What exactly is it that Porsche contributed to the VROD?

[Chris987Deuce]

I am both a Harley and Porsche fan and owner and I had heard from someone that Porsche helped Harley with the VROD. I was wondering if someone can elaborate as what it was Harley needed Porsche for. Just curious. Thank you.

[tradrockrat]

The engine was developed ina partnership with both companies.

[rwpatton]

Chris987deuce

Harley struggled with their VR1000 motor for several years..with a host of technical problems and dnf's at the track. Somehow they turned too the porche engineers for help..would have loved to have seen that meeting.

Well the Germans and Americans worked out the problems in a stellar manner.

I beat...and i mean,beat the living hell outt'a my Streetrod motor. Does not wimper a bit. Fine testimony too excellent engineering. The clutch can protest a'bit and the rear tire balds,but the engine is a rock.

It's here to stay and will prove it self a great unit. Without question.

A bitch to work on now..but as soon as we become familier with it,that will change.


Rw

[Shorty]

Here ya go Chris:

Cruiser developed with Porsche Engineering
A number of innovative and forwardlooking
solutions were developed
in collaboration with Porsche
Engineering, one highlight being
the drivetrain.
Until now, all series-production
motorcycles from Harley-Davidson
have been powered by air-cooled
two-valve pushrod-type engines with
a vee angle of 45 degrees. These
parameters have changed radically
for the V-Rod. The new engine,
based on the VR 1000 racing engine,
features four-valve DOHC
cylinder heads, bucket tappets,
water cooling, staggered cylinder
banks with 60 degrees vee angle, a
multi-disk oil-immersed clutch and
wet-sump lubrication. The drivetrain
and transmission will be introduced
here as an example of the overall
development.
Clutch and drivetrain
As in most motorcycles, engine,
clutch and transmission of the V-Rod
are accommodated in a single
housing. The housing is split horizontally,
and the crankshaft and the
transmission input and output shafts
are positioned perpendicular to the
direction of travel in the parting
plane of the housing. The transmission
with gearshift mechanism is
located at the rear of the housing.
Oil is supplied by a wet-sump lubrication
system.
Porsche Engineering collaborated with Harley-Davidson in developing the Power Cruiser V-Rod.
When Harley-Davidson decided to develop a
completely new motorcycle, it also broke with
several long-standing traditions and took the bold
step of adopting state-of-the-art technology for
high-performance engines.
Engine development Powertrain & Driveline
The vehicle concept chosen for the
V-Rod has a decisive influence on
the clutch design. This motorcycle's
long wheelbase, its low center
of gravity and its high front-wheel
load allow even occasional motorcyclists
to achieve very high initial
acceleration values. There is no
danger of a wheelie with the V-Rod,
even under extreme acceleration.
A maximum acceleration value of
up to 1.3 g was attained for brief
periods in tests. A value which only
very few motorcycles can match.
This acceleration capacity requires
a clutch that can cope with the high
demands involved. Comparison
tests have shown that the clutchengagement
times and speeds and
the engine loads of high-performance
racing motorcycles are much
lower than the values for the V-Rod.
However the wheelie tendency of
these motorcycles limits their
acceleration capacity. Not so for
the V-Rod: with this motorcycle, the
gear can be engaged at maximum
engine speed and full throttle without
the front wheel lifting off the
ground and impairing control.
The nine-disk clutch in the V-Rod
runs in engine oil and has a mean
friction diameter of 130 millimeters.
The aluminum friction disks are
equipped with individual adhesivebonded
pads; the driving disks are
manufactured from sheet steel.
The outer and inner clutch cages
are aluminum diecastings. Five
springs inside the inner cage act on
the clutch disks. The clutch is actuated
by a hydraulic slave cylinder
mounted in the clutch cover.
Two spur-toothed gearwheels form
the primary gear train from the
crankshaft to the transmission input
shaft, and another gearwheel compensates
for the circumferential
backlash of these gearwheels. An
integrated jerk damper reduces the
torque peaks that can result from
uneven rotation, popping the clutch,
gear clashing or misuse. Clutch
disks are subjected to extreme
thermal loads under heavy acceleration,
and this requires a specially
designed lubrication system.
Chambers in the clutch hub supply
the correct amount of oil to the
nine friction disks in line with their
thermal load.
The appropriate oil quantities were
determined based on extreme
acceleration tests and measurements
of the drag torque.
Resonance in the drivetrain can
place a high load on components –
from the crankshaft to the rear
wheel. It was therefore necessary
to fine-tune the oscillation properties.
Vibrations are caused by
uneven rotation of the engine and
by the very stiff toothed-belt output
drive to the rear wheel. Although
the toothed belt used is a low-maintenance
type, it is twice as stiff as
a chain drive and thus produces
very high load peaks in the drivetrain.
It was possible to reduce the
loads to component-friendly levels
by installing a drive damper in the
rear wheel, a test-optimized crankmechanism
balancer and an effective
jerk damper in the clutch. The
V-Rod's drivetrain also demonstrates
an excellent load-change
response on the road.
Clutch on transmission input shaft
Powertrain & Driveline Engine development
Transmission
The transmission is a five-speed
constant-mesh countershaft type
with “classic� two-shaft layout and
sequential shifting. All shifting components
are housed in the lower
section of the crankcase; the transmission
shafts are located in the
parting plane of the two crankcase
halves. Spacing or adjustment of
the transmission shafts or shifting
components with respect to the
respective crankcase is not necessary.
The transmission has been
designed for an input torque of 200
Newton-meters or 148 foot-pounds.
The gearset comprises a combination
of helical gearwheels for the
gears that are of importance for
noise tests – namely 2nd, 3rd and 4th
gears (4th gear as of 2004/'05 in
Japan) – and spur-toothed gearwheels
for 1st gear and 5th gear.
This made it possible to reduce the
pass-by noise level by 2 dB.
Longitudinal and transverse sectional views of the drive
The drivetrain is one of the Cruiser's highlights.
Gearshift mechanism with gear-selector
drum of high-strength aluminum
Engine development Powertrain & Driveline
gearwheels run on needle bearings.
They are coupled with the shaft in
the usual way by means of operating
sleeves for 1st, 3rd, 4th and 5th
gears and by means of lateral dogs
on the sliding spur-toothed gearwheel
for 5th and 2nd gears. The
shafts are supported on fixed bearings
and loose bearings that are
adequately dimensioned to absorb
the thrust forces and radial forces
occurring during operation. On the
output side, forces exerted by the
toothed belt must be absorbed in
addition to the gearwheel forces
acting in the transmission itself.
A two-row deep-groove ball bearing
is therefore used as the fixed bearing
here.
The gear-selector drum with milled
shift grooves is supported on a
steel axle and consists of a high
strength aluminum alloy. It is rotated
to the respective shift position
by the gearshift mechanism. The
gear-selector drum also carries the
gear stops and the gear lock-in
mechanism. Spring forces and kinematic
properties have been adjusted
to provide clear feedback to the
rider and comfortable operating
forces. The 4th/5th-gear selector
fork is an aluminum diecasting; the
forks for 1st/3rd gear and 2nd gear
are steel forgings with a brass
antifriction layer on the contact surfaces.
The collaboration between Harley-
Davidson and Porsche Engineering
has produced an exceptional result.
The V-Rod completely redefined the
power cruiser segment when it
entered the market. Its combination
of characteristics usually reserved
for cruisers and dragsters with the
performance of a sport bike is currently
unequalled on the market.

[Chris987Deuce]

Great thanks for all the info. I see why they went to Porsche. Porsche used to have all of their engines air-cooled too, until 1996 when they came out with the Boxster and then the 996 911. They have a alot of experience in going from air cooling to water cooling.

[Wild1Poet2]

Great thanks for all the info. I see why they went to Porsche. Porsche used to have all of their engines air-cooled too, until 1996 when they came out with the Boxster and then the 996 911. They have a alot of experience in going from air cooling to water cooling.

Hi Chris, your right on. Who better to help them transition from an air cooled power plant to water cooling than Porsche who went through the same transition. BTW: I'm into Porsches too and have a 986. Although thinking on trading for a Vette. The Porsche is fast, sleek and efficiently engineered. Then I get on my bike and its just this raw monster power.... I'm hooked on both.

[rwpatton]

Hey Shorty nice assetar! :P

After that wonderful... mind boggling engineering tale.

My Streetrod will wheelie its ever loving ass off at will. The cluch will bitch after several assaults.

RW

[Wild1Poet2]

Hey Shorty nice assetar! :P

After that wonderful... mind boggling engineering tale.

My Streetrod will wheelie its ever loving ass off at will. The cluch will bitch after several assaults.

RW

that's one way to save on front tires.
what do you got it that beast for a motor????

[rwpatton]

To anyone and everyone.

The v-rod is a great bike. I was the first in my circle of riders to get one. I took a whole lot of shit for it.Holy shit man... thats not you. Why you buy that Harleysaki ect,ect,ect.

Where i was once one... now there are six. Even the old dogs the other weekend admitted....well they are starting to multiply so they are OK now.
LOL! They say they don't like'm but spend an awful lot of time staring at'em and drinking a beer.

Old school rules and new wave rocks.

RW

[Shorty]

To anyone and everyone.

The v-rod is a great bike. I was the first in my circle of riders to get one. I took a whole lot of shit for it.Holy shit man... thats not you. Why you buy that Harleysaki ect,ect,ect.

Where i was once one... now there are six. Even the old dogs the other weekend admitted....well they are starting to multiply so they are OK now.
LOL! They say they don't like'm but spend an awful lot of time staring at'em and drinking a beer.

Old school rules and new wave rocks.

RW

What is it you like about the v-rod rw? Isnt it a go-fast bike? Is it comfortable? Would you take it on long distance runs? And wheres a pic!?