gyration is more than just the name of Harley - Davidson ’s liquid - cool V - twin ; it ’s the conception behind a whole breed of motorcycle – the 2002 Harley - Davidson VRSCA V - Rod .
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For days , rumour of a " in high spirits - tech " Harley pass on like Big Foot sightings at an yearly tabloid convention . Liquid cooling ? dual overheadcams ? Four valves per piston chamber ? Preposterous ! Yet despite the obvious contradiction in design principles , this rumor turn out to be true .
Though the V - Rod represents a totally different kind of animal in the Harley - Davidson batting order , its heart comes from an established fellowship seed : the racetrack . Harley ’s VR 1000 , which enter the racing setting back in 1994 , was power by a liquidity - cooled , duple - overhead - cam , 60 - degree V - twin very standardized to that found in today ’s basal V - Rod .
Without interrogation , specification of the Revolution motor are indeed in high spirits - technical school , yet remain ground in Harley tradition . A cinque - twin conformation was a give , though the spread between the cylinders was increase from the common 45 degrees to a smoother - running 60 stage . Both link rods still apportion the same crankshaft journal , but the crank itself is now a stronger one - piece forge social unit rather than Harley ’s usual three - piece design .
The traditional overhead - valve layout afford agency to more efficient double overhead cams trigger four valves per cylinder . Electronic sequential - portfuel injectionfeeds the hungry pistons , with Muriel Sarah Spark ply by plug - top ignition system coils . melted temperature reduction - another departure from the Harley average - promotes more consistent operating temperatures , and the front - mounted radiator carries artfully fashion scoops on its outside edges to assist flow of air . A 2 - into - l - into-2 exhaust system culminate in a twosome of large slash - cutmufflers .
A vastly oversquare 3.94 - in bore and 2.84 - in cam stroke ( other Harley motor are undersquare ) result in a displacement of 69.0 three-dimensional inches , or 1130 milliliter - barely a bombastic motor by Harley standards . Nevertheless , work on exalted 11.3:1 condensation , the Revolution belts out an telling 115horsepowerat 8,250 revolutions per minute – more than any other street motorcycle the company has ever produce . A gear primary drive ( rather than the traditional double- or triplex - row chain ) transfers superpower to the five - speedtransmissionthrough a hydraulicly actuatedclutch– the first in Harley history .
Designated VRSCA , the 2002 Harley - Davidson VRSCA V - Rod break unexampled terra firma in other ways as well . While the long , low silhouette is surely not a going , the 38 - level fork slant is steeper than that of any other Harley , and contributes to a lengthy 67.5 - inch wheelbase - also the greatest of any cycle in the line .
A silver border frame wraps around the motor , underlining the anodized atomic number 13 eubstance panels rather than being hidden by them . A particular hydroform process is used to produce the extreme curves come across in the upper frame rail , while a lower bolt - on plane section control the powertrain .
A twin - fibril headlight resides in an oval lodging that extends up into a pod - like instrument panel carrying aspeedometer , tachometer , and fuel calibre . The " fuel tank " is n’t a tank at all ; it ’s just a blanket that hide the downdraft intake system , the real tank being located beneath the seat for a lower center of solemnity . Out back , a " clipped " rear buffer reminiscent of that used on the Deuce covers a fat 180 - section 18 - inchtire , versus a 120 - section 19 - incher in front .
Solid front and rearward wheel are fitted to only two Harley - Davidson models : the Fat Boy and the V - Rod . But they are of decidedly different design . Where the Fat Boy ’s have a " three - slice " look - with the rims riveted to cast disc hubs - the V - Rod ’s appear to be turned from a substantial city block of aluminum . Four - piston caliper grip dual float rotors in front , a single rotor in the rear . Final driving force is by Harley ’s typical cogged belted ammunition .
Even those conversant with the rumors of a high - tech Harley were stupefy by the pattern sophistication of the company ’s first " performance custom . " And the V - Rod stands in evidence that as Harley - Davidson enters its second century , there are many more surprisal left to come .
