More 2011 Honda Models Announced

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by MOKE1K

So your saying if Honda came out with a bike that didnt resemble Harley at all it wouldnt sell? Thats a bit of a streach don't ya think.
I think the motive behind making it look like a sporster, is because for some weird reason they think us mericans like that played out look, personally its a bit outdated for my taste. Plus I'd take an overhead cam rather than pushrods any ole day.

Of course not. I'm saying that a cruiser needs to look like a Harley to sell. The Japanese use a styling formula to make cruisers look like Harleys. There was an article about that in a mag in the early 90s as I recall. Heck, they put phony fins on the cylinders of water cooled engines.

It's all personal preference because ohc has no advantage over pushrods in a long stroke low rpm engine. If anything it can increase the cost of building a bike and in a long stroke engine can make the cylinders pretty tall. This is why Yamaha went with pushrods in the Road Star lineup. With 6500 rpm redlines the choice between pushrods and ohc is a push. Look at how tall a Victory or Vulcan engine is compared to an HD or a Road Star. A lot of people don't like it.

And don't try to lay that "old tech" stuff on me again, dude! Avco-Lycoming uses pushrods in aircraft engines. BMW still uses pushrods in the R1200 series engines. Hardly "primitive".

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by seruzawa

Of course not. I'm saying that a cruiser needs to look like a Harley to sell. The Japanese use a styling formula to make cruisers look like Harleys. There was an article about that in a mag in the early 90s as I recall. Heck, they put phony fins on the cylinders of water cooled engines.

It's all personal preference because ohc has no advantage over pushrods in a long stroke low rpm engine. If anything it can increase the cost of building a bike and in a long stroke engine can make the cylinders pretty tall. This is why Yamaha went with pushrods in the Road Star lineup. With 6500 rpm redlines the choice between pushrods and ohc is a push. Look at how tall a Victory or Vulcan engine is compared to an HD or a Road Star. A lot of people don't like it.

And don't try to lay that "old tech" stuff on me again, dude! Avco-Lycoming uses pushrods in aircraft engines. BMW still uses pushrods in the R1200 series engines. Hardly "primitive".

All good points - except the R1200 note. They now have DOHCs.

[MOKE1K]

I just have a hard time wraping my head around your point mainly because ever since I started riding I loathed Harleys and mainly it was because of the looks. And trust me Seru I did not play the technology card on you that again is just my preference I like newer technology. Did I just call an overhead cam new technology? LOL.

It's strange to me that Yamaha did what they did with the stratoliner line up as well as the roadstar models with the pushrods when they came out. I always used to think Jezz now they are even copying the motor? What next?
Look there's no argument that The Japanese copying Harleys looks, thing I could never figure out is why! And another point is Victory seems to be selling there bikes and they don't resemble harleys for the most part. It's all opinions.

[MOKE1K]

The other point I think that's worth mentioning is how much different can a cruiser look? I mean there's not to much variance until it starts to look like either a chopper our a tourer. It's the same thing with a sportbike with fairings, once the bike is covered in bodywork the only difference is the shape. I would never own a cruiser unless it was a wing or a custom chopper.

[seruzawa]

Originally Posted by MOKE1K

And trust me Seru I did not play the technology card on you that again is just my preference I like newer technology. Did I just call an overhead cam new technology? LOL.

I know you weren't. Just funnin'.

OHC was first developed around... 1910? Engine development was strong up until WWII. The first DOHC engines were either two- or four-valve per cylinder racing car designs from companies like Fiat (1912), Peugeot Grand Prix (1913, 4 valve), Alfa Romeo Grand Prix (1914, 4 valve)[3] and 6C (192, Maserati Tipo 26 (1926), Bugatti Type 51 (1931). Development of ic engines pretty much stopped during WWII. After the war with much of the world devastated the USA didn't do much development either and it was only the rise of German and Japanese factories in the 60s that ic engine development continued. It was a 30 year break.

History is always fascinating to me. It's amazing how little is really 'new'. Mainly electronics is really new. Most other things mechanical are improvements on earlier concepts.

For that matter the Romans had a steam engine, though they didn't know what to do with it. Slave societies do not innovate very well.

[The_AirHawk]

Originally Posted by Kevin_Duke

These aren't the end of Honda's 2011 announcements...

Nothin' against you and MO, Duke - but "whoopitey-doo-da".

[Kevin_Duke]

Originally Posted by The_AirHawk

Nothin' against you and MO, Duke - but "whoopitey-doo-da".

(These are words that allow me to post a short message like a smiley face)