In the early 1950s, Volkswagen drivers waved at one another on the road.
So did those in MGs and Renaults. But with “import” brands ubiquitous and many made in the U.S., that camaraderie borne of exclusivity is a thing of the past.
Unless you’re on a motorcycle. Some bikers greet all others, regardless of style or brand of bike. Hardcore Harley-Davidson riders wave only to those on Hogs. But that tradition became harder to uphold in 2002, when Harley introduced its first water-cooled bike-the V-Rod.
“The first time I saw a V-Rod, I said, ‘This is “Star Wars” generation stuff,'” said Michael Gutteridge, owner of Gutteridge Harley-Davidson of downstate Danville. “Recently, a guy about 25 came in with his dad to see a V-Rod,” he said. “Dad’s been riding for 45 years, and says, ‘That ain’t a Harley.’ But the son took the bike home. Dad comes in a few days later and said, `Heck, it really goes and I like it.’ It’s a new market for us.”
As Boomers age, they tend to buy fewer motorcycles and, unlike younger sportbike-type buyers, they don’t feel a need to get the latest technology, said Don J. Brown, a California-based marketing and product consultant to motorcycle manufacturers. “For Harley to sustain sales over the next 10 years, they have to go more into competition with the Japanese on the performance-style bikes.”
Paul James, product communications manager for Harley-Davidson, doesn’t deny that it was looking for new buyers–as well as to meet a demand for higher performance and prepare for expected tighter rules on engine emissions.
“To make more horsepower, you build more heat and have to dissipate it. That’s why air-cooled engines have lots of fins,” James said. “But liquid cooling allows more horsepower per specific displacement, and you can keep an engine at a more or less controlled temperature. We turned to liquid cooling as a way to do that.”
The liquid cooling also is about appealing to a younger rider than traditional Harley buyers with a median age of about 47.
Most high-performance sportbikes are liquid-cooled. Air cooling is seen on smaller Ducatis, and the V-twin engined cruisers from Yamaha, Harley-Davidson and Moto Guzzi.
Traditionalists may object to liquid cooling for history’s sake–especially the radiator’s appearance–but manufacturers and customizers are even looking for ways to hide the radiator.
And though manufacturers such as Harley-Davidson and Ducati traditionally have built air-cooled motorcycles, they often augment the motors with liquid cooling for their high-performance and racing bike. Some air-cooled motorcycles further cool the cylinder head by flowing oil around it, dissipating some heat through an oil radiator.
Honda generally goes the liquid-cooled route.
“The majority of our models are 49-state versions and a California version,” said Lee Edmunds, Honda spokesman. “Our 50-state models use a true catalytic converter.”
“About 30 years ago, most of our street motorcycles were air-cooled,” said Roger Hagie, Kawasaki’s director of public affairs. “Now about 99 percent are liquid-cooled, and many models have catalytic converters.”
Hagie said Kawasaki switched to liquid-cooled engines to make more power more consistently and help meet emissions requirements.
“All our motorcycles are air-cooled,” said Shelby Kennard, parts manager for Moto Guzzi. “It’s a complex question about switching to liquid cooling or not. I think it has to do with the nature of our transportation systems and reliance on fuel types. But I think to pass 2008 [California Air Resources Board emissions] requirement, virtually every bike made will need fuel-injection, except for the very small engined bikes making do with carburetors.”
Most Ducatis are air-cooled, “but our highest performing bikes are liquid-cooled,” said Vincent Chiaro, spokesman for Ducati North America. “Our air-cooled twin engines are tilted in the frame in an L configuration, so the front cylinder is horizontal to the ground and therefore both cylinders are in the airstream for cooling.”
But Brown doesn’t expect Harley, for one, to turn to all liquid-cooled technology. “Don’t lose the point that the Harley-Davidson market advantage has had little to do with technical design per se. It’s the attitude of the Boomers toward nostalgia that has made Harley successful.”
“I’d say our V-Rod customers are real motorcycle enthusiasts,” Griff LaFleur, sales manager of Harley-Davidson of Danbury, Conn., said in support. “We’re getting business from riders we ordinarily wouldn’t see, like Ducati and BMW-type people.”
