Hell Freezing Over?

Bones

Bones

Your Humble Scribe
Joined
Dec 6, 2004
Messages
4,904
Age
60
Location
western Mass
Bike
2014 BMW R1200RT
STOC #
5575
Liquid-cooled Harley tourers...LINKY (Errr, H-D is calling it twin-cooling)




(Yes, we have had the V-Rod for a decade, but this is liquid cooling of traditional FLH-EIEIO models.)
 
I can imagine there were lots of heated meetings in HD HQ about how /when to introduce it, knowing it was inevitable but not wanting to detract from their solid market position based on heritage design & technology. Sounds like they've a transition plan as they'll eventually have to do more than just liquid cool the heads.
 
I am surprised it just cools the head, I figured they would have tried to get it into the drivers seat for an added "twin-seat warmer"
 
Maybe they are just trying to keep up with BMW. The new GS is liquid cooled and the RT is getting the new engine next year.
 
I think - guess - emissions are also the main issue... but, I have no facts.
 
As a Harley rider... I love my rice burner too! There was a massive coup at Harley when the V-Rod was introduced because of the liquid cooling. "Harley's are supposed to be air cooled by god!" Quite honestly, if you sit on an air cooled Harley in traffic in August, most would prefer a liquid cooled machine. Harley attempted to ease this particular situation by shutting off the rear cylinder while idling. I would bet in this case, they only cooled the head to have the least impact on the classic V-twin shape. Wrapping a water jacket around it and loosing the iconic cooling fins was probably not a sacrifice they are willing to make right now. Harley is mainly guided by image and not performance to the point that to get the iconic sound, a Harley v-twin is actually out of time. This is just natural evolution, Harley can't rely on its name to keep the brand alive any longer. When I was sixteen I wanted a Harley... After owning a couple in my 20's and 30's... I bought a Honda. I still love my Harley but its on its first tank of gas this season still, while my ST has added a few thousand more miles on the clock! Younger riders are about performance and quite honestly, cost is a big factor as well. Why pay $25,000 for a machine that's inferior to the $18,000 competitor? Brand loyalty aside, that's just silly!
 
Tough to be competitive with an antiquated product. Emissions compliant, no more engine rebuilds at 30,000 miles. Now if the would just bury the loud pipes routine. They are lookers though. :D
 
Illinois said:
Tough to be competitive with an antiquated product. Emissions compliant, no more engine rebuilds at 30,000 miles. Now if the would just bury the loud pipes routine. They are lookers though. :D
Click to expand...

Most stock Harleys are very quiet....
 
Was riding with 3 Harley's last week in the Poconos. There was an accident on I-80 and all the traffic diverted to the town roads that we were on. After 40 minutes sitting in traffic they were watching their oil pressure drop down to 3 psi. They just mentioned pulling over somewhere to let them cool when traffic opened up and we could get some air to them to cool them down. Several things go together to cause these problems. One of them is the fact that they can't let the bike idle when sitting. Seems they just have to blip the throttle every few seconds. That literally just adds more fuel to the fire making them even hotter.
 
At least the newer ones have parade mode that shuts off the back cylinder but an air cooled engine isn't going to like sitting at idle.
I *think blipping the throttle takes it out of parade mode.

interwebs says...
You must be talking about the Engine Idle Temperature Management System. Basically, it turns off the rear cylinder and it becomes an "air pump" which helps to cool the engine.

All conditions must be met to activate EITMS:
- Engine temp more than 287 degrees
- Engine idling
- Moving under 1 MPH
- RMPs less than 1200

Once activated it'll deactivate if one of the following exist:
- Engine temp falls below 275 degrees
- Revving the engine
- Moving faster than 2 MPH
- RPMs exceed 1350
- Clutch released while its in gear

Your bike should have been delivered with EITMS disabled. To enable it:
1. Turn the ignition switch ON and push the OFF/RUN switch to the RUN position (do not start your bike).
2. Push the throttle to the roll-off position and hold.
3. After about 3 seconds, the cruise indicator lamp will either flash green (EITMS enabled) or red (EITMS disabled).
4. Repeat steps 1-3 to reverse the process as needed.
 
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Bones said:
I'd wager it's because they want to minimize the visual impact of the radiator.
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I'm sure that's a huge factor. Bad enough that liquid cooling is added but a big radiator out front, like a... a... Japanese bike?? Oh, the shame!!


Mellow said:
I think - guess - emissions are also the main issue... but, I have no facts.
Click to expand...

Facts? What facts?? We don't need no stinkin' facts!!

But it had to happen. Emissions killed off the two-stroke. Remember the Kawi Mach IIIs, IVs, and Yami RDs? And expansion chambers? The Suzi Water Buffalo? RDs ruled the first half of the Sunday Morning Ride! And our STs have catalytic converters (as well as some other bikes).


Slasher said:
Brand loyalty aside, that's just silly!
Click to expand...

True, but if they can afford to like what you like more power (LOL) to 'em. A lot of appeal is image but there are aesthetics as well. If had J Leno's money I'd have maybe eight bikes. No HDs (well maybe a Sport) but an old Duc for sure.
 
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