Harley-Davidson by Margie Siegal

Author:Margie Siegal
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Harley-Davidson: A History of the World’s Most Famous Motorcycle
ISBN: 9780747803439
Publisher: Osprey Publishing

Steve Stambaugh, attorney and motorcycle enthusiast, shows off his customized 1990 Evolution Softtail.

Harley also branched out in different directions. A former Harley-Davidson engineer, Erik Buell, had started a company to build sport bikes, using reworked Sportster engines for motivational force. Harley bought the company in 1993, hoping to extend the appeal of Harley-Davidson to sport-bike riders. Buells, while limited by the Sportster-derived engines, had state-of-the-art chassis and brakes.

The company also bought MV Agusta, an Italian company known for its beautiful and fast sport bikes, in 2008. The impetus behind this acquisition was to improve the company’s position in the European market.

Prosperity also brought the itch to go road racing. A water-cooled road racer—the VR-1000—appeared on the National race scene in 1994. This race effort also did not work out as planned, partly because the racing department refused to listen to the champion racers they hired to ride the VR. The riders’ frustration level led to incidents such as the time that Pascal Picotte was seen publicly screaming at the support team at Laguna Seca in 2000. While the VR was not successful, the racer gave Harley-Davidson the opportunity to learn about water-cooling a big V-twin.

The V-rod, the first liquid-cooled street-legal Harley, appeared in 2002. In other departures from tradition, it had dual overhead cams, a 60-degree V-twin engine, four valves per cylinder and fuel injection. The chassis has visual cues derived from drag-racing bikes. The low center of gravity is achieved by having the air box in the traditional gas-tank position and the actual gas tank under the seat. Recognizing that the days of the pushrod air-cooled engine may be numbered, due to increasingly restrictive noise and emissions standards, the V-rod not only appeals to younger riders but has the capability of taking the Harley-Davidson company and the V-twin into the twenty-first century.

Prosperous times never last, and the American economy—and the motorcycle industry—suffered another downturn in 2009. Harley-Davidson acted quickly to cut costs. The Buell subsidiary was closed, MV Agusta was sold, and cost-cutting efforts were made throughout the company. Once again, Harley-Davidson came through a survivor.

In 2013, Harley-Davidson is selling Sportsters in 883.33-cc and 1201-cc sizes and in a variety of styles; and the V-Rod, also in a variety of styles. The Big Twin, powered by the Twin Cam engine, comes in configurations from stripped to a fully dressed touring model with every luxury feature. The company has dealers on every continent except Antarctica. The Harley-Davidson brand is known throughout the world as the cultural expression of America.

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