Spied! Porsche-Harley Hot-Rod
SPIED! PORSCHE-HARLEY HOT-ROD
ROUNDUP
HO-BOY, THINGS ARE rockin' at Harley these days. First comes the stellar Twin Cam 88 Big Twin, then the Buell Blast beginner bike, and now this.
What these murky, shot-on-the-fly spyshots depict is the first visible evidence of a linkup between German automaker Porsche and Harley-Davidson. Info is scarce, but here’s what our sources are saying. The project apparently began in 1995, and the bike is scheduled for a 2002 release. It’s powered by a liquid-cooled, 45-degree V-Twin, a ground-up design that displaces 1400cc, transmits power through a new transmission, revs higher than current Harley engines and should be good for 135 mph on the top end.
We do know that Porsche and Harley-Davidson have been working together through much of the Nineties. This project has been alluded to by Harley brass, but without any level of detail attached to the admission. Porsche was, of course, the designer of Harley’s late-Seventies Nova V-Four, which was cancelled for financial reasons.
during Harley’s struggles after being spun off from AMF.
More recently, Harley management has been dropping broad hints that many new projects are in the works. Moreover, at the press intro for the Twin Cam 88, we were told that the revamped Big Twin would strengthen Harley’s base to the extent that other, less traditional designs could be added in the future.
What the photos show is a heavily disguised motorcyclewhat you see is certainly not what you’ll get. The gas tank, tailsection and fairing are all clearly camouflaged, as is what looks like a radiator shroud in front of the engine. Similarly, the photos don’t convincingly demonstrate shock location.
From the pictures alone, we can’t determine if the bike runs traditional twin shocks, or if they’re just disguises meant to divert attention from a monoshock hidden under the fake bodywork.
But the photos do make some convincing points. This new machine is far more performanceoriented than any other Harley model. That’s told by the mammoth (50mm?) fork tubes, huge brakes, the big, low-profile tires and-more than anything else-the very atypical-for-Milwaukee bulky mufflers. Their large volume can be for only one reason: to get power out of a large-displacement Vee while meeting noise regulations. If the bike pumps out 90 horsepower or so at the rear wheel, it could meet the 135-mph speed projection.
Lack of a large, visible airbox suggests a downdraft intake system. Engine proportions are not those of any other Harley powerplant. The swingarm is particularly long, with the engine/gearbox apparently short-coupled-more
like the VR1000 racebike or Aprilia RSV Mille engine proportions than those of a Big Twin. The belt final drive can be seen on the left-certainly a Harley signature item-but that belt clearly runs just inboard of a narrow
sidecover, with th^clutch obviously on the right side. Again, this architecture more closely resembles that of the VR than any other current Harley engine.
So, what is it? A liquidcooled hot-rod would be a natural new model for Harley. The company has increasingly sought bigger sales numbers in the European market, where even the FXDX Sport is seen as not quite sporty enough. A new machine that combines additional refinement with much higher performance could win over Euro-hearts-not to mention play into the power/handling movement the U.S. cruiser market is embarking upon.
What will it look like? Note the very forward peg positionthis prototype machine is no Buell Lightning or Ducati Monster. Expect the final version to be a purely American hotrod-say, Softail Deuce meets Yamaha V-Max-incorporating the very clean, muscular styling elements added to Big Twins by many custom builders.
When to expect it? Well, the 2003 model year is Harley’s 100th anniversary, so August of 2002 might be the perfect time to introduce a Harley that’ll take the company into its second century.
