Water cooled sportster spied in Aridzona

New "Motorcyclist" says they received an e-m about it and checked it out, motor company ain't sayin' nothin' one way or the other. 07s are announced, so maybe in 08? Who knows? The pic they put on the page is likely a photoshopped guess, but it's basically a baby V-Rod looking bike with a sportsterish OHV pushrod motor, faux fins, and a radiator.

I figure water cooling has to be coming to HD if they're going to compete in an EPA regulated world, especially with 2 valve per cylinder OHV engines.

Maybe in '08 on XL or even on the Dyna guinea pigs. Seems they are the new default "test" big twin. I think more likely '09 or '10

I think by '10 they baggers will be water cooled in some fashion whether it is by reworking the TC96 or adapting the V-Rod for more grunt down low. 400 wat amp in the trunk to add that "rumble sound"

Dylan said "The times they are a changing....."

With all of the frigging tranny problems on the '07's they would be wise to fix those bugs first.

There is a problem with at least some production units.

http://www.hdforums.com/m_654370/tm.htm

It is also posted on other forums.

There are two cases there that H-D replaced tranny's and now the suspect the noise "might" come from the new primary setup.

Let's Just Take Another Harely Thing And Change It. Want A Radiator Drive A Yamerjamer. I'll Stick With Air Cool, Then If Needed Get A Oil Cooler. Like I Said Before, Rented A V-rod When They Came Out, Harley Version Of A Honda!

The EPA will eventually get rid of all air cooled engines. Like it or not.

They'll have to pry it out from under my cold, dead a$$!

Lol,, I hear ya. What I mean is the days of new air-cooled vehicles are numbered…

So much for an INCREASE of personal freedoms...

Just goes to show ya what happens when power unchecked is LEFT unchecked. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely"

Paranoid, overkill, etc? Perhaps, just understand where I'm comin' from is all. Starts with the little things, and let's face it, in the scheme of life, our scoots ARE little things.. ...and before you know it, we're all in jail for jaywalking in a two bit, one light town, 'cause it OFFENDED the wrong person.

(Wow, how many tangents can I go off on in ONE thread, you might ask? )

Anyways....that MY two cents....

scoot

Well, get used to it. They're even coming down on lawn equipment for emmissions. Can you imagine if they start putting catalytic converters and EFI on your John Deere or Murray? Outboards are all going four stroke. To me, that sux, though four strokes are much more fuel efficient. I'm sure if there was a technological alternative, they'd just toss internal combustion engines all together.

Meanwhile, the nations elite fly in private jets spreading noxious vapors in the stratosphere. We'll be riding horses again, but you can bet your arse they'll still be flying in those jets. Money talks.

It's a mixed bag 'o crap if you were to ask me. No one that lives in LA or Phoenix or even here in little old Tucson can deny that the smog is unbelievable some days. Fly from San Diego to Tucson in a light aircraft and you can see that the smog is even in the unpopulated areas. Add a reversion layer in and the smog can seem as thick as the fog is in San Fransisco.

We've caused it whether we blame it on ourselves or the government. Those that live in rural areas don't have to deal with the problem and unless they visit the big city, it doesn't affect them.

Smog, whether it is caused by cars or factories it is still smog and dangerous. Every time the government wants to reduce emissions, they have to run the gauntlet of the boys in Detroit and every major polluting manufacturer and their bought and paid for politicians. The car manufacturers cry foul and if they are forced to implement better emission controls, we cry foul over higher purchase prices. Copper smelters have to reduce emmisions and we bitch about the higher prices of products with copper in them.

Then, those of us that have to live and breathe in a city that has smog and inversion problems bitch and complain about it yet are unwilling to take any personal actions that would help like car pooling.

The EPA is stuck right smack in the middle with a pressure coming from 360º to do this, not do this, etc, etc, etc.

We can rant, rave and cuss at the moon but there is only so much oil left and it is not being manufactured anymore. Sooner or later, we will have to realize it and accept the simple fact that changes are needed.

As for the noise issues and the EPA, it is my opinion that the majority of the rules concerning noise were self inflicted. The tremendous growth of the industry and the numbers of riders that think that setting off alarms at 3:00 AM is harmless fun, and that sitting at an intersection requires continuous blipping of the throttle are the issue. Politicians react to the loudest voters with the biggest wallets. Loud pipes may help keep you out of danger but, being obnoxious may cost you in the long run.

Those that have been around awhile and have grown beyond that phase of the sport know full well it seems to be almost a right of passage. We can help reduce some of the heat by mentoring and policing our own ranks.

Yeah Man... You are right... Its time we police ourselves, or lose the very thing that we love most.

There is nothing in the Code of Federal Regulations about air cooled engines being bad for the environment. The EPA doesn't have it out for air cooled engines. It is up to the manufacturers to decide how they are going to meet the emissions limits. It seems that water cooled engines make it easier to control temperature of the combustion process and therefore easier to control emissions. If HD can pass emissions with an air cooled engine I am sure they would never put a radiator on. That's a HUGE expence per vehicle for them and us. Besides coolant is toxic also.

I have always been proud of one thing about HD and that is the gas mileage. Nominal mileage is 45 mpg. A new Honda GWing(supposed to be the cleanest vehicles) 36 mpg. That's a feather in our cap.

One more thing... there is catalytic materials in the mufflers of new small lown mowers now.

Another thing a water jacket does is quell excessive engine noise and noise is subject to emission standards, too. It is inevitable IMHO that they'll HAVE to go water cooled. It will be the least expensive option.

I haven't seen a mower with a cat converter on it or catalyst in the muffler, but I'll keep an eye out. I repair small engines. Of course, most of the ones I get for repair aren't new. Last Briggs and Stratton update I saw was two years old and no mention of catalyst there. But, I reckon that's inevitable, too, as are all the OHV motors in the newer mowers. OHV is a LOT more efficient than a flat head, added cost to the consumer, but that doesn't seem to matter. 99 percent of the riding mowers now have OHV motors and Honda has built little OHV motors for their push mowers and generators for quite a while, now. Yep, the EPA affects anything internal combustion. The ultimate goal of some would be a world devoid of internal combustion. Hopefully, I'll be dead first. I'm kinda set in my ways, too.