HARLEY-DAVIDSON OWNERS FEEL RECALL STING

[Pokey]

I have enjoyed every Harley I have ridden, I think they are pretty fine bikes to be honest. And to those that say they are low tech.......that is simply not true. They are arguably the best at what they make and who they make it for, although Victory and Indian are also making some fine machines in comparison. I could not own one as my only bike, but I could for sure add a Road king or a Street glide to the garage. I hate them obnoxiously loud, but other than that......its all good.

[jschaf]

Why do folks on Harley's get pissed off when I pass them? It seems that if they didn't want to get passed they wouldn't have bought a Harley. The guys on the stage whatever's remind me of the guys in the hot rod pickup trucks except the trucks are faster through the corners.

[Tpoppa]

And to those that say they are low tech.......that is simply not true. 

 

There is certainly some tech, like FI...finally.  However the engine architecture is certainly low tech.  An air cooled, pushrod twin is about the lowest tech motor you can find on a street bike.  It's straight out of 1965.  The manufacturing process and quality control use current tech, but the product largely does not.         

[zx3vfr]

There is certainly some tech, like FI...finally.  However the engine architecture is certainly low tech.  An air cooled, pushrod twin is about the lowest tech motor you can find on a street bike.  It's straight out of 1965.  The manufacturing process and quality control use current tech, but the product largely does not.         

I dunno man, just because pushrods are low tech doesn't make them bad "The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette uses an LT1 6.2 L V8 (376 cu in) making 455 bhp (339 kW) or 460 bhp (340 kW) with the optional performance exhaust"

 

and I guess you could call a super charger just as low tech "The 2015 Z06 Corvette has 650 bhp from the supercharged LT4 aluminum 6.2L V-8 engine"

 

 

compared to a twin turbo i6 double over head cam from bmw using a brand new engine and turbo system "BMW says it is completely different to the N55 engine seen in other BMW 35i models, this engine has been built specifically for the New M4/M3, displacing 3.0 L (180 cu in) and redlining at 7,500 rpm. The rev limiter coming in at 7,600rpm. The engine will use two mono-scroll turbochargers with boost peaking at 18.1 PSI. The power is rated at 425 hp (317 kW; 431 PS) while torque will be 550 N·m (410 lb·ft)"

 

And even compare that with a modern tech twin turbo dohc 4.4 V8 "The F10 M5 uses a 4395 cc variation of the S63 V8 engine called the S63B44Tü, which produces 560 metric horsepower" that's 90 HP less than a double old tech corvette...

 

A twin turbo V6 by Nissan? Nope Still not there with modern tech "Models produced in 2012 again featured improved engine output (404 kW (549 PS; 542 hp) at 6400 rpm and 628 N·m (463 lbf·ft) at 3200–5800 rpm)."

 

But I jest, a car with more horsepower. "It is a version of the 2015 Dodge Challenger with a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI engine rated at 707 hp (527 kW) and 650 lb·ft (881 N·m) of torque. This engine is also available in the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Chrysler claims that this makes the Challenger SRT Hellcat "the most powerful muscle car ever,"^[41] with a top speed of 199 mph (320 km/h). The inner driving light on the left front has been removed to allow air to get into the engine resulting in more torque, and the wheel wells are different from the standard SRT to accommodate the 20-inch aluminum wheels. The SRT Hellcat will come equipped with two separate key fobs; use of the "black" fob will limit engine output to 500 horsepower, while the "red" fob will enable the full output capability.^[42] The Hellcat has a quarter mile time of 10.85 seconds; this was accomplished with street legal drag tires. On stock tires the Hellcat was able to achieve 11.2 seconds @ 125 mph on the quarter mile.^[43]"

 

^{pussrods, leafsprings and stupidchargers.}

 

^{You do have this though, with even more horsepower. http://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/918 but for the extra 200 hp you're adding $840,000 dollars, but Porsche is cheating by adding 2 electric motors.}

[RCBS]

https://nurburgringlaptimes.com/lap-times-top-100/

 

The GTR bests the baddest Vette with just over half the displacement.  

 

When was the last production GM engine that made 600hp out of less than 4 litres?  Yep...never. 

 

I like what Chevrolet has been doing with the Corvette the last ten years, but to declare it or any other car the best strictly based on bhp numbers is silly.

[Tpoppa]

I dunno man, just because pushrods are low tech doesn't make them bad "The 2014 Chevrolet Corvette uses an LT1 6.2 L V8 (376 cu in) making 455 bhp (339 kW) or 460 bhp (340 kW) with the optional performance exhaust"

 

and I guess you could call a super charger just as low tech "The 2015 Z06 Corvette has 650 bhp from the supercharged LT4 aluminum 6.2L V-8 engine"

 

 

compared to a twin turbo i6 double over head cam from bmw using a brand new engine and turbo system "BMW says it is completely different to the N55 engine seen in other BMW 35i models, this engine has been built specifically for the New M4/M3, displacing 3.0 L (180 cu in) and redlining at 7,500 rpm. The rev limiter coming in at 7,600rpm. The engine will use two mono-scroll turbochargers with boost peaking at 18.1 PSI. The power is rated at 425 hp (317 kW; 431 PS) while torque will be 550 N·m (410 lb·ft)"

 

And even compare that with a modern tech twin turbo dohc 4.4 V8 "The F10 M5 uses a 4395 cc variation of the S63 V8 engine called the S63B44Tü, which produces 560 metric horsepower" that's 90 HP less than a double old tech corvette...

 

A twin turbo V6 by Nissan? Nope Still not there with modern tech "Models produced in 2012 again featured improved engine output (404 kW (549 PS; 542 hp) at 6400 rpm and 628 N·m (463 lbf·ft) at 3200–5800 rpm)."

 

But I jest, a car with more horsepower. "It is a version of the 2015 Dodge Challenger with a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI engine rated at 707 hp (527 kW) and 650 lb·ft (881 N·m) of torque. This engine is also available in the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat. Chrysler claims that this makes the Challenger SRT Hellcat "the most powerful muscle car ever,"^[41] with a top speed of 199 mph (320 km/h). The inner driving light on the left front has been removed to allow air to get into the engine resulting in more torque, and the wheel wells are different from the standard SRT to accommodate the 20-inch aluminum wheels. The SRT Hellcat will come equipped with two separate key fobs; use of the "black" fob will limit engine output to 500 horsepower, while the "red" fob will enable the full output capability.^[42] The Hellcat has a quarter mile time of 10.85 seconds; this was accomplished with street legal drag tires. On stock tires the Hellcat was able to achieve 11.2 seconds @ 125 mph on the quarter mile.^[43]"

 

^{pussrods, leafsprings and stupidchargers.}

 

^{You do have this though, with even more horsepower. http://www.caranddriver.com/porsche/918 but for the extra 200 hp you're adding $840,000 dollars, but Porsche is cheating by adding 2 electric motors.}

Great story.  Apples and oranges, but great story.   How much HP could a Corvette reliably produce if it used an air cooled motor?  200?  250?  Would you call that Hi tech?

 

One of the limiting factors of push rods is RPMs.  Not such a big deal on a car, because cars have a lot more flexibility with weight and displacement.  The HD 103ci produces a whopping 65 hp.  http://www.hdforums.com/forum/touring-models/827903-what-is-this-factory-hp-on-103-a.html

 

A hi tech 600cc super sport displaces about 36ci and make significantly more hp...reliably.

Edited October 9, 2015 by Tpoppa

[MichaelS]

Great story.  Apples and oranges, but great story.   How much HP could a Corvette reliably produce if it used an air cooled motor?  200?  250?  Would you call that Hi tech?

 

One of the limiting factors of push rods is RPMs.  Not such a big deal on a car, because cars have a lot more flexibility with weight and displacement.  The HD 103ci produces a whopping 65 hp.  http://www.hdforums.com/forum/touring-models/827903-what-is-this-factory-hp-on-103-a.html

 

A hi tech 600cc super sport displaces about 36ci and make significantly more hp...reliably.

To head off the torque comment that would follow this from that same forum thread "103 about 81 ft pounds"  81 lb/ft is not much from a ~1.7L motor.  A not very high tech air cooled 1100 from Ducati half a decade ago makes almost that. 

[Tonik]

Wait, now two Ducati fanboi's are ragging on HD reliability?  Think I will just leave this Consumer Reports reliability rating right here.

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/04/who-makes-the-most-reliable-motorcycle/index.htm

Edited October 9, 2015 by Tonik

[Tpoppa]

As I've said before...I think a STOCK Harley is acceptably reliable.   They only make 65hp because more than that and the reliability suffers.   Of course few owners leave them stock.  

[Tonik]

Dude, your wife is so tired of it breaking down she won't even pick you up anymore.

[MichaelS]

Wait, now two Ducati fanboi's are ragging on HD reliability?  Think I will just leave this Consumer Reports reliability rating right here.

 

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/news/2015/04/who-makes-the-most-reliable-motorcycle/index.htm

I don't think I mentioned reliability anywhere.  Me thinks you were just looking to drop some Ducati hate.

[MichaelS]

Jim is full of Duc-Jelly.

I got that impression.

[Tonik]

You guys got me, I have always wanted a bike that was less reliable than a Harley.

[Gixxus Christ!]

You guys got me, I have always wanted a bike that was less reliable than a Harley.

I can hook you up with a 70's Harley 2 stroke 250 dirt bike that's actually a re-badged aeramicci. Harley, Italian, temperamental as fuck. Everyone wins.

[MichaelS]

You guys got me, I have always wanted a bike that was less reliable than a Harley.

Ha that is only the new stuff.  Like IP said, try our air cooled stuff. 

[serpentracer]

I love when i see companies like this having problems due to their cheap fuck ceo's cutting corners and sourcing cheap china parts.

[serpentracer]

HD's New Slogan: "Yesterday's technology for tomorrow's prices!"

Haha. Like GM. "How do we make cheap expensive"?

[Gixxus Christ!]

If only subaru made motorcycles.

[zx3vfr]

If only subaru made motorcycles.

someone would die quickly

 

http://thekneeslider.com/kickboxer-subaru-wrx-powered-motorcycle-concept/

[Gixxus Christ!]

But what a death!