Harley Davidson: Rumors of a proposed V-Four engine revive the memory of the ill-fated Project Nova during the AMF years…will the supposed new V-Four be reality?
Ron Lieback
AllAboutBikes.com Staff Writer
Rumors are rumbling through the media that Harley-Davidson is developing a V-Four engine, which seems to be an attempt to maximize its marketing in these economic trying times. Information is extremely vague, even to the knowledge of if this assumed motor would be in a Harley and/or Buell.
But the trickling of info to media outlets reports the V-Four’s cylinders are set at 72 degrees, laid out between the perfectly balanced 90-degree motor and the symmetrical design of a 45 degree engine. This 72-degree motor is supposed to be as well-balanced as a 90-degree V-Four, and it’s reported that a balance shaft has also been added to cancel any residual vibration.
The secret V-Four is reported to have a displacement ranging between 1300 and 1600cc, with large bores and short strokes, which is expected to rev to 12,000 rpm, producing up to 170 horsepower. A big step for The Motor Company, and also a break from tradition that may be positive or negative, especially when considering the current economic situation.
This proposed V-Four revives memories of one project that could have possibly changed the history of Harley-Davidson as we know it today: Project Nova. Back in 1976, when AMF was the parent company of Harley-Davidson, the company set out to build a V-Four engine with a short stroke that reached 10,000 rpm and made 135 horsepower. The engine was a 60 degree configuration, the same design that’s used on today’s Ducatis and the Honda RC51. With the addition of dual overhead cams and liquid cooling, Project Nova would have been legendary for Harley. But after significant investments—more than $15 million on development and testing (about $40 million today), and another $1 million in die-cast tooling for the crankcase—AMF placed the project on hold. Then, when a select group of employees bought Harley-Davidson back from AMF in 1981, the new air-cooled Evolution V-Twin took precedence over all projects due to profitability. Project Nova became just another research project, though a very expensive one.
Hopefully Harley has some success with the new proposed V-Four, and it isn’t thrown in the bottom of the R&D pits along with Project Nova. If the Nova surfaced, who knows how competitive Harley would have been with the inline-fours of today, if not a leader in the performance, high-revving motors. The only thing we can do is wait, and imagine what a Harley motor would sound like at 12,000 rpm.
