I was not implying that the MOCO mess with the current touring platforms.....you are right it is a top seller. I said it would be interesting to see them take the Revolution engine and put it in a NEW touring platform altogether.....possibly even a sport-touring platform. Perhaps something with some more cutting edge styling cues. Trust me I own my current HD for the classic look and that is why I buy HD. But is there a market out there with the younger riders that would be interested in something more cutting edge? Just because I like the classic styling does not mean everyone does or even should. We all know if HD does not ACCURATELY start to cater to what the younger riders are looking for they will be belly up in 15-20 years! The blackline is an attempt but I think it will miss the mark! The average HD owner is now 47 years old and what that crowd wants is not what necessarily what the 20 and 30 somethings want! I'm just saying it would be interesting to see if HD design folks could pull off a modern styled touring bike with the Revo enging.
V ROD and Porche
- Thread starter sportshogger
- Start date
I was not implying that the MOCO mess with the current touring platforms.....you are right it is a top seller. I said it would be interesting to see them take the Revolution engine and put it in a NEW touring platform altogether.....possibly even a sport-touring platform. Perhaps something with some more cutting edge styling cues. Trust me I own my current HD for the classic look and that is why I buy HD. But is there a market out there with the younger riders that would be interested in something more cutting edge? Just because I like the classic styling does not mean everyone does or even should. We all know if HD does not ACCURATELY start to cater to what the younger riders are looking for they will be belly up in 15-20 years! The blackline is an attempt but I think it will miss the mark! The average HD owner is now 47 years old and what that crowd wants is not what necessarily what the 20 and 30 somethings want! I'm just saying it would be interesting to see if HD design folks could pull off a modern styled touring bike with the Revo enging.
I don't know if I agree with that logic. What if, as those riders mature, they start to be attracted to the same bikes and styles we are right now, and HD is the main brand to fill that desire? They will then naturally move on the the cruisers and tourers that Milwaukee is putting out. I think this is a process that has repeated itself over time. 20 years ago did WE all have the same taste in bikes that we do now? I'm not saying everyone will follow this path, but enough that HD shouldn't go out of its way to aggressively pursue a market segment that will be changing and maturing and end up right where most of us are today.
You make a valid point against my theory but I base my logic on the fact that the sport bike craze is growing and growing among the younger generation ages 20 - 35! I am 38 and bought my first bike at age 37....my harley I had been dreaming of for 5 years!!!!! I never even considered a sport bike in my younger days......just dreamed of someday having the extra income to afford a harley! I just can't see the 20 and 30 somethings trading in their Gixxers for a road king or a fat boy! I can, however see them trading in the rockets for a 1200cc HP monster revolution motor powered sport touring bike made by HD! As long as HD stays true to the attention to detail in manufacturing and design of their current product I don't care if they produce a sport touring water cooled bike!!! I'd love to see one!!!!! No I base my opinion on my experience.....even in my early 30's all I dreamed of was HD. Any guys out there agree with Doolittle......did many of you out there run sport and sport touring scoots in your 20's and 30's and switch to HD? Even so I just can't see these younger riders that curse and mock HD switch over.......unless the styling changes drastically.
Whacko, I would have to disagree to an extent. (About the catering to the younger crowd at least). I will agree that it is good to have a line to appeal to the younger generation, however, most younger people would love the black line, most cannot afford a harley. Don't get me wrong, I know some can make things work out to own a harley, but I don't think I would base much of my market share on the younger generation. I agree that the moco should have some bikes that would appeal to the younger crowd, but unfortunately we can't stay young forever.
I know, I've tried, but my back keeps telling me I'm ready for a classic touring model). I hope this makes a bit of sense, long story short, I think the moco should have a bike or to for the younger folks that can make it happen, but I think the solid foundation of the moco is with the older crowd and some classics......I think the bulk of the sales are with older folks. (Unfortunately, I'm getting to be one of the older folks)
I apologize, to me this seems kind of scattered, but I'm trying to type this at work, and work keeps interfering. :s
J
Jack Klarich
Guest
IMO, if The MOCO had poured a bit more money in the VR1000 it would have been a winner at the tracks, but the V rod has stepped up to the plate now
Nova The V-4 Harley you never saw!
For a company that's been manufacturing motorcycles for a century, Harley-Davidson hasn't often rocked the two-wheel world back on its heels. Even the V-Rod, as radical a departure from Milwaukee orthodoxy as The Motor Company has ever produced, breaks very little technological ground compared to bikes from its competitors overseas. But for a brief, shining moment 25 years ago, Harley sat poised to blow the roof off the motorcycle market-and its own reputation as a manufacturer of stodgy, technically unsophisticated products-with a dazzling new model powered by a water-cooled V-4, code-named Nova.
Even a quarter of a century after the fact, Harley-Davidson, a notoriously close-mouthed company when it comes to motorcycles that never got past the prototype stage, is reluctant to discuss the details of the Nova project. But not even H-D could withstand two years of constant, good-natured badgering by American Rider, intent on bringing the Nova story to light. And so recently the factory not only granted us the rare privilege of access to archival material (where we were astounded to find five Nova prototypes gathered together in one place) but also invited us to its own photo studio for a historic session with the Nova in front of the camera.
At the time of the Nova's conception, Harleys were powered by big-bore, long-stroke, slow-revving pushrod engines. A healthy Harley in a good state of tune might register 50 horsepower on a rear-wheel dynamometer. The plethora of short-stroke, water-cooled, overhead-cam engines that the overseas competition would eventually usher in were still just a gleam in their designers' eyes. But in 1976 Harley put into motion a plan to design and produce a radically new family of motorcycles powered by a series of engines that would incorporate all those modern features...and produce up to 135 horsepower.
Brad Chaney
After several years of development and testing, and with a planned release date of mid-1981, the Nova project had at least 30 engines and 12 complete, running motorcycles to show for its efforts. The engines had more than 2,000 hours of testing, and the bikes had logged 100,000 miles on the road. Engine tests and handling evaluations had all been completed without experiencing any major structural failures in either the chassis or the engine. One of the prototypes even met strict California emission standards.
In all, Harley spent more than $15 million on development and testing (about $40 million in today's dollars), and even invested another $1 million in die-cast tooling for the crankcase. By then the only task that remained was to invest in additional tooling, set up the production line and begin turning out Novas.
And yet the Nova never made it past the prototype stage. The prototypes were rolled, not into the light of day, but into the dark recesses of a warehouse, away from the public eye...until now.
For a company that's been manufacturing motorcycles for a century, Harley-Davidson hasn't often rocked the two-wheel world back on its heels. Even the V-Rod, as radical a departure from Milwaukee orthodoxy as The Motor Company has ever produced, breaks very little technological ground compared to bikes from its competitors overseas. But for a brief, shining moment 25 years ago, Harley sat poised to blow the roof off the motorcycle market-and its own reputation as a manufacturer of stodgy, technically unsophisticated products-with a dazzling new model powered by a water-cooled V-4, code-named Nova.
Even a quarter of a century after the fact, Harley-Davidson, a notoriously close-mouthed company when it comes to motorcycles that never got past the prototype stage, is reluctant to discuss the details of the Nova project. But not even H-D could withstand two years of constant, good-natured badgering by American Rider, intent on bringing the Nova story to light. And so recently the factory not only granted us the rare privilege of access to archival material (where we were astounded to find five Nova prototypes gathered together in one place) but also invited us to its own photo studio for a historic session with the Nova in front of the camera.
At the time of the Nova's conception, Harleys were powered by big-bore, long-stroke, slow-revving pushrod engines. A healthy Harley in a good state of tune might register 50 horsepower on a rear-wheel dynamometer. The plethora of short-stroke, water-cooled, overhead-cam engines that the overseas competition would eventually usher in were still just a gleam in their designers' eyes. But in 1976 Harley put into motion a plan to design and produce a radically new family of motorcycles powered by a series of engines that would incorporate all those modern features...and produce up to 135 horsepower.
Brad Chaney
After several years of development and testing, and with a planned release date of mid-1981, the Nova project had at least 30 engines and 12 complete, running motorcycles to show for its efforts. The engines had more than 2,000 hours of testing, and the bikes had logged 100,000 miles on the road. Engine tests and handling evaluations had all been completed without experiencing any major structural failures in either the chassis or the engine. One of the prototypes even met strict California emission standards.
In all, Harley spent more than $15 million on development and testing (about $40 million in today's dollars), and even invested another $1 million in die-cast tooling for the crankcase. By then the only task that remained was to invest in additional tooling, set up the production line and begin turning out Novas.
And yet the Nova never made it past the prototype stage. The prototypes were rolled, not into the light of day, but into the dark recesses of a warehouse, away from the public eye...until now.
What happened?
The Nova grew out of a series of meetings held in mid-1976 that is still referred to in Harley executive's lingo as the Pinehurst meetings, held at a resort hotel in North Carolina, with the aim of mapping out a 10-year product plan for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. There it was decided that due to the proliferation at the time of high-tech motorcycles from other countries, and their wide acceptance by American motorcyclists, a redesign of the current 74 (1,200cc) shovelhead engine would be insufficient to guarantee the company's long-term growth. So planners proposed a two-pronged strategy to ensuring Harley's future.
At the same time, an all-new machine with advanced technology would be developed to appeal to riders who wanted more contemporary performance. Harley's engineers laid out a number of concepts on the Pinehurst table, including a series of motorcycles powered by three basic multicylinder, water-cooled engines in six displacements-the Nova family-all incorporating the latest technology. By the close of the Pinehurst meetings, the planners had mapped out Harley's future as a manufacturer of both traditional and cutting-edge motorcycles.
The Nova's mission was to penetrate the 500cc to 1,000cc market-Harley's smallest air-cooled V-twin engine was 1,000cc (the Sportster)-and attract the growing population of performance-hungry riders. The Nova family, which perfectly bracketed the most popular segments of the world market, could both fill voids in the American market and give Harley a presence on the international scene.
But Harley's engineering resources would be severely stretched with both programs. While most of the designers were motorcycle enthusiasts, not all were card-carrying engineers. The task of developing the Evo, in both Sportster and Big Twin iterations, was daunting enough-the Nova would overload H-D's engineering capacity. The solution was to farm out the powertrain's design and development.
Harley solicited detailed design proposals from three companies, then cut the field to two-Ricardo in England and Porsche R&D in Weissach, West Germany. Porsche was eventually selected and subcontracted at the end of 1979 to design and develop the Nova engine and transmission. All chassis development and testing would be done in Milwaukee.
To cover the desired range of displacements, the Nova family would share many common, interchangeable components. The basic concept revolved around a 60-degree V-cylinder arrangement of two, four and six cylinders. Other requirements included liquid cooling, double overhead camshafts, a balance shaft to reduce vibration and a five-speed gearbox. The valve gear and even the gearbox were to be interchangeable. In addition to carbureted models, a fuel-injected version would also be developed.
All the engines were designed to use either 200cc or 250cc "wet" cylinder liners and pistons. These would interchange between the V-twin, V-4 and V-6 engines (see chart, Nova Displacements, page 34). So the 800cc and 1,000cc fours are basically made of two 400/500cc twins, and the 1,200cc and 1,500cc six-cylinder versions consist of three banks of twins.
The bore sizes were set at 66mm and 74mm (2.60 and 2.91 inches) for the 200cc and 250cc cylinder displacements, respectively, with a common stroke of 58mm (2.28 inches). This gave a very modern oversquare bore/stroke ratio of 1.14:1 for the smaller engine and 1.28:1 for the larger size. The short stroke would allow these engines to rev safely to nearly 10,000 rpm, an impossible speed for a 5,000-rpm Big Twin with its long stroke of nearly 4 inches.
The cylinder heads feature two valves with bucket tappets actuated directly by overhead cams. Harley looked seriously at a four-valve head, but staying close to its conservative philosophies, chose the least complicated configuration while not ruling out a change later on-the production two-valve heads were designed to be adaptable to a four-valve layout.
Harley engineers had developed a preliminary design for the entire family before the detail design of the first engine-the 800cc Nova 8-was started. This size was considered the middle ground of displacement ranges thought to be the most promising. The cylinder bore and stroke were also based on engineering analysis of noise management, something Porsche had considerable experience with.
As engine development proceeded, the chassis designers weighed the final-drive options. Belt final drive was not perfected then, and they chose not to trust it for the high-performance Nova. That left either shaft drive and chain drive. Despite its advantages in terms of cleanliness and low maintenance, shaft drive was seen as too complex, too heavy, and too costly to repair or replace. It also absorbed about three percent of the engine's power every time the drive changed direction, twice in the Nova's case.
Despite Harley engineering's reluctance to adopt the shaft, it proceeded with that alternative. In fact, there was even open discussion of turning the engine 90 degrees in the frame, with the cylinders protruding sideways in an arrangement similar to Moto Guzzi's; this would eliminate one of the two right-angle drives in the shaft. That discussion was quickly dropped.
By the time the FLT hit the market in the fall of 1979, belts had been proven and the shaft lost what little appeal it had for Harley engineers. The final drive of choice became the belt, with a chain option. Besides, if needed, the shaft could always be resurrected in the future.
The Nova was never intended to look like any of the traditional Harley V-twins, since its target market consisted of performance-oriented riders accustomed to the styling of Harley's overseas competition. But Willie G. Davidson, who oversaw the Nova's appearance, refused to buy into the function-over-form philosophy prevalent in the styling of high-performance bikes of the day, insisting that a large, flat radiator stuck on the front of the bike was an affront to the eye. (Davidson holds this opinion to this day, as evidenced by the V-Rod.) It was his insistence on a concealed radiator that led to one of the Nova's most unusual-and patented-features, an underseat radiator.
The radiator lies almost horizontally, with two large forward-facing scoops protruding forward from what normally would be the fuel tank, funneling air into a plenum chamber above the radiator. A fan under the radiator pulls air through it, down and rearward, away from the rider and passenger. What began as a styling imperative offered inherent advantages. The air intake is mounted well above ground level, preventing debris from being sucked into the radiator. Because the airflow is channeled and controlled, a smaller radiator can be used with greater efficiency. And almost as important at the time, the "invisible" radiator kept Willie G. and his stylists happy.
A pressed-steel backbone-style frame-strong, light, and easy to manufacture-has a rear subframe welded to it, and uses the engine as a structural member. With no front downtubes or radiator, the engine bay has a clean look, and the cylinders' "cooling fins" give the engine an appearance of being air-cooled.
With the fuel tank displaced from its traditional location by the cooling system, H-D engineers designed a saddlebag-style tank that straddles the radiator. There is a distinct advantage in this location: a lower center of gravity. Engineers had minor concerns about the possibility of vapor lock caused by radiator heat, and the problems associated with the fuel pump and plumbing-required by the tank's low position-but these issues were considered easily surmountable. The tank's placement also limits fuel capacity, and therefore range. The solution, though not elegant, is huge side panels, perhaps the Nova's single styling blemish.
As dyno rooms hummed and prototypes logged test mileage, the Nova appeared close to launch. A project of the Nova's scope, however, required solid backing from the check-writers at the corporate level, and Harley's parent company at the time, American Machine and Foundry (AMF) not only backed the Nova, but supported Harley's overall growth. Under the direction of AMF president Rodney C. Gott, who was a motorcycle enthusiast, Harley acquired the York final-assembly plant. The company grew with the influx of capital, and new people were brought in. Jeff Bleustein, who joined AMF in 1971, moved to the motorcycle group in 1975 under Motorcycle Group Executive Ray Tritten.
The next year, Vaughn Beals joined as Deputy Group Executive of the motorcycle group, taking an office next door to H-D President John Davidson, and the task of rebuilding the company to improve quality and productivity began. After Beals convened the Pinehurst meetings in 1976, The Motor Company began moving in a new direction, one that included the Nova project. In the years of 1978 through 1980, the motorcycle division was perhaps AMF's largest profit center, according to Bleustein.
Then Gott retired, Tom York took over AMF, and the outlook suddenly changed. Previously AMF's business was roughly half industrial and half leisure, Harley being part of the latter group. In a major shift in strategy, York ordered the expansion of the industrial side, and financed it with profits from the leisure side. Under this plan Harley-Davidson, AMF's largest profit generator, would become the cash cow, milked of capital to feed other business interests. The Nova project, ultimately considered expensive and risky, fell victim to the bottom line, and was terminated.
The Nova grew out of a series of meetings held in mid-1976 that is still referred to in Harley executive's lingo as the Pinehurst meetings, held at a resort hotel in North Carolina, with the aim of mapping out a 10-year product plan for Harley-Davidson motorcycles. There it was decided that due to the proliferation at the time of high-tech motorcycles from other countries, and their wide acceptance by American motorcyclists, a redesign of the current 74 (1,200cc) shovelhead engine would be insufficient to guarantee the company's long-term growth. So planners proposed a two-pronged strategy to ensuring Harley's future.
At the same time, an all-new machine with advanced technology would be developed to appeal to riders who wanted more contemporary performance. Harley's engineers laid out a number of concepts on the Pinehurst table, including a series of motorcycles powered by three basic multicylinder, water-cooled engines in six displacements-the Nova family-all incorporating the latest technology. By the close of the Pinehurst meetings, the planners had mapped out Harley's future as a manufacturer of both traditional and cutting-edge motorcycles.
The Nova's mission was to penetrate the 500cc to 1,000cc market-Harley's smallest air-cooled V-twin engine was 1,000cc (the Sportster)-and attract the growing population of performance-hungry riders. The Nova family, which perfectly bracketed the most popular segments of the world market, could both fill voids in the American market and give Harley a presence on the international scene.
But Harley's engineering resources would be severely stretched with both programs. While most of the designers were motorcycle enthusiasts, not all were card-carrying engineers. The task of developing the Evo, in both Sportster and Big Twin iterations, was daunting enough-the Nova would overload H-D's engineering capacity. The solution was to farm out the powertrain's design and development.
Harley solicited detailed design proposals from three companies, then cut the field to two-Ricardo in England and Porsche R&D in Weissach, West Germany. Porsche was eventually selected and subcontracted at the end of 1979 to design and develop the Nova engine and transmission. All chassis development and testing would be done in Milwaukee.
To cover the desired range of displacements, the Nova family would share many common, interchangeable components. The basic concept revolved around a 60-degree V-cylinder arrangement of two, four and six cylinders. Other requirements included liquid cooling, double overhead camshafts, a balance shaft to reduce vibration and a five-speed gearbox. The valve gear and even the gearbox were to be interchangeable. In addition to carbureted models, a fuel-injected version would also be developed.
All the engines were designed to use either 200cc or 250cc "wet" cylinder liners and pistons. These would interchange between the V-twin, V-4 and V-6 engines (see chart, Nova Displacements, page 34). So the 800cc and 1,000cc fours are basically made of two 400/500cc twins, and the 1,200cc and 1,500cc six-cylinder versions consist of three banks of twins.
The bore sizes were set at 66mm and 74mm (2.60 and 2.91 inches) for the 200cc and 250cc cylinder displacements, respectively, with a common stroke of 58mm (2.28 inches). This gave a very modern oversquare bore/stroke ratio of 1.14:1 for the smaller engine and 1.28:1 for the larger size. The short stroke would allow these engines to rev safely to nearly 10,000 rpm, an impossible speed for a 5,000-rpm Big Twin with its long stroke of nearly 4 inches.
The cylinder heads feature two valves with bucket tappets actuated directly by overhead cams. Harley looked seriously at a four-valve head, but staying close to its conservative philosophies, chose the least complicated configuration while not ruling out a change later on-the production two-valve heads were designed to be adaptable to a four-valve layout.
Harley engineers had developed a preliminary design for the entire family before the detail design of the first engine-the 800cc Nova 8-was started. This size was considered the middle ground of displacement ranges thought to be the most promising. The cylinder bore and stroke were also based on engineering analysis of noise management, something Porsche had considerable experience with.
As engine development proceeded, the chassis designers weighed the final-drive options. Belt final drive was not perfected then, and they chose not to trust it for the high-performance Nova. That left either shaft drive and chain drive. Despite its advantages in terms of cleanliness and low maintenance, shaft drive was seen as too complex, too heavy, and too costly to repair or replace. It also absorbed about three percent of the engine's power every time the drive changed direction, twice in the Nova's case.
Despite Harley engineering's reluctance to adopt the shaft, it proceeded with that alternative. In fact, there was even open discussion of turning the engine 90 degrees in the frame, with the cylinders protruding sideways in an arrangement similar to Moto Guzzi's; this would eliminate one of the two right-angle drives in the shaft. That discussion was quickly dropped.
By the time the FLT hit the market in the fall of 1979, belts had been proven and the shaft lost what little appeal it had for Harley engineers. The final drive of choice became the belt, with a chain option. Besides, if needed, the shaft could always be resurrected in the future.
The Nova was never intended to look like any of the traditional Harley V-twins, since its target market consisted of performance-oriented riders accustomed to the styling of Harley's overseas competition. But Willie G. Davidson, who oversaw the Nova's appearance, refused to buy into the function-over-form philosophy prevalent in the styling of high-performance bikes of the day, insisting that a large, flat radiator stuck on the front of the bike was an affront to the eye. (Davidson holds this opinion to this day, as evidenced by the V-Rod.) It was his insistence on a concealed radiator that led to one of the Nova's most unusual-and patented-features, an underseat radiator.
The radiator lies almost horizontally, with two large forward-facing scoops protruding forward from what normally would be the fuel tank, funneling air into a plenum chamber above the radiator. A fan under the radiator pulls air through it, down and rearward, away from the rider and passenger. What began as a styling imperative offered inherent advantages. The air intake is mounted well above ground level, preventing debris from being sucked into the radiator. Because the airflow is channeled and controlled, a smaller radiator can be used with greater efficiency. And almost as important at the time, the "invisible" radiator kept Willie G. and his stylists happy.
A pressed-steel backbone-style frame-strong, light, and easy to manufacture-has a rear subframe welded to it, and uses the engine as a structural member. With no front downtubes or radiator, the engine bay has a clean look, and the cylinders' "cooling fins" give the engine an appearance of being air-cooled.
With the fuel tank displaced from its traditional location by the cooling system, H-D engineers designed a saddlebag-style tank that straddles the radiator. There is a distinct advantage in this location: a lower center of gravity. Engineers had minor concerns about the possibility of vapor lock caused by radiator heat, and the problems associated with the fuel pump and plumbing-required by the tank's low position-but these issues were considered easily surmountable. The tank's placement also limits fuel capacity, and therefore range. The solution, though not elegant, is huge side panels, perhaps the Nova's single styling blemish.
As dyno rooms hummed and prototypes logged test mileage, the Nova appeared close to launch. A project of the Nova's scope, however, required solid backing from the check-writers at the corporate level, and Harley's parent company at the time, American Machine and Foundry (AMF) not only backed the Nova, but supported Harley's overall growth. Under the direction of AMF president Rodney C. Gott, who was a motorcycle enthusiast, Harley acquired the York final-assembly plant. The company grew with the influx of capital, and new people were brought in. Jeff Bleustein, who joined AMF in 1971, moved to the motorcycle group in 1975 under Motorcycle Group Executive Ray Tritten.
The next year, Vaughn Beals joined as Deputy Group Executive of the motorcycle group, taking an office next door to H-D President John Davidson, and the task of rebuilding the company to improve quality and productivity began. After Beals convened the Pinehurst meetings in 1976, The Motor Company began moving in a new direction, one that included the Nova project. In the years of 1978 through 1980, the motorcycle division was perhaps AMF's largest profit center, according to Bleustein.
Then Gott retired, Tom York took over AMF, and the outlook suddenly changed. Previously AMF's business was roughly half industrial and half leisure, Harley being part of the latter group. In a major shift in strategy, York ordered the expansion of the industrial side, and financed it with profits from the leisure side. Under this plan Harley-Davidson, AMF's largest profit generator, would become the cash cow, milked of capital to feed other business interests. The Nova project, ultimately considered expensive and risky, fell victim to the bottom line, and was terminated.
Thanks for posting the article! Lots of insight into the project. I searched some pix online and cannot believe how much the original prototype looks like a yamaha vmax! Obviously I am saying HD had the desing before yamaha did.....not that HD was copying a metric manufacturer!!!!! Also there is a picture of a touring model from 1981 that is exactly what I was talking about......a v4 or revolution powered touring bike with modern amenities!!!! I would love to see HD make one! The touring model is at Picture: Harley-Davidson - Glassman_1981_Nova_Touring_Prototype_2984.jpg
Crocker
Active Member
BladeMan great read ,thanks for taking time to post the Nova History. I agree with all those valid points, and would like to see HD expand the Revo line up , As far getting the younger rider over to the HD market or come up with somthing new to attract butI dont see HD ding that in these tough times,It will get harder and harder for them to attact the younger rider ,there will definitly be a percentage of younger riders to follow in the traditional harley line up ,But as these younger riders keep buying and riding the sportbikes it will become harder for HD to win them over, Most of them drive the small compact imports ,you will rarly see them in a Chevy or Ford ,although the domestic car makers are making a hard run at them , The days of the MOCO selling 700,000 units a year are long gone, Unless the China and India market takes off for them as it look like what they are betting on,hopfully it will ,being it is a public company and they have a bottomline. I have 2 Sons both ride Buells ,on any given Sat or Sun I can have up to 10 younger riders at my House (Garage)Most of them have no mechanical ability , they all call me POPS MC ,they come to me to work on ther Sportbikes wether its a simple handlebar change or Stage 1 upgrade with tuner ,they know my love for anything 2 wheels and KNow that I wont say No to there request for work on there bikes, So last summer I went out and bought a old honda 550four and dragged it back to my garage for a little 101 on motorcycle mechanics , It has evolved now to a 2x a month thing in the summer 10 bucks at the door to pay for the bike , ,I go out find old rusty bikes and we get them running they are learning and having a ball,Buy then end of last summer Ive had up to 20 young riders packed in my garage involved in this ,I talk with them alot, they all look at my bikes and dont get it ,Oh I get a thumbsup on the Vrod from most of them, but when I ask about them ever seeing themselves on a HD, 2 out of the 10 can see a HD in there future . So from my veiw point a small percentage will make the jump in to the HD market,but the majority Is a Breed of witch we dont comprehend and I believe HD does understand there is this puzzel,and they are hard at work to find the younger rider solution to winning them over. My GF hates start your engine Nite ,But I gotta admit its a lot of fun watchen these young guys learning.
Crocker, that is great that you share your knowledge with the youngin's. My nephew and his buddies ride sport bikes, though he just traded for a cruiser last fall because he can't ride the sport bike since he broke his leg. (Shattered tibial plateua, lots of steel still in there so he has a hard time bending his knee back far enough). Though he and his buddies would love to have a Harley, most of them can't afford it now. Later on in life, maybe, but when they are in their 20's with a wife and a couple of kids, luxuries like HD's are not possible. :s I enjoy seeing them out riding, and granted, they will ride way more than I do, but on the other side of the coin, I 'do' a lot more different things than they do.....Lots of hobbies & travels for me.
I do hope to get a ride in with these kids this summer, I'm not to proud to ride with a bunch of bumblebees if they will wait on the grandma to catch up. I'll show them how to slow down and smell the roses along the way. :s