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Indian not Harley invented the V-twin!

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26K views 22 replies 10 participants last post by  KsVn900  
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#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
Here is written and visual proof Indian had the first V-twin motorcycle in 1906
So next time an HD rider starts preaching or giving you crap about your bike forward them these links! Turns out a Harley D is a copy of an Indian... Harleys first V-Twin was 1909 3 Years later!! Facts are a bitter pill to swallow.They have spent a century trying to convince/lie to us and the world they invented the V-twin motorcycle and engine sound...here is proof they did not!. I bet there are those presented with facts still won't or can't believe the truth....Watch!


http://www.indianmotorcycledetroit.com/aboutus.asp


Had a guy give me crap about my enono box jap crap bike and his all American made HD... and everything else is a copy....brainwashed bull, he was a real knuckle dragger like most so facts would have been to much for him to Grasp..not wanting to ruin a good day arguing with a moron i just shook my head and moved on....i ride a Vertical twin Vulcan...
 
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#5 ·
Ya know....HD NEVER claimed to invent the V twin, But hey...you haters can twist it how ever you want........

In 1903 in Milwaukee, Bill Harley and Arthur Walter Davidson developed a one-cylinder motorcycle. It was a reliable and even a beautiful cycle. And ... someone bought it !! In 1905 they had made 11 motorcycles, in 1908 it were 154 and ... they had a company, in a little wooden barn, that was build by Davidson's father.
The small company extended quickly and another member of the Davidson family, William, joined them. In no time they hired about 20 employees in an especcially build stone-factory.

In 1909 Bill Harley made a project of the first 1000 CC V-Twin. It produced a modest seven horsepower. The 45-degree V-twin would become one of the more recognizable images of the Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This V-Twin stayed with HD for a long, long time. Maybe it's hard to believe, but Harley-Davidson didn't invent the V-twin !! When Bill Harley developed one, he just followed the tendency of the time.

So whats the point of all the hate'n?
 
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#6 ·
Hey dawg, in case you never knew or forgot HD sued Kawasaki, Honda and others for having the gall to build motors that had their sound. Imagine that sueing someone else for something you copied from Indian! I dont know the exact details but when Kawi brought up the Fact they copied the v-twin and Sound from Indian the case was thrown out of court.
 
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#8 ·
LOL, Im loving this. As in my newbie post Im an old Harley rider that now owns a more dependable Vulcon and payed half what a Harley cost. My Harley friends said they dont blame me and Im as welcome to ride with them now as before with a Harley. They dont care as its about 2 wheels, Wind in the hair and having fun.
 
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#9 ·
The classic Harley-Davidson engines are v twins with the pistons mounted in a 45° "V" with a single pin crankshaft.The design causes the cylinders to fire at uneven intervals. This design choice is entirely out of date from an engineering standpoint, but has been sustained because of the strong connection with it's distinctive off beat "potato-potato" sound. The 45° design of the engine creates a firing sequencing where the first cylinder fires, then the rear cylinder fires 315° later with a 405° gap until the first cylinder fires again, giving the engine its unique sound. On February 1, 1994, the company filed for a trademark request for the distinctive sound of the engine. Nine of Harley-Davidson's competitors filed comments opposing the application, arguing that cruiser-style motorcycles of various brands use a single-crankpin V-twin engine which produce a similar sound. These objections were followed by litigation. In June 2000, the company dropped efforts to federally register its trademark. Its engine design has numerous patents but they couldn't get a patent on the sound. So basically Harley could patent its design but not its sound however...... you can't reproduce that sound unless you infringe on the design patents.
If the EPA was ever successful in preventing owners from modifying their sound levels then I say Harley would have a difficult time staying in business. No loud potato, potato. No sales.
For the record, I've owned Harleys, the first a much used flat head and this was long before Harley owners got so defensive. And regarding the defensiveness, let me say that if Mercury became a stand alone company and started reproducing 1950 Mercs with flat head V8s I'd own one in a heartbeat and I sure wouldn't get defensive about my choice. But then I wouldn't try to convince the buyers of a new Lexus that I was some sort of superior being because of my Merc either. Even if it had dual glasspacks.:)
My bike is superior to your bike will never go away until the Feds make us all ride 350cc scooters but I'd actually ride their scooter if it meant I didn't have to hear this baloney again. Just sayin'...:rolleyes:
 
#10 ·
Yes, I noticed the 50 deg V-Twin on the Kaws makes more of a giddy-up giddy-up sound at idle...which I kinda like!
 
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#11 ·
52 degrees I think not 50.
 
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#12 ·
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#15 ·
1700 Nomad, 2009 is 52 degree V-twin, lol!
 
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#17 ·
Yep, see my edit above. 1700s and V2Ks are 52 degrees; 1500s and 1600s are 50. :)
 
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#18 ·
Yes they are. Just trying to help.
 
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R
#19 ·
Hardcore Harley guys swear Harley came first and everyone else is copying Harley with their bikes today. Well, except for the slow, underpowered part..............:D
 
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#20 · (Edited by Moderator)
I have been around bikes my entire life my father had an Indian,Harleys,Triumphs, Vincents....and i have owned about 50 bikes. As i have gotten older i have less patience with HD types that feel they have to run down and belittle anyone not riding an HD, alot of them buy HDs because they are to insecure to ride anything else and they Need the herd mentality. Remember the HD tv add from a Few years back where thousands of sheep were all going to sturgis....all looking and acting the same kinda like ....well.....sheep. Most people that ride other brands of bikes are far more independent in there life than Harley people. Think about that!

A line i have used a couple of times when given crap by a Hd rider for not following the rules and riding what they think i should ride is this. You have heard this one for sure get a real bike.....my responce is: "as soon as i become impotent and senile i will"

Another thing that gets me is bailouts, everyone was pissed about the banks, gm and dodge and others getting bailouts but when HD takes 620 million its ok....where did the TWO BILLION in profit go from the year before? This was there second bailout...remember 1984...so i dont understand the attitude they have about being so superior to everyone else if the government had not covered their ass twice there would be no Harley D. Hypocrisy at its finest!

With the ageing motorcycle population in general i wonder how long those Multi million dollar Harley boutiques will last that are strung along all the freeway exits...maybe bailout number three is not to far off.......

Some of their bikes are nice, but i have a life i dont need HD to provide one for me.

O yea, listen to the video clip again that Indian sounds good just like a Kaw,Honda,Harley,Yamaha.........V-twin with a single pin crank!

So ride off into the new year with your head held high hair blowing in the wind enjoying another day of life listen to the engine rumble between your legs and thank those boys at Indian for designing such a great sounding engine that has stood the test of time no matter who builds it!!
 
M
#21 ·
Drifter said:
O yea, listen to the video clip again that Indian sounds good just like a Kaw,Honda,Harley,Yamaha.........V-twin with a single pin crank!

!
Click to expand...
Yep, sounds like a Kaw, Honda, Yamaha..........
Nope, doesn't sound like a Harley,doesn't have that staggered firing order, no other V-Twin does.
The Harley goes, "potato, potato, potato, potato. Leisurely tempo.
All the rest of the V-Twins in the world can't quite spit it out, they go "popopopopopopo". Fast tempo. Its all about the rhythm boys, all about the rhythm and you know that most of us here have problems with that. :(
No offense.
How do I know this? I am an independent, macho, virile, manly man Kawasaki rider.:rolleyes:
 
#22 ·
I could care less who first invented the V-Twin. Inline cylinder bikes have been going strong for lot of years as well. I ride a V-Twin, because it's a cruiser, and that's the bike I'm most comfortable riding. I'm on my second Vulcan, because they're great bikes. My wife has a V-Star 950 that is just as nice.

For me, it's getting on the road on 2 wheels at the best price possible. I get loads of compliments on my bike. Most people don't even know what brand it is - and I don't cover up my emblems, or take them off.
 
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#23 ·
Another thread heads south(well it's been going that way for a while:rolleyes:) Nothing positive or vulcan related here.

Locked.

Man, it's gonna be a long winter.
 
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