A quick search on the internet turned up people complaining about heat on the Stratoliner and the VTX 1800 (water cooled!).
Maybe we should ban together and demand that Harley get's to stay at the 1978 EPA standards. That would fix all our issues! Let's march on washington like all the other groups that have been put down.

 

There's the bottom line. Big Brother wants to do away with air-cooled, period. Now, what's next? would you rather have a bagger on the proven V-rod platform? or just another cookie-cutter water-buffalo clone? How many above respondants understand CARB2008/EPA2010? Remember, "I just wanna ride, screw the politics"? Bikes period will be outlawed soon enough! But, "I just wanna ride, man"

 

Iceman,

Very well written post.

 

I found this while researching the EPA crapola. Anyone up for a 2450 CC Harley? Didn't say if it was watercooled or not....
Check out page 10
http://www.epa.gov/otaq/regs/roadbik...arley-pres.pdf

 

The Vrod is another cookie cutter water buffalo clone. The engine wasn't designed by Harley and to me it is no different than any other metric on the market. As for the heat of a Stratoliner, whatever. I also own a Roadstar Warrior and it not only displaces more than my '07 Street Glide it makes a helluva lot more power. The BS can continu to spew about Harley not being able to meet the new regs but it's just that, BS. If Yamaha can do it, so can Harley.

 

I don't want a VROD bagger. I would own a VROD bar bike however. As far as sounding like a Harley, what sound is that? Is it the stock mufflers? It must not be as everyone on here sez they have to be swapped out. Is it Screaming Eagle II slipons? Most would say no (check out the poll on exhausts and loudness). Is it D&D Fat Cat 2 into 1's? Is it Bassani's, V&H, thundermax, etc, etc, etc?
I was passed by a group of 6 (5 VROD's and a Road Glide) Harleys on the highway Saturday headed for the ROT rally. They sounded like Harley Sportsters to me. Lastly, what does liquid cooling have to do with sound of the motor?

 

How about "Hydro Glide"?

 

The evenly spaced staccoto sound that an air cooled 45 degree single pin crank Vtwin makes. Exhaust sytems accentuate certain parts of the sound or change the tone a little but make no mistake, my Harley sounds like a Harley. It's different from my Warrior, no matter how hard Yamaha tries to emulate it, and it's different from the other clones out there. I can tell a Harley is a Harley by the sound of the motor regardless of what type of pipe it has on it. The Vrod doesn't sound like a Harley. I don't dislike the Vrod at all but it ain't a Harley to me and when I was in the market a few months back for a bike to customize a little I considered a Vrod. Then I rode one and got over it.

 

• AMERICAN IRON MAGAZINE • JANUARY 2006 www.AIMag.com
Almost every Harley on the road today has had its engine, exhaust pipes, and/or intake system
altered in some way to improve performance. However, doing any of these modifications makes
you liable for a $10,000 fine.

�* THE NEW EPA (ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTIONAGENCY) motorcycle emissions rules have taken effect for the large manufacturers, those that produce over 3,000 units per year, beginning
with the 2006 models. You know your shop is ready for the new year. Your techs have done their homework so they understand the changes in the new models. You have all the latest catalogs so you can get eve rything your customers will want to personalize their rides. You know the specs on all the latest engines, engine components, transmissions, wheels, and frames and what will fit what bike. You can even build your customer any bike he wants, right down to that righteous paint job and custom chrome plating on the parts your machine shop fabricates.
Your customers have already started coming in complaining about the performance of their new ride and asking you to make some improvements for them. They want you to change that
restrictive stock air cleaner and filter. Oh, and get rid of the stock pipes, so their bike will look, sound, and run better. That means a new fuel injection control module will be needed, or
the stock one altered, because the engine will not run right (lots of popping and spitting out of the intake) with the factory fuel injection map. Your customer does not want to buy the flash
from the dealer because he’s not finished changing things yet. So you put on one of the aftermarket programmable fuel injection control modules because the owner wants to be able to adjust the mapping when he has you put in the new cam and rework the heads later on.
Does this sound familiar? Sure it does, this is your industry, your livelihood. Heck, this is how you’ve been doing business since you opened your doors. However, now there’s a big problem with doing business as usual. Have you noticed the disclaimers on all those engine products, including the new, highflow air filters? You know, the ones that say “For closed course use only”
or “Not legal for street use.” Those words are what may end business as you know it unless you’re working exclusively on pre-1979 motorcycles. That’s because if you work on later machines, any modification you do to the engine, intake, exhaust system, or driveline of a motorcycle puts you in violation of the federal Clean Air Act of 1979. Unfortunately, this is how many small shops, manufacturers, and bike builders currently make their living. If you want to
preserve your livelihood, now is the time to get involved.
TA M P E R I N G
There is a section in the Clean Air Act of 1979 concerning “tampering,” which makes it illegal to
modify or remove any component designed to reduce or control exhaust emissions, including
intake or exhaust noise. Removing the catalytic converter on a car, or a new motorcycle constitutes tampering. So does replacing an engine component with anything other than stock or direct replacement components. Violating this anti-tampering law opens you up to a fine of up to
$10,000 per occurrence. An occurrence is logged each and every day the modified vehicle is operated on public streets. That means a possible fine of up to $10,000 per day for every modified motorcycle that comes out of your shop. (This is the maximum fine, not necessarily what the EPA will impose.) What work can you do without violating the anti-tampering law? The EPA says that, by law, all you can change is accessories that do not affect how the bike performs emissions-wise, such as chassis improvements, color, and chrome changes. No engine, intake, exhaust, or driveline modifications allowed. Ditto for six-speeds, fat rear tires, and sprocket or pulley changes. Anything that can cause the engine

 

Yes, please, yes.One word: Phoenix.

For those who claim "old school", we now have EFI, PCIII tuners, Stereo, MP3, synthetic oil, heated seats, electronic oil temp guages, cruise for jimminy sakes, water cooled? Heck yes!!