@@johnathanmandrake7240 For many enthusiasts riding is about riding the motorcycle, and not just about the symbol and embodiment of merica. this new engine is created from an engineering, performance and reliability standpoint. Also nothing lasts forever... more reason to appreciate classics instead of be mad at the world now. The U.S. has never had it's shit together its only 245 years old, there was just a golden window where citizens got to enjoy their freedoms, feds had every dollar backed in gold, and the white house got to keep whatever they wanted behind closed doors. Was a very very short period of time between wars, that americana you lust for. we are never getting it back. maybe after ww3.
Stoked to see Donut cover the RevMax! Y’all need to give Jeremiah more moto content, he kills it! Maybe some vids on the Buell he mentioned? Eh? Eeeeh? 😁 Awesome job Donut!
LOL I know u rite the said thing is they’ll be all electric timing batteries coming to a town near u soon and funny thing half the people that comments on HD probably has never even been on any bike and probably never will they just down any known name are winner
Baby boomers have kept Harley alive for so long yet they're also holding them back and almost killed the company. Nice to see them updating and modernizing.
I have been a Harley rider since 1976 and ride a 1200 Sportster in the intermediate group on track days. I LOVE the Rev Max engine and this video described it very well. I might suggest that you get an English major to edit the subtitles to eliminate some of the cringeworthy mistakes like "not" for knock and "Four apt" for fore and aft!
I live in the greater Milwaukee area and used to ride a Harley. At that time, 20 years ago, I was one of the youngest. At that time I was 40 ish. I now am 62. Back then many riders/owners were my age now or older. Their big followers back then are now in their 80's or 6' under the ground. Harley has no choice but to attract new younger enthusiasts or go out of business. Lets face it all companies are in business to make money. I'll bet the day Harley came out with their first V-Twin some guy with a Harley single said "That's not a Harley, it's got too many cylinders".
I have one of h-d's other attempts to make a more modern engine, a 750 street rod. It's a 60 degree engine, but the rods share a crankpin. The cranks are forged and they run on plain bearings like a car. It has many of the features the video talked about, including a short 2.6" stroke and a high redline. They weren't very popular, and now in 2022 I don't see any of them on the road anymore. Just mine. I think I'm going to hang on to it just because it's so weird.
@@Oddman1980 I rode a V-Rod on a road demo. I thought it was a pretty cool bike. I remember the acceleration as extreme. At that time I had one Harley, an Ultra and thought about a 2nd one. The V-Rod was on my list of possibilities. Had I not all of a sudden started to work a ton of hours and started to travel for work I might have added one, instead I sold off the one bike I had. That engine was very stout and anyone honest would have said it was a very capable HD engine.
@@Oddman1980 Keep it. I remember riding a SR 750 when the demo truck came to town. They were snappy little bikes and great for what they were. But what happened to them was that motor got spanked up and down at the track when the Indian FTR was first introduced. Even all the magic Vance and Hines tried to work on their Rev X 750 just wasn't enough. This is what prompted Harley to go back to the drawing board and that brought us to the Rev Max.
I’m Indian, and I grew up in America. I recently went into a Harley dealership with my white friend cause he was looking for a new jacket, and when we were just looking at the bikes, an employee approached us. He didn’t make eye contact with me once, and as soon as I spoke his tone changed to annoyance. It wasn’t just the one employee, it was most of the ones there. I can’t really complain cause they’re gonna deny it and move on. Hopefully, with the updates their doing to their bikes, they’ll also update their values.
The story about harley dealerships not working on their own bikes made me laugh. A few years ago I needed to get my tires replaced on my Vulcan, I called a local shop to see if they could do it and they said they, "only work on American bikes." I said, "good luck with your business then," and hung up. They were out of business a year later, and I still smile everytime I drive past their old shop.
The other big reason they really needed this new engine is emissions laws. Air cooled just does not jive well with lower emissions. If Harley wants to keep selling bikes in twenty years they need to wean their riders off of air cooling and get them used to liquid cooling.
@@WASTED__POTENTIAL yes it's just my preference, I'm a fan of a nice looking engine that's all hahah I know liquid cooling is superior in almost every way but liquid cooled engine are too boring too look at
Love the new engine from all I’ve seen about it but the air cooled 45 degree potato potato will always steal my heart. Here’s to another 100 years of Harley Davison Motorcycles 🍻 Cheers, have fun and ride safe.
I loved my air-cooled Road Glides, big V-Twins but added jug coolers to both of them. Rerouted exhaust on 2007 because got tired of nearly roasted left leg on 200- 300+ mile rides. My bikes including the V-Rod accumulated 178,000miles in 9yrs. Never got called a Garage Queen. Old girlfriend said she needed two wheels and handlebars to compete with them. Ha, she had plenty of other attractions!
Absolutely! Hope they last my lifetime. Rev max is so sick, absolutely love the old engines too though. Can’t get that sound from the rev max. That’s why I need both tho lmao. One for the sound/ cruising and one for the performance
I don’t think it’s like that. I’d say Harley’s are like hot pockets. They’re complete ass compared to other foods, but sometimes it’s just exactly what you want.
@@Thepreppersbunkeroutdoors I know. I've heard them with aftermarket exhausts and I'm still not a big fan. Stock you can't really hear it at all but so far I'm not a fan of any of the aftermarket exhausts.
Loved the video, just wanted to clarify that VTEC's revolutionary feature was Variable LIFT, as Variable "Valve Timing" has been around, and implemented by multiple manufacturers. Variable LIFT (aka, like having 2 different cams in your engine) was what VTEC and Honda brought to the masses and was revolutionary...
I had a vrod for 10yrs. Loved it! Bulletproof crazy fast bike but he's right old school Harley guys didn't like it. I guess since it didn't leak oil everywhere and it was way too well built it wasn't cool.
THE ENGINE WAS TO SMOOOOTH AND RELIABLE AND HAD LOUSY BRAKES AND DON'T LIKE TO CHANGE ANTIFREEZE THAT WAS AN JOKE,VW WITCH OWNS PORSCHE REALLY KNOWS HOW TO BUILT ENGINES
@@vicamaral I own a Vrod... that looks exactly like the one pictured in this episode. I can attest to the lousy breaks, But the torque is great. My '03 off the line is faster than my buddies 2020 Low RIder S 114 CI
The V-Rod was conceived so Harley-Davidson could enter the superbike races an effort to bolster their sales. while the program itself was successful it did not result in either a rider Championship or a manufacturer championship and the plug was pulled. The two things that kept me from buying one we're rider comfort and liquid cooling. It wasn't comfortable for long trips because that's not what it was designed for and as far as liquid cooling goes it's just extra maintenance as far as I'm concerned. I understand that liquid cooling is the only way to cool a small displacement High horsepower engine efficiently but I'm not looking to set a land speed record. I just enjoy the ride I don't care how long it takes me to get there, and I don't want to ride a bike that I have to get off of every 30 or 40 minutes just to unkink myself.
I worked for Harley, in Sales, when I retired. Harley hired me because I was an old fart and could talk with older customers on older technical stuff. I had built Panheads, Shovels and EVO's as a hobby. We took a 2003 Vmax in trade. The Sales Mangler called it a "turd".....🤔 I admired the design, so bought it. It had 2000 miles on it and it only cost me $5000. It was immaculate and black!! Perfect. It went like a raped ape! It handled terribly. It scraped on tight corners, but I will never understand why Harley never punched out that engine to 1500cc and put it in a Garbage Barge frame.....They had water cooled and oil cooled engines back in 2016 and hid the radiators on cruisers successfully, so why not? All that horsepower (likely 140hp of reliable horsepower when bored and stroked to 1500cc) and massive torks, would have made the big cruisers haul ass with the right gearing and 600lb of Barney and Beryl in matching clothing onboard. Add a shaft drive and the thing would be almost maintenance free. BUT.....they had to keep the "mechanics" who maintained them to make the after sale profits by adding their "stage" tuning (what a-lotta BS!), and way overpriced mufflers to squeeze the kind of hp numbers the Japanese can produce whilst sleeping on the job!) Between the F & I office, the accessories department, service department, customers got royally screwed. The $100 beanie helmets ($25 on Amazon) and other disgustingly marked up "stuff" all got financed by Harley at exorbitant rates. (Forget your Beacon Score, Harley does!!!). This engine is long overdue, I doubt it was a "new thought" though! Harley just realized that they were not going to be able to run their scams any longer, as a completely new age if bike buyers are their only potential customer base. Boomers like me are rarely buying new Harleys any more, or at the very least, there are fewer of us, as many have gone to, "join the majority"!! It may be too little, too late and too many $'s. Time will tell.
Ignition timing and variable valve timing are independent features. Any engine with computer controlled spark and a knock sensor can handle pre-ignition. Variable valve timing is generally for optimising fuel efficiency or power in certain operating conditions.
I have had good luck with my Harleys. I do love the simplicity of the twin cam. I like how I have been able to bolt on power. 155 hp on my street glide feels so different than my old sport bikes. However, unlike some I know my bike can’t hang with these 900s and 1000s… it’s just fun for me. I had the 03 Harley F150 too. Great truck! Really fast for its time.
The nice thing about the old ones were in my opinion was they were indefinitely rebuildable that's similar with new vehicles the old 350 chevy block could be rebuilt many times over not alot of power vs new design nor efficient but that's not what they were about it was a simple design & easy to work on same with cars & Harleys I like the older ones sadly its getting more difficult to obtain parts to keep these going
I put cams in my '12 Streetglide and what a difference. 98.7 h.p and 116 ftlbs of torque. Top end has never been apart except for rocker box gaskets. Cyclorama 570-2 cams. Good manners down low and real comes alive up top. Gets 43 to 44 mpg on long runs. Sometimes better.
The new Sportster looks great. Now Harley needs to just make an actual affordable entry level bike with the same new technology. You can get a lot of bike elsewhere for $15k
@@JesseArt I’d rather get a super clean 2002 sportster for $1500 with modifications and resell it for $2k when I’m tired of it. Instead of dropping $15k on a new one and selling it for $3500 two years later. I’m not a biker but I would take Harley’s as a trade for mechanic work or parts. I don’t understand it, it’s like a clown show for attention seekers that can’t afford even a new base model civic. It’s sad people offering a new harley they paid $40k for to trade for my $18k Chevelle. Then I have to tell them for a trade I need $16k cash along with their worthless Harley.
Glad to see Harley catching up with the rest of the motor world. I've always thought Harley would do well to compete directly with other brands and offer more than just big cruisers. I love the V-rod, so sorry they cancelled it. But I am glad to see the Pan American!
I absolutely adore the Sportster S. Such a sick bike and surprisingly not too bad of a deal with all the tech and performance you get from it, especially considering the typical Harley tax haha! A dream bike of mone for sure
growing up near sturgis im so glad to see harley doing something different finally. when you see a whole street lined up with baggers and these guys seem to think they are "unique" is such bullshit. "oh you have different bags and handlebars such custom, much wow" not to mention the absolutely unnecessary loudness. south parks episode is literally what it feels like when sturgis rolls through western south dakota and i cant stress to you enough how much it sucks. its always the same. so im happy for harley for branching out cause if they didnt they would have died.
Really? Grow up near Sturgis!? Couldn't imagine. My dad went a few times back in the day. Not that was totally his seen, but he was crazy enough. Has a head full of stories to tell everytime. People always killed.
I see alot of guys with the same bike same engines nothing unique at all just a bunch of old posers with nothing better to do. That why I love the Japanese bikes they have multiple engines with multiple designs. Harley Davidson has no taste
My dad lived in spearfish in college and would not shut the fuck up about Harleys growing up lmaoo. When Ewan McGregor went on that road trip on the Harley E in long way up I started following Harley a little and am impressed. I'm sure my dad's totally dropped off.
You can hate on Harley and loud bikes and bike week parties. But remember that Sturgis is a iconic party that's not going anywhere is Harley is successful or out of business. Your still going to have basically the same party and noise. The only real difference will be the noise will be at a much higher frequency. Just look at black bike week for an example. It's mostly sport bikes but ultimately the same party with a different demographic
As someone who owns 4 different kinds of bikes, I feel like there are somethings I agree with in this comment section and some misinformation being flung around. I do own a cammed softail slim, but I’m not a “fanboy”. If I want to do spirited riding I’ll take the 599 hornet out which in my opinion is the last naked bike to have character and some soul to it. I also have a couple of dual sports for dual sport things. Bikes are like tools and when I find myself wanting to ride for 5 hours + I’ll be taking the Harley. As for reliability, the reliability issues that Harley had was in the amf years which was decades ago. This is my third Harley, and I sold my last one with 130 thousand miles on it and it was a twin cam 96. A lot of people like to compare power output of the air cooled v-twins to metric litre bikes or 600s, but fail to realise just how different they are. Over square vs under square, air or oil cooled vs liquid cooling , push rod vs overhead cams, ect. It’s like comparing an eggplant to a connoli… they’re just not in the same realm… and are built with a different purpose in mind. I love all bike equally and even some scooters. Every bike has a purpose in my eyes. I love the sound of my Honda , that carbed 4cyl sounds fantastic and is all I’ll ever need to fill my thirst to ride fast ish. The Harley to me just does what it does best and that’s being a cruiser. I know there are better bikes out there but I like it and when I’m doing group rides with fellow veterans it’s just more comfortable. But as a company I do agree that Harley needs to work on innovation for sure! There are many ways to incorporate their heritage with new designs and engines, the old guys out there need to be open minded and just accept the fact that times are chaging.. to be clear …. I’m actually a triumph fanboy :)
Agreed! Everybody wants different things in a ride and this different bikes exist. I really hope HD continues in this direction and start making cool bikes again.
Ok... I just have one thing I gotta say about your comment. Where you go into your whole, "pushrod vs cams, air/oil vs water, etc." Could this not be equated to having outdated technology? To me, that's like saying "EFI vs Carburator, they both serve a different purpose." Do they serve a different purpose? Or is one better than the other in pretty much every way, and serving *any* purpose much better than the other one could. So I guess my question is, what purpose do you think the Harley serves? Being a better cruiser is not the answer I'm looking for because I don't believe that is affected by most, or all, of the things you mentioned. I'm not trying to be argumentative, you sound like a very down to Earth knowledgeable kind of a guy.. That's why I'm curious what your answer to this might be. Always room to learn, I definitely don't know everything. Pretty much everything sounds about right though 😉
Amf's weren't terrible, the shovelhead was definitely a better design than the panhead (I say this with no disrespect to the panhead)... the golf carts are pretty cool too lol
@@danielnelson4881 No worries, and I appreciate the comment. The engines are designed to be a low stress, lower ish compression type which aids it to carry torque down low, so when cruising at say, 70 or so, the engine is maybe sitting at just under or just a tickle over 3k, which on my 103 is right where the torque is. There’s more to it but that’s the core reason. As far as the amount of torque, When I had mine dyno tuned after the cam install, it was putting out 87 hp with 109 tq, doesn’t sound like a big number but it’s available at 3500 rpm… may not be blazing fast but it’s fun… My Honda I believe when it was new put out 94hp and 47 which in 2006 wasn’t bad lol but where I live it’s near the mountains and having to play with shifter a ton when riding up that way gets kind of annoying, but redeems itself in the corners and for just acceleration alone, but the 650 lb pound bike still does a zero to sixty in 4.5 which isn’t terrible . Didn’t mean to drag on but in the end they do serve different purposes in my opinion, but have a good one!
This Rev Max enginen is not even close power wise to the last and current Buell engine. The ET-v2 1190 makes 185hp, 105 ft/lbs, and is considerably lighter than the Rev Max. That would be a step backwards.
I’m a Baby Boomer, I’ve owned and ridden four Harleys, from a 1944 military 45, a1952 K sportster and single cylinder miniature hardtail I can’t remember what it was called; maybe a sprite? Anyway I love the Harley sound, but I’m excited about this new engine, the tech and comfort for old bones might entice this 71 year old to buy a new Harley!!
I saw a guy have death wobble going down the highway and he bailed on the bike before it went flying into a wall. He skidded a long time on his leather jacket and when he got up, there was nothing left of that jacket but see through fabric. Wear your equipment people.
I've owned a high performance Evo for a decade it was built in 1999 it is still going very strong. Reliability falls in the hands of the owner I do need to have her serviced but she hasn't given up yet on just oil changes.
My stepdad would tell you the same about his souped-up FXR. He spends a bunch of his spare time working on other people's bikes, though, so you know he cares about maintenance more than his friends do.
Harley got it's "unreliable" reputation from the AMF days. I've had 2 Evo sportsters and they were both very reliable. I had to reseal the topend on one, but it sat forever and as soon as I started riding it the seals started seeping. It was an 04 model that had just 5k miles when I bought it in 2013. Literally change the oil, tune it up well and you're golden.
I'm a trained Harley-Davidson mechanic, and I approve this message... I'm glad you're doing motorcycle stuff on here, once in a while. I don't know how much push back you get, but I'm glad you're trying. I love me some cars and science, but motorcycles are cool too. Also, any company (in "the" industry) that is currently stepping out of their comfort zone and trying to revolutionize themselves, is certainly worth coverage. So yeah, great topic on this one. And, scoop up any Buell you find and just plan to replace the clutch pack. There are very few weak points on those bikes, and they're a blast to work on. They go together like legos. Lots of the features on early Buells where then adopted or copied by other manufacturers and made mainstream. I love those things, good choice. Electrical might be the other weak point... stuff that can be replaced with aftermarket, easy. I hope you find one that's not too Dr. Frankenstein'd
I cried for months when they discontinued the Buell. Rode the X1 Lightning with an exhaust in my college campus and the Honda tuner guy gave me the thumbs up when I bested him with the sound of a dragster coming out of that thing. That bike will rip your arms off if you don’t know what you’re doing. And that’s hardly an exaggeration.
They should have done this 10 years ago. I’ve never felt compelled to own a Harley before. Hopefully guys that get this new sportster will be able to win some races
idk why bikers think speed is the only important number. idgaf what my harley's top speed is. It needs to hit 80 on the highway and that's it, that's all I need. I didn't buy a cruiser so I can bring it to the track, I bought it so I can ride 500 miles and my knees still work when I hop off the bike. It's like buying a Sienna then having some dude go "but why didn't you buy a faster car"
Pro Harley Tip. The death wobble that was shows can also be caused by an improperly installed triple tree bearing assembly where it is too tight or too loose. it requires a proper amount of resistance to rotation to maintain equilibrium under turning forces.
Lots of things in this video may have caused Harley guys’ heads to explode. I think the best marketing approach for this new engine is to say “engine go vroom vroom”.
The V-rod weighed too much and handled terribly, but like you said the engine was sweet. Had a Buell 1125r, loved it, rode it cross country even. Good episode, thank you for sharing.
I disagree on a VROD handling terribly-they have good ground clearance for corners before touching anything, they're certainly much better than most cruisers. It takes effort to transition corners or turn in general since the bars are too short. Also, they are heavy, but the quality of the bike is outstanding imo, I think these things can ride forever if maintained and parts replaced. And that weight is nice on the highway-I can pass a semi and not be affected by it's draft.
@@gunguy702 I guess it depends what you’re comparing it to. Compared to all motorcycles out there, yeah v rods handle terribly. But for a cruiser as heavy as it is, it’s manageable.
@@gunguy702 not to mention the over-rake on the front end. The Street Rod (VRSCR) that came out in 06 had taller rear shocks, and a de-raked front end and you can toss it around. It also came with mid-set controls. It was a much sportier setup than the regular VRSC
I'm an American motorcyclist transplanted to rural Philippines where it's not unusual to see 4 people on a 125cc motorbike. Twin cylinders??? What's that? A 'large' engine is 175cc here.
I like how this video forgets about the 500 and 750 engines. They were short-stroke, high revving, water cooled engines. I had a 750 Street Rod until I bought a Nightster (with the revo max engine, of course) and it wasn't the best thought out bike, but the engine was solid. Just like my 975 in my nightster, the engine doesn't sound like a Harley, it just sounds like a good motorcycle.
*new tech for Harley. For others it's just ancient japanese tech. From v4 superbikes to 250cc inline four engines you name it they've done it all. Italians bragging about their "latest" v4 engines? Japanese have done it like 3 decades ago.
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Did you know that in the late 70s, harley davidson designed and built a liquid cooled 140hp v4 that they almost released, then they released the Evolution platform instead? They were supposed to make the project Nova bikes in vtwin, v4 and v6. Harley Davidson really blew it there. The Evolution motor saved them, but if they released both platforms who knows where they would be now? Probably in a lot better place than they are now!
As a Harley owner and lover. The “problem” was that the aging base wanted air cooled and iconic sound. Air cooled means long strike, long stroke means low revs, low revs means low power. They 💯 made the right move. I LOVE everything about my “outdated” Harley. The way it looks, feels, sounds, everything. But the company can’t survive without innovation. I still want a low rider S, and a street Bob, but I also really want the new Sportster S… just with a different exhaust!
Well my friends '95 H-D 883 got as much HP as my '81 CB400n 2 cilinder -3 valve Sohc cheapo bike (even at that time). I mean from an engineering perspective that's just really really bad. I won't argue that the Harley is cooler.. because it is. But still it's design is pretty bad
Very well put. I am an younger engineer at harley and we often beat our heads against the wall as the good old boys in leadership resist change. Glad you understand the need for both bikes.
I'm from Milwaukee and owned a motorcycle shop for about 10 years and worked on anything Harley didn't want to,. I definitely praise this new tech and finally they are using Vvt keep up the content brother thanks for the share.
What does VVT have to do with timing, and honda? VVT - variable VALVE timing does not retard ignition but, as the name suggests, it changes timing of the valves. And i know honda does use VVT, but the main thing about honda is VVL, variable valve Lift. It basically lets you have agressive cam as well as normal cam better suited for economical driving. VVT is also used by many other brands such a toyota.
I'm very excited to see this new engine on the road. I think harley made a big mistake not using the revolution engine off of vrods on other harleys. I had taken my Nightrod to dealer once for one recall and they manage to damage my bike and i learned that from the mechanic, they don't know much about vrods since it's not an old platform and they don't break down enough to work on them all the time like other harleys.
@@Namesakes.unit-x-10sq10 ahhhh...yes they did. Let me guess, you think Porsche did? Wrong. The motor was built by Harley and Porsche, using the already existing Harley Davidson VR1000 race motor. Porsche helped with the already existing liquid cooling to help it pass emissions and it was an equal investment engine lol
@@jonnymac8925 that engine was never gonna be a good street engine without porsche, who is possibly the best performance engine manufacturer because of high power, yet reliability and longevity.
I think it's great that harley is doing something different and is moving forward I've ridden many bikes and by far one of the most uncomfortable bikes was my buddy's harley so a smoother more powerful cleaner harley might be what the need for me to make the switch
That was a cool video! I knew Harleys were old school, but did not realise they were quite that behind the times and how this is bringing them into a mainstream fold in some sense. Jeremiah's motorcycle content is always excellent so looking forward to more! Would also love to see more stuff about electric motorcycles. The Verge bike that I think is coming publicly available this year seems really cool for example, but hard to know how much of the new stuff is just hot air like much of hypercar space seems to be. If you manage to get your hands on some bikes like that it would be real cool content!
Ever think that they are ahead of the times due to the fact that they don't keep up with the times ? Or rather the current trends. New does not equal better.
Like proper suspension, Brembo brakes and some fancy touch screen and rider modes? The new bikes have that stuff too! Its about time they welcome the change
I currently own two Harleys. One of them has a 103ci Twin Cam (potato-potato-potato). The other has a 975cc RevMax (Ducati-Ducati-Ducati). I absolutely adore them both. The Twin Cam is the perfect engine for my Street Glide Special, which is my heavy, comfortable, ride-all-day bike. The RevMax is perfect for my Nightster, which is my quick, corner-carving, ride-on-the-edge bike. I'm glad Harley has started to modernize their engine and bike lineup to attract a new market base because if they didn't they'd surely die (again), and I don't want them to die. By the way, if you happen to pick up a bike with one of these new RevMax engines, do yourself a favor and slip on an aftermarket pipe like the S&S Grand National. It'll never rumble like an air-cooled 45-degree V-Twin, but it will sound amazing in its own right. You're welcome.
Thanks Jeremiah! Always great info! I actually went with another brand (Indian) on my current bike because of HD not keeping up in the tech game - especially with engine tech. I think it’s the right direction to attract the next gen of HD buyers and to keep them competitive into the future.
I also went with Indian because I fell in love with the vintage. That said, Harleys biggest issue is they are caught in the middle of a horse 🐎 power war with in my opinion the wrong engine design . Yes the v twins are making a lot of power but all the other issues such as heat , internal venting, clutch failure, Trans issues, and most of all customers beating the bikes to prove they have a cruiser crotch rocket. Unfortunately it all don't work and people want to blame the manufacturer instead of the riders. If they change their whole line over night they will fail overnight as every other company has in the past. They know what they are doing, 1 step at a time.
Ummmm errr.. I don't know if Indian is that far ahead of HD compared with companies on the edge of motorcycle technology and development. Indian is just another American motorcycle company selling motorcycles to people who want old fashioned styled motorcycles at premium prices.
@@robertp457 You know little about Indian. Indian had a clean sheet bike in 2014. A crankshaft and bottom end said to be strong enough with their billet crank to live at 300 HP. Harley never had an answer for the 2014 bikes that are still in production today. Two years ago Indian released the Challenger, also pushing current technology and killer reliability. Still no answer from Harley... Indian went overboard over building their bikes, 300-400,000 miles and they are still going strong. HD is 20 years behind Indian tech and losing more everyday. After all this time it's hard to believe any great bike will come from HD, at this point they are a second class has been. There's no comparison between the two bikes, Indian is building current tech, bullet proof bikes while HD struggles with 60 year old tech and nothing really new, Rev Tech is 17 years old, it's a cheap way to reach out but it's not going to run with the Indians. HD has invested heavily in the China market, they have targeted a 100cc bike as the HD of the future. Since that is where their development currently is a lot of had riders in our country are going to look silly on a 100cc bagger.
Bought a Indian scout bobber last year, fell in love with the old school look, with new school tech and performance. Gorgeous bike that's a head turner and conversation starter wherever I go. Pretty quick for a stock cruiser and is very nimble. If it wasn't for Indian I don't think I would ever have gotten into the cruiser world. A young guy like me saw them as old fashioned and outdated, but Indian revamped that style of bike for me and made me appreciate it more. I think Indian has and Harley is trying to, grab the younger generations attention by adding a modern twist to it, and it worked for me.
This is a cool bike, I saw one at the dealer the other day....I ride a 2018 with the M8. 5th-6th gear roll-on power that's impressive, very smooth and tractable. An honest 50mpg from 1840 cc. Rode rice-burners for years and MX. I'm a auto mechanic specializing in electrical/diagnostics.....if I wasn't , I would have bought a 10 yr. old Harley to avoid having to pay someone (dealership) to fix anything in this electronic injection/ignition/ security system. If I keep it for a long time, I would like to get rid of all that fragile technology- who knows how long the parts train will support it? Harley's have always been simple, reliable (if the guy who built and tuned it knew what he/she was doing), and you could buy parts for it anywhere. Anyhoo, great video as usual.
I still love my Ironhead even if it's just an excuse get oil on the ground from my shop to wherever I'm going, Jeremiah should have grown a pumphrey type beard for a Harley episode
It may be true. The way some of these reliability reports are done only takes into account instances of equipment failure. So speakers going out, GPS malfunction, touch screen failure, electric windscreen failures are seen on euro bikes which MOST Harleys don't have, so they don't break.
Well I guess my 2007 Electra Glide standard. With 96 cubic inches, that sounds like a Harley just went up in value. Thank you Harley Davidson. People tell me they hear me from a couple blocks away and know it's a Harley. For me that's my favorite part. But I'm old 42.
Whack, that seems like its all old tech thats existed in other bikes forever. 150hp? Is that supposed to be impressive? NO VIBRATIONS??? WOW THATS CRAZY!!
Harley doesnt sell modernized and innovative technology to survive, they get the government to apply a protective 50% duty to Japanese bikes. I learned that on this channel!
Here's the cause of the "Death wobble": HD isolates the engine/primary/transmission combo from the frame with rubber mounts to quell vibration, but the swing arm is mounted directly to the back of the transmission to ensure the drive belt maintains proper tension and doesn't snap. Imagine the engine and entire rear drivetrain being rigid and isolated from the rest of the bike by various rubber bushings and Heim joints in various planes. This means the front tire and rear tire are isolated by rubber. This can cause the front and rear tire to travel in different arcs. Over time, the rubber wears, causing the differences between the two weeks to become more and more excessive. With enough wear and under certain conditions, the rear tries to "steer" in a slightly different line than the rest of the bike, which in turn causes oscillation to occur. Harley has changed the position and number of Heim joints as the years progressed in an attempt to limit those variances with noticeable improvement, but they have a reputation of rarely recalling their bikes, so owners of older models have to look to the aftermarket for help. So. Now you know.
Love when Jeremiah talks about bikes. Then he is even more full of passion. For the video, I'm a fanboy myself but for a different type of vehicle. But I know that innovation has to happen, it would just be nice when it's not just to make big profit.
Innovating for a profit is better for all parties involved compared to not improving at all and choosing to use ancient, obsolete, unreliable, and under powered motorcycle tech that is over a half century over due for improvement that they don't even have to innovate them selves. They choose to use outdated tech all for the sake of of the unique Harley signature sound. That's all for profit. I'd rather they improve for a profit than not improve for profit. I wanna be proud of American built products and maybe one day I can be proud of Harley s.
Im not a boomer, have to get that out of the way, but I absolutely adore the old Harleys, Fortnine made a video about why people buy Harley and he captured what I love about them perfectly, I dont have anything against the new rev max engine but as long as I have the option to get the potato power plant and a round headlight ill be happy.
Hello everyone... I dont comment very often on youtube but I felt with this I had to. I was born in 1979. So definetly not a baby boomer. I have a psychotic hatred for the word "TOXIC" and how it thrown around for everything. Just because a large group of people have preferences or feelings towards things being a certain way does not make them "TOXIC". I agree with Doan Rademeyer. I dont have anything against any new direction that Harley wants to go. But there were will always be people out there who had dads or grandfathers or uncles who had an old harley with the potato power plant and the round headlight and getting a new harley that is like that is a way to feel connected to someone who was important in your life who may or may not be around anymore. For me it was my dad. I have a 2016 Harley Dyna Wide Glide with the High Output 103 CI motor, tuned with thunderhead pipes. Loud enough to set off car alarms in parking lots. Has the round headlight. I am in 2 different bike clubs and ride as often as I can. And my bike constantly gets attention from just about everyone who walks by says it is a beautiful bike. Mine is Velocity red with light yellow ghost flames. May not be the fastest bike on the road which is totally fine by me, but dam is it comfortable on long rides, the bullshit people say about vibrations makes me laugh as mine doesn't vibrate much at all........ anyway.... soooooo there ya go. (-: hope everyone stays safe.... I also feel like most times, it doesn't matter what you ride, just as long as you ride... get out there, get a bike that you love, find a cool bike club and go on some rides. Most times bikers are just happy to see other bikers. I have very rarely ever ran into someone who was like "oh your on a harley we dont to talk bikers who ride harleys" or some variation of that. Have fun and stay safe..... (-:
@@coolhandtrust7544 my point behind toxic are those group of people that makes life terrible for others like those dealerships that refuse to service their bikes or those biker clubs that refuse membership cuz they don't have THEIR kind of bike
@@thunderlighting2006 Ok, to a degree I do understand where your coming from. I was a member of HOG. Which is Harley Owners Group. And you have a to ride a harley to be in it. But I do see where your coming from, because the other club I am in it doesn't matter what you ride it just has to be a motorcycle. As far as dealership issues I have ran into that with different things through the last 20 years of riding street bikes. Soooo when you find a dealership that is actually a straight shooter and helps you where they can is a rare thing. So I do see where your coming from. (-:
@@coolhandtrust7544 yeah cuz I do agree with you on words like toxic, masculinity, or like feminist people just use those words to try to prove something that doesn't exist
The irony is the thing that causes Harley's iconic sound is also what makes it unreliable. They just need to have an oil squirter that puts oil on the ground. That should make Harley owners happy. And I actually dealt with the V-Rod issue at the dealership. I would actually like a Harley that sounds like a Ducati. Just add a dry clutch and I'm sold.
I thought it was not having welded cranks, plain shell bearings, out of spec runouts, low quality followers, underspecified cam plates, sumping issues, gearbox seal issues and piston oiler issues that were what made Harley Davidsons unreliable. The 315/405 degree firing order isn't the problem, ask Honda! I'm envious of your choice of a V-Rod. I used to know a fellow that had one and it was bullet proof. As for Harleys that sound like Ducati's, if you listen carefully next time you're having your bike repaired, you'll notice a Ka-ching sound when the cash register opens. It's identical for both manufacturers.
Good grief, 1980 called and want your knowledge of Harleys. Ive owned 3 over 170,000 miles had one rocker box leak. You need tonlearn before you spew. Their iconic sound is from the angle of the cylinders thats all. Death wobble is a myth. Of overloading your rice rocket will do it too
They actually had an "oil squirter" on the older bikes and it was to lubricate the chain. Also some of the AMF bikes had poor QC which ended up with some issues but that stigma of them leakin is old and pretty much null and void from late 80's and up.
@@mehtools you need to talk to some old school Police Harley riders before you say speed wobble is a myth. Also the poor soul that was lying on the highway on NB Calif 101 near the bottom of Cuesta grade could tell you about Harley speed wobble, but that poor guy is gone.
What reliability issues come to mind? Bikes are so easy to work on and cheap to repair I don’t see why even a Ducati is inhibitive to own, at least if it’s not your daily.
Thanks Jeremiah! Having been watching Harleys for 50 years now and never owning one boils down to refinement. When the KZ900 came out I was agog with the raw power. It just kept going from there. I like Harleys and may own one one day. But don't expect me to have the Harley leathers, tee shirt, boots, buckles, stickers on my helmet, and $1000 chrome doo-dads. I'm me, and not a rolling Harley advertisement. This is a tasty little motor. Lets just imagine... 2 more cylinders, smaller bores, same short stroke, injection, VVT and electronics. Call it the "H-Max" a la VMax. I'd love to sport an H-Max bully on the highway.
Harley did make a liquid-cooled, stressed engine, v4 in the late 70's and early 80's, but that got tabled after the company was bought back from amf. Would have put Harley and shoulders above everyone else at the time.
The current Buell/EBR 1190 is lighter and makes a lot more power than this Rev Max engine, so why in the hell would Buell take a step back and use this engine IF they were paired up again, which will not happen anyways.
I built a 1948 HD EL chopper, rigid frame with a raked front end and 12” o.s. front end and 21” front tire. I rode that bike a block in a wheelie. I also rode from Huntington Beach, Cal to Ridgecrest (395 miles in one day). I did that once a week.
VVT doesnt retard the timing if knock occurs, you have knock sensors on the block that detect that and the ecu does that. VVT changes the timing on the valves to stay efficient at different rmps
How do you think the engine ecu resolves knock? Depending on the system, it'll either cut the fuel injector pluse width or adjust the valve timing to reduce compression. So yeah, VVT technically does reduce engine knock.
@@FrmerK20 I.P.O. (input, process, output). Knock sensor reports a knock, ecu process and commands the VVT or fuel injector to adjust as needed, or simply the output. I think you're mistaken
I remember testing Project Live Wire for Harley several years ago, the engineers said they added brushes to the electric motor to give it more of a Harley sound so it’d sell 😂
love how back then nobody did anything about babyboomers rejecting the vrod but now donut media has enough influence and gets enough views that now they can inform more people of the new technology and point out the bs in saying "it's not harley enough," therefore increasing the chances of this bike being more successful and us getting rid of more and more of the shit decisions the shit generation left with us. :D
To be clear I'm a big Harley fan. I love the sound and look of Harleys. I'm also a big fan of this new motor and personally really want a pan america, however, I really hope they don't just leave their old style and motors completely behind. It's ok to have options.
Actually, the younger generation is digging the Low Rider S both the Dyna's and Softails. They're even racing high performance baggers now, not my thing but still cool. They still need to work on their pricing though, Harley bikes are still too expensive compared to the competition.
I think this is an awesome step for Harley, they need to ring in a newer customer base if they want to survive, I love my 2016 Road King potato potato, but man, its slow, would love to have those big buff hrsprs in a big ol cruiser.
I loved my Harley vrod muscle with the revolution engine. Rode my buddies Buell and thought I was gonna be shook to death, don't know why they ditched the vrod engines.
Because the "hard-core" HD fanboys aka the motorcycle equivalent of a kkk club hated how it was co-developed with Porsche. It was literally known as the "bastard harley." Honestly really glad that they're moving on. Hopefully we'll see more modern bikes from them and also more motorcycle riders.
Because Harley buyers are a bunch of easily triggered boomers that think the Jitterbug Flip2 is a bleeding edge piece of technology. Or meth-addled neo-NAZIs, in which case the flip phone serves as a business burner.
@@joshuaanderson2306 Yep. They bowed to a bunch of losers that held them back. For what? To sell those boomers one more over priced pile of junk? I hope this helps them, but it feels like they will die off with their boomer morons.
I was wondering if you could do an up to speed on inline engine or an up to speed on the v configuration either way you guys are awesome and I hope you have read my suggestions
As a longtime Harley fan, I’m happy as hell they’re finally evolving. Harley has DOMINATED in the NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle division for the better part of a decade and a half, setting ET & speed records the entire way there because of the folks at Vance & Hines. Maybe I’m wrong, but it seems as if Harley saw the development of the 4-valve cylinder head that was just made legal in NHRA competition for 4-cylinder bikes and incorporated it into their own street engine program. Kudos to them!
They only let the Suzukis go as fast as a Harley can go, Firstly the Suzukis couldnt have fuel injection, had to reduce valves per cyclinder from 4 to 2 , have to use a 43 year old GS engine not a GSX not GSXR and not a Hyabusa engine a 43 year old GS. And in addition they are limited to 1,000 cc when the Harley is nearly twice that size, AND the Suzukis have to add weight if they go too fast. And all engine parts have to come from a dealer nothing custom made, The only part of your Harley drag bike is the name on the tank thats why its called a Vance and Hines Harley. Thats the same as allowing a foot race while being able to hop only on one foot so the handicapped kid can win. Read the NHRA rule book if you dont believe me Its pathetic.
Damn i give that guy a 10 on that death wobble ride was like a rockstar bull rider, dude had a death grip on the handle bars, hope he wasnt injured to bad
I worked at Harley and I can tell you that bikes were being made for the older crowd now that younger more engineering crowd is coming around it’s changing
That's good to hear. I hate how HD just caters to the older generation and not evolve for the newer generation. If this new engine is promising then HD might be saved
V-Rod sounds really wild when you twist the grip! I kinda disagree, V twins I've built run forever year after year. High mileage 0 tools needed! Have a Buell would love to have a Rev-Max.
I have a 2002 Sporty running a carb'd EVO 1300cc with a supercharger. Originally it was a SC'd 883 that put down 100hp/120tq at the tire, but it was fuel sensitive and overheated if ran lower in the rev range (
Great video as always. Looking forward to seeing if Harley will finally produce the Bronx (would be greta with the new engine). I've owned bikes of just about every brand except Harley. And this engine could make me consider one (I'd just wait 2-3 years to see how reliable it is).
Just bought a Sportster S a few weeks ago. I'm loving it! I am NOT a normal Harley guy. In fact, I NEVER even considered one back when I was riding 20 years ago. When I decided to get back into riding and started shopping for bikes, I started with Japanese bikes, as that's what I rode before. I was also looking at Euro bikes, as now I'm old enough to be able to afford them. While I was researching, I came across the Pan America and was surprised to see HD make a bike like that and was amazed at the engine. Then I discovered they were using different versions of that same engine in 2 other models. Once I saw the Sportster S, I was hooked. I LOVE the aesthetics of it, the tech is great, and the fact that it's only 500 lbs wet is pretty awesome too. Shortly after I got it, I put it in Sport mode and turned off all the electronannies and started to rip on it. I was doing about 40mph, it broke the rear tire loose and started to do a wheelie all at once. That scared the shit out of me. I NEVER thought a Harley could do anything like that. It's hard to find dyno graphs of the RevMax1250T that's in the sportster, but I'm guessing it makes near full torque from around 3500 all the way up to peak HP, which is around 7500. It continues to pull hard up to the 9K revlimiter. I have kept the electronannies on and I haven't put it back in sport mode again. I need to get some seat time in before I try that again!
@@liammoodyfilms so I've heard it was a stand alone spin off. If the price is right here in Australia, consider it sold. I'm no HD fan boy but the Livewire is a very valiant effort from HD.
The problem with the Livewire is the sound system that gave it proper ear splitting Harley sound. It drew so much power the bike only has very limited range.
