08-04-2014, 11:57 AM
(08-03-2014, 08:48 PM)The ferret_imp Wrote: If they didn't introduce water cooling on this bike, they would be trapped and forever locked in to air cooled bikes with less horsepower, less reliability and unable to meet more restrictive emissions which are undoubtedly coming. Harley realizes this as well with their two new smaller models.
Air cooling just isn't the way of the future. Harley knows it, BMW knows it and Indian knows it, which is why the traditionally air cooled companies are introducing water cooling to new models. Consumers might as well get used to it.
The Japanese has realized it forever which is why the CB was such a shock to the mc world, and also why its such a poor performer for its displacement.
Mic,
I agree with everything you said except the "trapped" part. Makers will either water-cool to help meet emissions standards or they will stop making bikes for sale in the US. I agree that water cooling is functionally superior and it's inevitable. Even HD will lose their air cooled V twins in a few years. My attachment to air cooling is like my attachment to '60's Rock & Roll. It's just the way things were when I was a kid. I was stunned when Honda brought out the CB1100. Yeah baby!!!! It made me feel nostalgic even though I never owned a Honda 4 back in the day. So I bought one. I sold my air cooled Ducati 900 Monster some years ago because I never rode it. I just thought it was beautiful. When I just heard that Ducati has stopped production of it's last air cooled bikes, the 696 and 796 Monsters, I called around and bought one of the last new 796's shipped to AZ for my son Charley.
I was upset when Porsche had to start water cooling the 911. And with this years water cooling of the Harley Electra Glide I know the end of this era is near.
I like vintage guitars, Schwinn steel framed one speed cruiser bicycles, radial aircraft engines, and big block muscle cars, all being outdated, inefficient, and inferior to modern items. So the throw back CB1100 gets it for me. Water cooled everything will be here soon enough. But any one of the 5 air cooled motorcycles in my garage will still have enough power to propel me from 0 to 1969 in under 5 seconds. Cheers.
Chip