Motorcycle Talk

[phillysrt4]

Yes that was entertaining ....

I say pictures are worth 1000 words ....

The 1000 words I get out of this are the "japs" adapted to what the market wants in a cruiser. Unless you consider silly little nitpicking things like using whitewall tires "copying" harley. Isn't that like saying the "Japs" completely copy ford if they choose a similar blue color for paint?

Even the engine isn't "copying" harley. The cruiser market likes the torque that can be produced by v-twin engines, so the japanese develop one (or in the case of Suzuki, refine an already existing one they used in their v-twin sportbike campaign). But UNLIKE harley, the one you pictured uses a 90 degree design which has lower vibration due to the way harmonics work in 90 degree twins. If they wanted to "copy" harley, they would have used a vtwin with a narrower separation. Again, a response to what the market wants but not "copying" harley.

Speaking of pictures being worth 1000 words, I find it interesting that even in the 1960, the "japs" figured out that inverted forks work really well, something the 1960's harley you posted didn't have. But if you go to the harley website and look at the 2011 models its amazing how many of them use upside down forks now. The "japs" were also putting fuel injection on their bikes in the 2000's, something that Harley now does on many of their models.

But yes, it's the "japs" that are clearly copying harley.