They are saying opposites entice, and other than a historic reliance on air-cooled engines, Porsche and Harley-Davidson couldn’t be extra apples to oranges. Again within the Nineteen Nineties, Porsche was the foremost title in German efficiency engineering, whereas Harley’s choices had grow to be decidedly stagnant because the mid 80s. The results of this unlikely partnership was the Harley-Davidson V-Rod, a motorcycle that might not solely break Harley’s air-cooled mould, but in addition ring in a brand new period of OEM efficiency cruisers.
The Evolution engine has lengthy been credited because the engine that saved Harley-Davidson, however Sportster, Dyna and massive twin fashions nonetheless couldn’t problem the efficiency and number of international choices. Harley wanted a extra highly effective choice, with an entire new picture, they usually rekindled an previous relationship with Porsche to do it.
Porsche and Harley had first gotten collectively within the Eighties for Mission Nova, which may have produced some game-changing, water-cooled V4 and V6 engines if it had come to fruition. For his or her second collaboration, a handful of H-D engineers traveled to Porsche Engineering’s facility in Germany to design an all-new roadgoing v-twin.
The Revolution engine, as it might come to be recognized, was not a clean-sheet design although. The undertaking began with the water-cooled, 60-degree v-twin from the Harley VR1000 superbike, which already boasted quad cams and gas injection, and was able to over 10,000 rpm.
Clearly the race-only mill wanted to be detuned for road use, and displacement was elevated to 1,131 cc since it might not be used for AMA Superbike racing (the place displacement was restricted to 1,000 cc for twins). Its controversial liquid cooling opened the door for greater horsepower and better rpm, and when it debuted in 2001, the Revolution engine was rated at 115 hp at 8,250 rpm, with a 9,000 rpm redline.
Porsche’s hand within the undertaking began and ended with the Revolution engine, however Harley had a couple of tips of their very own in growing the remainder of the VRSC (V-twin Racing Avenue Customized, or V-Rod). The hydroformed chassis was a primary for Harley, and the break up spine surrounds the engine and tank like sport bikes of the day. The gas tank was positioned underneath the seat to deliver the middle of gravity down, and the fake standard tank hid the air field.
To finish the ‘racing road customized’ look, HD designers outfitted it with stable disc wheels, a large 240-section rear tire and shallow 34-degree rake. The radiator and different cooling elements have been streamlined and hidden at any time when attainable, and the swept exhausts have been fine-tuned to realize the distinctive Harley v-twin sound.
All through its 15-year manufacturing run, the V-Rod was provided in many various configurations and examined the marketplace for a few of Harley’s extra radical concepts. The VRSCR Avenue Rod mannequin, for instance, was fitted with inverted forks, a steeper 30-degree rake, Brembo brakes and mid-mounted controls, clearly increasing H-D’s definition of a worldwide cruiser bike.
By the top of the V-Rod’s time in 2017, the Revolution engine had grown to 1,247 cc, and made as a lot as 125 hp on the crank. Along with proving itself on the road, Harley developed the track-only VRXSE Destroyer, which was able to quarter mile occasions underneath 10 seconds.
Sporty and high-revving, the V-Rod supplies a singular expertise within the saddle. It runs clean from idle to redline, and gained’t shake your tooth out like a few of its stablemates. Whereas Harley’s v-twins have a status for low-end grunt, the V-Rod pulls sturdy over 6,000 rpm, and can gentle the rear tire up on a whim. It’ll outperform inventory Evo Sportys and massive twins in a straight line, and within the corners as effectively, given its low middle of gravity.
Whereas typically dismissed by Harley’s air-cooled devoted, the V-Rod succeeded in bringing new faces into the orange and black fold. Find it irresistible or hate it, the Harley-Davidson V-Rod not solely paved the best way for fashionable liquid-cooled HDs, but in addition ushered within the OEM efficiency cruiser market that continues to be in style to at the present time.
Pictures courtesy of Harley-Davidson and Porsche
