With all the news about Harley-Davidson’s new, improved 2018 Motorcycle accessories Company lineup (Dynas are out, new oil-cooled Softail design is in), nobody has pointed out the sudden disappearance of the V-Rod. Emissions standards are making it harder and harder for big-piston air-cooled engines, and the
Sportster’s history won’t be enough to keep it in the lineup once government regulations catch up to it.It’s a bit sad to see the bike go with no fanfare, though, as the V-Rod was a bold step forward for Harley-Davidson, even if it was unpopular and perhaps a bit of a poorly-executed design. For months, people have been whispering the V-Rod was soon headed for cancellation, and now those predictions have come true. The factory drag bike built around the V-Rod platform, the
Destroyer, was one of the coolest ideas Harley-Davidson had brought to market in years. At this point, there have been no official announcements that it’s been killed off … but it’s also conspicuously absent from the MoCo website’s section for 2018 models. Now, Harley-Davidson has other liquid-cooled designs that are more pleasing to traditionalists (the Milwaukee Eight) or more affordable (Revolution X). Instead, we’d guess the Sportster lineup, which is Harley-Davidson’s longest-running engine design now, is probably not far off the chopping block.With no official announcement, it’s theoretically possible we’ll see the V-Rod back, but don’t bet on it.
The Dyna lineup isn’t the only platform that has disappeared from Harley-Davidson’s 2018 fleet; it seems the V-Rod is also gone. The times are a’changin’ in Milwaukee these days, and the lineup is changing with them. For a long time, the V-Rod platform was the only option if you wanted a liquid-cooled Harley-Davidson, but the H-D faithful never really took to the design.It isn’t a surprise (unlike the news about the Dynas).. However, that bike has already been off the market for some time
ความคิดเห็น