Can't find a video of it running

 

Thanks for the video, that explained a couple of my questions about the design.
Makes you wonder, what might have been out there now, had this moved forward...

Ride on!
pc

 

What about a flat 6?

 

looks vaguely like a Guzzi I saw not long ago....
I imagine the same type of squid would ride this too.......

 

Why didn't the company ever put the V Rod engine in a dresser. Seems to me like a water cooled engine under the fairings would make a ton of sense.

 

I always thought that was where they were going to go with that motor. I rode a V Rod the first year they came out and thought that motor in a Road King frame would be killer.

 

A Valkyrie was hard to beat for just that reason. Kinda like the Wing but more class. (IMHO) 6 cylinder, water cooled and smooth. Heavy, somewhat compared to some, but very manageable.

 

Given the V-Rod's Revolution engine was their first production stab at water cooling and DOHC, I think the timing was wrong. As much as I love my Revo, the Revolution-Max is a much better engine from an engineering and thermodynamic standpoint. More power, less maintenance, less overall weight. The stars are aligned this go-around for a broader application to other MoCo products like the Custom, Bronx (please, please), and someday Touring.

 

While a pretty good engine my understanding is it had some drawbacks for going into the Tourer line. It made good power but not down low where most of us like it in heavy touring bikes. It wasn't a very efficient engine, VRods were often getting low 30's per gallon, or around 8 mpg less than Tourers, even in a lighter motorcycle. The two people I know with them (they each had another Harley as well, RK and Street Glide) said for theirs to "run right at low and mid rpm" they needed fueling such as a Power Commander. That really helped but reduced mpg even further. This engine required periodic valve checks which weren't the easiest to access so costly to have performed. If HD could have re-tuned the engine to make more torque down low and eliminated the dip or flat spot in the low-mid range, while making it use less fuel, it may have worked.

 

Gotcha. That all makes sense. i remember when the VRod first came out. Had my wife drive me to the dealer to pick one up. Most ergonomically awkward motorcycle I ever sat on. Immediately got off it and said there is no way I can make that work. Ended up adding a Buell XB9R to my stable and I found that bike the be the best "riding" motorcycle I have ever owned. 25+ bikes over 30 years and that damn thing was an extension of the rider. Just point her where you wanted and that is where she ended up. Just brilliant engineering with a terrible marketing plan. Eventually I might pick up another for quick jaunts around the twisties.