Motorcycle Sport

As you’ve virtually definitely browse on our web site or in Kickstarts within the Gregorian calendar month 2016 issue, for 2017 Harley-Davidson has launched associate all-new engine platform. referred to as the Milwaukee-Eight—a name that pays deference to its birthplace and its range of valves—it’s the ninth generation of Harley’s massive Twin, superseding the dual Cam eighty eight engine that debuted method back in 1998 in 1999 models. The 88-cubic-inch Twin Cam has been refined and improved over the years, its displacement ultimately growing to 103ci and 110ci, reckoning on the model, and it continues to power over a dozen models in Harley’s lineup.

For now, the Milwaukee-Eight powers all traveling and velocipede models, in 2 displacements and 3 variations: a 107ci (1,750cc) version with oil-cooled cylinder heads for models while not fairing lowers, like the road Glide, Road Glide, electrical Glide radical Classic, Road King and Freewheeler; a 107ci version with liquid-cooled cylinder heads for models with fairing lowers, like the radical restricted, Road Glide radical and Tri Glide Ultra; and a 114ci (1,870cc) version with liquid-cooled cylinder heads for the CVO restricted and CVO Street Glide (the CVO break is power-driven by the cool Twin Cam 110B).

After disbursal 2 days riding over four hundred miles on many 2017 traveling models, with most of my seat time on the road Glide, I will with confidence say that the Milwaukee-Eight could be a home run. And even supposing the new engine gets most of the eye, the new Showa suspension all told traveling (but not Trike) models is simply as spectacular. the event arc for the traveling line, that started with the new chassis for 2009 and continued  through the Project Mt. Rushmore campaign, is currently complete. Harley has continuously had the styling half nailed, however in recent years it's place its wide engineering resources toward making associate integrated package, one that honors the past, embraces the longer term, offers additional performance and makes the rider’s and passenger’s comfort, safety and pleasure a prime priority.
Harley-Davidson doesn’t style associate all-new engine fairly often, particularly not an enormous Twin that may come back to dominate the company’s lineup. There’s lots riding on the Milwaukee-Eight—the significant burden of history, the robust expectations of core customers, the money success of a multi-billion-dollar international company. Heading up such a project could be a massive responsibility, and therefore the job fell to Alex Bozmoski, Chief Powertrain Engineer, a 34-year Motor Company veteran. Bozmoski isn’t the pencil-necked geek type of engineer; he’s old fashioned, a big, genial guy World Health Organization clearly doesn’t mind obtaining his hands dirty. once Bozmoski introduced the Milwaukee-Eight to the press and spent 2 days obtaining grilled with queries, he took it tired stride. Sitting next to him at dinner on the ultimate night of the launch, clearly buoyed by the regeneration he’d gotten from nitpicky journalists, he said, “It was exciting to figure on a clean-sheet style.” additionally to meeting style, budget and programming targets, an enormous a part of his job was to form certain the whole team worked along instead of isolated in silos. nobody was allowed to “hurry up” to finalise a selected element or system and “let the cement dry,” forcing everybody else to adapt to one thing that couldn’t be modified. “No one was done till we tend to were all done,” he said.

As with Project Mt. Rushmore, client analysis established the look criteria for the Milwaukee-Eight. Keeping the devoted happy whereas additionally attracting new customers and meeting ever additional rigorous emissions and sound rules (the new engine is Euro4 compliant, for example) is like aiming at multiple moving targets. With a worldwide client base and high competition from Indian, Victory, Yamaha et al., Harley-Davidson can’t be content. Customers needed a brand new engine that has additional power, runs cooler, vibrates less at idle and is narrower between the legs, nevertheless still has the long-lasting look, sound and compassionate that Harley is understood.

Certain options of the new engine were set in stone before the project began. Historical precedent needed it to be a 45-degree V-twin with cool fins and pushrods. It had to possess the characteristic rumble and potato-potato exhaust note. It had to form stump-pulling force as before long because the throttle was cracked open. And it had to seem “right.” mutually client place it, the new engine ought to be instantly recognizable as a Harley massive Twin from a hundred feet away, however look new and distinctive from ten feet away.

Compared to the dual Cam 103, the Milwaukee-Eight 107 gets its four additional blocky inches from a bigger bore (100mm vs. 98.4mm) however retains a similar 111.1mm stroke. each have pushrod-operated overhead valves with hydraulic, self-adjusting lifters, however the 107 has four valves per cylinder rather than 2, giving the new engine fifty % additional intake and exhaust flow capability. Also, rather than the {dual} Cam’s dual camshafts, the Milwaukee-Eight includes a single, chain-driven shaft that’s lighter, quieter, less complicated and reduces friction. The compression magnitude relation has been bumped up from nine.7:1 to 10:1.

Harley claims the new 107 makes 111 lb-ft of force at the crank at three,250 rpm, compared to one hundred and five lb-ft for the 103, with additional force across the board. Bikes with the new engine ar aforementioned to be faster off the road (up to eleven % quicker at 0-60 mph) and in top-gear roll-ons (up to twelve % quicker at 60-80 mph). My seat-of-the-pants dyno backs up these claims. With negligible driveline lash and throttle-by-wire standardisation that provides a awfully direct association between the proper grip and therefore the rear wheel, twisting the throttle on any of the traveling models I rode created them step forward authoritatively. There’s a deep well of grunt to draw from, and that i was shocked to possess the rear tire break loose once I goosed the throttle on wet roads. and therefore the a hundred and ten within the CVOs? Pure hot rod, a true beast!

A new counterbalancer reduces vibration at idle by seventy five %, that Bozmoski aforementioned was a “sweet spot”—enough vibration to possess character and keep core customers happy however not such a lot on be unpleasant and switch new customers off. The Milwaukee-Eight continues to be rubber-mounted, that quells vibes throughout the operative vary. Less vibration is all sensible in my book, and it provides the engine a nicely refined feel. At one purpose throughout the ride we tend to were delayed by a construction delay, and that i weekday there idleness next to the leader at the front of the road. i used to be on a 2017 Street Glide with the oil-cooled Milwaukee-Eight 107, that rumbled on in a very mellow fashion. He was on a 2016 Street Glide with the dual Cam 103, that bounced around within the frame sort of a Mexican Mexican jumping bean. His mirrors were excited and therefore the jiggling smartphone hooked up to his bar appeared determined to interrupt loose from its mount.

Reducing heat and up fuel economy were major criterion for the Milwaukee-Eight. in keeping with Bozmoski, a serious think about reducing heat was additional precise engine management, that prevents the creation of warmth within the initial place. New anti-knock sensors on every cylinder enable the ignition temporal order to remain right the sting of detonation, providing the foremost power and best fuel potency. Lowering idle speed to 850 revolutions per minute additionally reduced heat and noise. enhancements to flowing and combustion, together with mistreatment twin spark plugs for every cylinder, and exactness oil or liquid cooling of the cylinder heads likewise as positioning the rear piping and relocating the converter more reduced heat. Weather throughout our take a look at ride around Washington’s Olympic land was cool and overcast with a good quantity of rain, therefore the conditions weren't ideal for obtaining a compassionate the enhancements in heat management. And Harley doesn’t build any mile-per-gallon claims for the Milwaukee-Eight, however says total vary is pretty much as good or higher than with the dual Cam.

Other enhancements embrace lighter valves, optimized cowl styles, driveline enhancements associated an anti-backlash gear within the transmission, all of that scale back mechanical noise and permit the rider to fancy additional of the rumbling exhaust note. To catch up on the lower idle speed, a brand new charging system provides fifty % additional output to the battery at idle, that additionally helps power accent lights, audio, heated gear, etc. Slimmer primary and air filter covers scale back the majority of the engine between the rider’s legs, that helps those with shorter inseams feel easier and additional simply get their feet on the bottom at stops. And redesigned covers for the rockers and air filter provides the new engine a additional fashionable look.

As mentioned on top of, the Milwaukee-Eight is clearly the star of the show for 2017, however the all-new traveling suspension deserves a nomination for best supporting role. The new 49mm non-adjustable Showa twin Bending Valve fork provides the linear damping performance of a cartridge-style fork however at a lower weight. and therefore the new emulsion rear shock, additionally created by Showa, options a bigger piston likewise as a “set and forget” remote preload claim agent that has 15-30 % additional vary, reckoning on the model. enhancements in suspension performance allowed Harley to recalibrate the ABS system for additional sensitivity since the wheels keep in higher contact with the road. even supposing suspension travel is unchanged—on the road Glide there’s four.6 inches ahead, 2.1 inches out back—the distinction in ride quality is dramatic. once we last tested a Street Glide Special in 2014, we said, “the rear suspension beats you au courant a jolty road no matter the [preload] setting.” we tend to maintained a reasonably quick pace on the 2017 traveling bikes, and that i beat the road Glide over rough pavement, dips and technical corners. It continuously felt planted, with sensible suspension compliance front and rear and ne'er wallowed or transmitted massive hits to my lower spine.

All of the Project Mt. Rushmore enhancements come for 2017, like the Reflex connected ABS brakes, One-Touch latches, Splitstream vents and additional. and every one of the traveling models ar equipped with the hydraulicly motivated Assist & slip friction clutch, that is claimed to be lighter and therefore the lever and supply additional positive engagement, however my clutch hand still got a travail once we were stuck in slow traffic. Truthfully, I struggled to search out abundant to complain concerning. It appeared harder to search out neutral at a stop, however apart from that, the new city-Eight and therefore the new Showa suspension build the 2017 traveling and CVO line a number of the most effective motorcycles ever to return out of Milwaukee.