THE EXECUTIVES who bought Harley-Davidson back from AMF probably did so at the worst possible time. They had borrowed a lot of money from banks, and needed to pay on the loans, but the United States promptly slid into recession as soon as the ink was dry on the buyout contract. To make matters worse, Honda and Yamaha were engaged in a trade war, and dumped thousands of bikes onto American shores. Only severe belt-tightening measures got the company through the first two years.
Despite terrible sales, the Harley engineers continued working on the new motor, dubbed Evolution or Evo, which was introduced in late 1983. The cylinders were alloy with iron liners, and displaced 81.65 cubic inches (1338 cc). Ignition was electronic. The Evolution motor was oil-tight and reliable, and had a three-piece rocker cover that allowed room to unbolt the heads and cylinders with the engine in the frame. Rubber mounting quelled vibration, and the new team cured the quality-control issues. Customers loved the Evo, and although most motorcycle manufacturers were still suffering, Harley-Davidson sales were back up to 1970s levels by 1988.
Prosperity allowed for a multiplication of models. In 1984, Harley licensed a frame invented by an engineer from St. Louis, Missouri, dubbed it the Softail, and turned it into a best seller. A Softail has the springs under the bike, giving it the look of a rigid frame, without the rigid ride. An Evolution version of the Sportster turned up in 1986.
The success of the Evolution did not stop development of the Big Twin engine. A new engine, the Twin Cam, appeared in 1999. The Twin Cam, sometimes known as the Twinkie, had an all-new bottom end, with a state-of-the-art oil pump, and longer cylinder fins. The name comes from the cam shaft design, with one designated cam shaft for each cylinder. This is an old idea, previously used by Harley on the J-models of the late 1920s, but now adapted for the twenty-first century.
The Twin Cam was both more powerful and more reliable than the Evo, and vibrated much less. Cubic capacity was enlarged, first to 88 cubic inches (1,449 cc) and later, in 2007, to 96 cubic inches (1,584 cc), allowing Harley-Davidson to meet emissions standards while still maintaining power levels.
Steve Stambaugh, attorney and motorcycle enthusiast, shows off his customized 1990 Evolution Softtail.
Harley also branched out in different directions. A former Harley-Davidson engineer, Erik Buell, had started a company to build sport bikes, using reworked Sportster engines for motivational force. Harley bought the company in 1993, hoping to extend the appeal of Harley-Davidson to sport-bike riders. Buells, while limited by the Sportster-derived engines, had state-of-the-art chassis and brakes.
The company also bought MV Agusta, an Italian company known for its beautiful and fast sport bikes, in 2008. The impetus behind this acquisition was to improve the company’s position in the European market.
Prosperity also brought the itch to go road racing. A water-cooled road racer—the VR-1000—appeared on the National race scene in 1994. This race effort also did not work out as planned, partly because the racing department refused to listen to the champion racers they hired to ride the VR. The riders’ frustration level led to incidents such as the time that Pascal Picotte was seen publicly screaming at the support team at Laguna Seca in 2000. While the VR was not successful, the racer gave Harley-Davidson the opportunity to learn about water-cooling a big V-twin.
The V-rod, the first liquid-cooled street-legal Harley, appeared in 2002. In other departures from tradition, it had dual overhead cams, a 60-degree V-twin engine, four valves per cylinder and fuel injection. The chassis has visual cues derived from drag-racing bikes. The low center of gravity is achieved by having the air box in the traditional gas-tank position and the actual gas tank under the seat. Recognizing that the days of the pushrod air-cooled engine may be numbered, due to increasingly restrictive noise and emissions standards, the V-rod not only appeals to younger riders but has the capability of taking the Harley-Davidson company and the V-twin into the twenty-first century.
Prosperous times never last, and the American economy—and the motorcycle industry—suffered another downturn in 2009. Harley-Davidson acted quickly to cut costs. The Buell subsidiary was closed, MV Agusta was sold, and cost-cutting efforts were made throughout the company. Once again, Harley-Davidson came through a survivor.
In 2013, Harley-Davidson is selling Sportsters in 883.33-cc and 1201-cc sizes and in a variety of styles; and the V-Rod, also in a variety of styles. The Big Twin, powered by the Twin Cam engine, comes in configurations from stripped to a fully dressed touring model with every luxury feature. The company has dealers on every continent except Antarctica. The Harley-Davidson brand is known throughout the world as the cultural expression of America.
A Softtail Deluxe at Gettysburg, scene of one of the pivotal battles of the American Civil War.
One unique division of the company is CVO—Custom Vehicle Operations. This division, organized in 1999, creates limited-edition versions of a select number of models each year. Upgrades include performance parts and custom paint schemes. Despite the cost of these limited-edition bikes, the CVO machines have been surprisingly popular.
The company celebrated its one hundredth anniversary in 2003 with a week-long party where it began, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The corporate offices are still at the old factory on Juneau Avenue, although powertrain production has moved to other Wisconsin locations. The company also has factories in Kansas City, Missouri, and York, Pennsylvania.. In 2013, Harley-Davidson’s 110th year was marked with another major party in Milwaukee. As the company celebrates its 110th anniversary, sales are once again looking up, and the company is optimistic about its future.
This is one of the first Screaming Eagle bikes, introduced in 2005. It boasts many performance parts in addition to the eye-catching paint job—an example of the custom work available from the factory.
A 2002 Road King poses among the scenery at Monument Valley, Arizona..
The frame of the Screaming Eagle bike is a Softtail, with the suspension under the frame. The belt drive was introduced in 1980, and has proven to be quiet, clean, and extremely reliable.
Motorcycle rallies are not complete without the custom parts and paint booths. Most Harley riders personalize their machines.