

Nova was a liquid cooled V4 developed in conjunction with Porche. Once the company was reaquired from AMF they had a huge decision to make, go with the brand new motor and in a new direction or go with the Evolution. I'd say they made the right decision.
Motorcycle Specs

The Evo was a good move; they had a waiting line to buy bikes for what, 15 years? But now what? The conventional wisdom is that their market is old fcks who are dying off. Buell looked like a good idea to bring in younger riders, but once they hit a bump in the road, they dumped it like a hot potato.

If you're right about EPA standards vs. air-cooled, and I think you are, we may see the Nova or a "V-Rod Bagger" soon. Even if the EPA didn't exist, 65-70 hp gets old after a while.

[The Spaceman]

Here's an excellent article on the Nova project:

Nova The V-4 Harley you never saw!

...mapping out a 10-year product plan for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. There it was decided that due to the proliferation at the time of high-tech motorcycles from other countries, and their wide acceptance by American motorcyclists, a redesign of the current 74 (1,200cc) shovelhead engine would be insufficient to guarantee the company's long-term growth. So planners proposed a two-pronged strategy to ensuring Harley's future.

First, because of the established product line's loyal following, they set into motion an advanced V-twin project with the goal of updating the shovelhead Big Twin and Ironhead Sportster. The eventual result was the Evolution engine.

At the same time, an all-new machine with advanced technology would be developed to appeal to riders who wanted more contemporary performance.

[V2Rider]

Originally Posted by The Spaceman

The Evo was a good move; they had a waiting line to buy bikes for what, 15 years? But now what? The conventional wisdom is that their market is old fcks who are dying off. Buell looked like a good idea to bring in younger riders, but once they hit a bump in the road, they dumped it like a hot potato.

If you're right about EPA standards vs. air-cooled, and I think you are, we may see the Nova or a "V-Rod Bagger" soon. Even if the EPA didn't exist, 65-70 hp gets old after a while.

A company, CycleVisions, does offer some mods to turn a V Rod into a bagger. Some of the them look pretty good.

CycleVisions - Designs in Motion

[Buzglyd]

Originally Posted by V2Rider

Nova was a liquid cooled V4 developed in conjunction with Porche. Once the company was reaquired from AMF they had a huge decision to make, go with the brand new motor and in a new direction or go with the Evolution. I'd say they made the right decision.
Motorcycle Specs

Where the heck was the radiator?

Under the seat?

[V2Rider]

Originally Posted by Buzglyd

Where the heck was the radiator?

Under the seat?

If I remember correctly it was where the tank usually is which is why it had the huge air scoops. Gas was located unde the seat.

[Buzglyd]

A note about the younger market:

Sportbike sales are in the tank. All that younger generation stuff was scooped up by H-D.

The Dark line is selling way more than 600cc sport bikes right now.

Those guys will get old too.

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by V2Rider

If I remember correctly it was where the tank usually is which is why it had the huge air scoops. Gas was located unde the seat.

Close.

The radiator was under the seat! Scoops on the side of the bike forced air into a plenum on top of the radiator, and fans underneath drew it out. The gas was in those large side panels you can see in the photos.

It's said that this design gave a low cg and mass centralization, while retaining a clean, no-radiator engine bay. Apparently Willie G. thinks radiators have no place on any motorcycle.

[The Spaceman]

Originally Posted by Buzglyd

A note about the younger market:

Sportbike sales are in the tank. All that younger generation stuff was scooped up by H-D.

The Dark line is selling way more than 600cc sport bikes right now.

Those guys will get old too.

Your perspective may be skewed:
Harley-Davidson is the market leader among African-American men and women 35+ in the U.S. on-road 651cc+ motorcycle market.

[V2Rider]

Originally Posted by The Spaceman

Close.

The radiator was under the seat! Scoops on the side of the bike forced air into a plenum on top of the radiator, and fans underneath drew it out. The gas was in those large side panels you can see in the photos.

It's said that this design gave a low cg and mass centralization, while retaining a clean, no-radiator engine bay. Apparently Willie G. thinks radiators have no place on any motorcycle.

Thats a lot jammed under the seat. Makes you wonder how well it worked.

[jmdonald]

Originally Posted by Buzglyd

A note about the younger market:

Sportbike sales are in the tank. All that younger generation stuff was scooped up by H-D.

The Dark line is selling way more than 600cc sport bikes right now.

Those guys will get old too.

Purpose built bikes seem to be the natural progression but most of the young riders I have talked to are gravitating to the all around standard or Sport Touring type bikes. It is hard to get a clear picture without real TAM and demographic data. It's all interesting stuff. Most of my riding buddies all have Road Kings. My own experience for the most part doesn't seem to reflect what the real market data is saying. The dynamics of this market have a lot to tell. I would love to see some real world data from some of the big players.