Oberdan Bezzi’s most recent work shows a few variations on the Bimota theme and this one seems interesting, it’s another possible mount for Harley Davidson’s Revolution V-Twin, he calls it the HDB-2 Sport Roadster. Highly doubtful either the Motor Company or Bimota would go for a design like this, it doesn’t fit the accepted ideas of what their brands are all about, but that’s no reason not to do it, you never know how many new customers you might attract. Especially, in Harley’s case, this would be a sweet bike, but it would probably get pushed to the back of the showroom.
There’s nothing radical here, it’s certainly within the realm of what a good custom builder could turn out and personally, I like the look a lot. We keep saying the V-Rod engine is capable of so many more applications than Harley is going to try, so where’s the builder ready to step up to build something a little different?
Thanks for the tip, Doug!
Link: Oberdan Bezzi
UPDATE: there are a couple of comments about the earlier Bimota HD combination, which is what Oberdan Bezzi is referring to in his name HDB2. The earlier bike from 1976 was the HDB1 seen here:
sfan says
As a kid, the only HD I ever genuinely liked the look & idea of was the XLCR 1000 Cafe Racer:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Harley-Davidson_XLCR_1000_Cafe_Racer_1978.jpg
The XLCR was neither a commercial nor a riding success. Buells never did it for me either, though I respected their spirit and chassis engineering. If the boys in Wisconson were willing, so much more could be done.
akaacount says
I’ve never ridden a V-ROD but from what I gather the engine doesn’t have the performance for those interested in going fast and it doesn’t shake and smoke enough for nostalgia types, so what’s the big attraction? The fact that it’s the only HD engine that will continue to pass emissions tests for the next 10 years?
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
It isn’t going to compete with 1 liter super bikes on a track, but in an application like the one suggested here, it will be plenty fast and probably a lot of fun, too. I think we long ago established the performance numbers fixation so many have, while the bike they ride is actually far beyond their capabilities.
Wouldn’t it be nice if riders worked hard to improve their riding skills instead of just buying the biggest, baddest and supposedly fastest machine? I wrote about this a long time ago, I called it accessible high performance.
Yeti2bikes says
I’m going to have to side with Paul on this one. I’ve played follow the leader with more powerful bikes on my Buell many, many times. I run into a rider who has skills sometimes and wind up the follower, but they usually wind up chasing my tail light.
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
The early Buells were slow, … I know, I owned one, but over the years they evolved into just this type of bike, a bike that can keep up with all sorts of more powerful bikes unless it’s a drag on a long straight.
This Revolution engine is more than enough for a very satisfying ride and in this concept, I think it looks good, too.
Aichbe says
I totally agree. As a Sportster owner, I see all kinds of suicidal squids on oriental superbikes here in Houston, and I read about at least one per week who zigged when he should have zagged, and ate a car, a guardrail, or whatever. Guys, (and girls!), if you can’t countersteer or drag your knee on a stock sport bike with good tires, keep it under 40 hp and learn to ride 1st; take a class if you have to. I recently went to a memorial party for a young woman friend who left her new 883 embedded in a Dodge truck grille because she was in over her skill level and was in a hurry, trying to pass a slow car on a curvy road.
As far as the Bimota goes, it’s what Harley should have let Erik Buell do in the 1st place. It kind of looks like a more modern NorVin, with the full cradle and exposed twin shocks. I’d buy it….
Robert Black says
I appreciate your mindset in regards to the excessive focus given to high performance versus focusing on quality build and handling etc. I have so many acquaintances who go on the warpath on Sunny Sundays who garage keep their Horsepower monsters. I might add that the great majority of the single rider accidents out there are attributed to this group.
Having owned a 2003 SV1000n I can attest to the fact that there are bikes on the road that exceed the abilities of their riders.
B50 Jim says
I like the way the engine dominates the entire machine — like dropping a 426 Hemi into a ’65 Valiant. So the V-Rod engine doesn’t make a zillion horsepower and rev to the stratosphere; it has the potential for serious performance int he hands of the tuners, and I suspect the factory boys and Porsche know how to really wake it up when they need to. As it is, it’s a solid powerplant that does things H-D’s ancient V-twins can’t. And passing emissions tests for the next 10 years is an important factor — don’t sell it short because of that. The realities of the marketplace follow different needs and desires than those of a few enthusiasts.
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
“like dropping a 426 Hemi into a ’65 Valiant”
Funny you should say that. When I was at Pratt & Miller for the Motus intro, I was walking around looking at all the toys they had built and there was a gorgeous black mid 60s Valiant, with a Hemi. Brought a smile to my face.
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
Just a quick update on that Pratt & Miller Valiant, I wrote it up over at HorsePowerSports and included some photos. It’s an interesting build.
Nortley says
That’s the most right looking sportbike treatment of an H-D yet. And realistically, as with any H-D engine, it’s about looks.
Will Silk says
This is a great concept, and I too would love to see this done. If anyone on earth could use a HD engine and make it work in a performance chassis, the folks at Bimota would certainly be the ones I’d bet on to pull it off.
The styling is spot on in my opinion, much like B50 Jim mentioned with the engine dominating the design in proper streetfighter/muscle bike way. Would be nice to see a mono shock set up in the rear though, but things look to be a bit tight there so perhaps the old school twin shock set up would be able to pull it off.
I have to agree with the article in that I too doubt this will see the light of day. I’m sure Bimota would be more than welcome to the project, particularly as it would bring in money for the small Italian chassis firm. But as we all know, HD would find it to be against their “core values” of selling chrome laden sleds and ladies underwear with their crest on. It’s so unfortunate, because there’s a lot of enthusiasts that would go for a ride like this, even with a Bimota price tag in a slumping economy.
Again, a fantastic looking concept that I enjoyed seeing.
MotoRandom says
Oh what could have been. When the original VR-1000 came out, I was so hoping this would lead to a genuine American superbike for sale to the general public. When the V-Rod finally showed up, I really wondered what the hell happened. I think I eventually warmed up to it but so much potential was lost. I think this quote from the CycleWorld article covers it best:
“The tiny engine that Erik wanted with its unusual and efficient sump cast into a hump at the front of the cases would never do: the Harley engine (eventually used in the V-Rod) required visual mass, with no odd shapes, no matter how functional. It also had to be made in America and tooled for tens of thousands of annual sales. Development stretched out, the engine became and more and more expensive., and eventually Buell said “enough”. The engine had gotten too big, too heavy, too expensive and too late for what Buell had been trying to achieve. A liquid cooled Buell would have to wait.”
If Erik said it can’t be done with this engine, I believe him. When I was ready to buy in 2007, I really wanted to like the V-Rod. But it’s just so damn heavy. On one of my hemming and hawing trips to HD, I wondered over to look at the Buells and saw a couple of XB12 Super TTs that had been converted to standard Lightning bodywork. I started doing a lot of research and it turns out every review of the TT went on and on about how fun it was to ride. The 1125r had not been released yet and I really didn’t want a fairing anyway. So I bit the bullet and bought the TT. I could not be happier. 3 years on I love this bike more and more every day. I wouldn’t hold out any hopes that HD is ever going to do anything interesting with the V-Rod. We need to just be patient and see how Erik comes along with the 1190RS. I love the Typhoon that Pegasus Racing made with this bike. Good things are on the way!!
Jc says
I too am a buell owner (06 xb9x) and as well waiting for the typhon kit to be released.. The last I heard from Pegasus is that they were looking at a new radiator design/manufacture because the cost was to high on the current solution.
HoughMade says
I like the look of that bike. It is very purposeful- engine-centric and has a classic form.
As for the H-D lament we hear oh-so often. “Why didn’t they do this…” “They should have done that…” No company is 100% accurate in the corporate decisions that are made. I think a big mistake H-D made a few years ago what thinking that it was a good idea to be a full-line manufacturer kind of like Honda. Sportbikes from Buell…not sporty enough, so MV Agusta. Someone up there realized that the smart move was to do what they do without trying to be all things to all people.
Time and time again we hear “they don’t make a bike I’d buy.” I’m sure that many in the company would say “good, we aren’t for everyone.” Lucky for those people, there are plenty of other companies out there.
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
There should be plenty of these engines available on the used or salvage market, all we need is one enterprising builder to do a one off and see what happens. After that, build to order to see if the demand is really there. Unfortunately, that’s where the idea often dies. All of the “I’d buy that” folks come up missing.
Shawn says
I agree the “I’d buy that” folks often won’t buy what they say they will, but built to order bikes can also be quite a bit pricier than a factory effort. So the person who would buy the above bike at $X, may not buy it at $2X.
I like the above bike, the first in a long time from Bezzi. I’m surprised he hasn’t splashed lattice frame over this everywhere. I’d like to see it at around 400 lbs with a 90 degree twin.
tim says
like a 1993 Ducati Monster, say?
hoyt says
The above bike sketch is great. The styling is a refreshing re-do of some earlier bodywork & that motor will perform just fine where the type of twisting road matters the most.
I understand the talented builder can pull off the above bike and sell high-priced customs, but why do all the HD defenders ignore part of HD’s own racing & hot rodding heritage? Why would the Factory ignore its own heritage and not venture out with one model?
“Someone up there realized that the smart move was to do what they do without trying to be all things to all people. ”
1 1/2 sport bikes and 20+ cruisers to pick from is nowhere near “all things to all people”. (the “1/2” sportbike is the lack of proper attention and execution allocated for the Buell brand from R&D through dealership).
Moto Guzzi has more variety: entry-level bike, cafe, cruiser, sport cruiser, adventure bike.
What if GM and Ford never listened to their performance engineers? We’d never have the split window, ZR1, Boss 302, or the GT40
That is not being all things to all people.
FREEMAN says
@ hoyt:
‘“Someone up there realized that the smart move was to do what they do WITHOUT trying to be all things to all people. ‒
…
“That is not being all things to all people.”
Exactly.
hoyt says
@freeman.. cherry picking one sentence doesn’t make much of a statement. HD could go a long way with many walks of life with a model like the above in a similar way GM and Ford have done with one or two models that I listed …which was already clear in the original comment I made. Beyond that you should know (again), I very much like some of what HD does, but I see so much lost potential. Don’t confuse this with ‘haters’
Kenny says
I can see now why Buell wouldn’t touch the Revolution engine, looks to be very difficult to package into a sporty chassis.
What about Harris race replica of the XR1200 used in the BSB support series
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OjncBPOpROM
B50 Jim says
Paul —
Glad you enjoyed the significance of a Hemi in a Valiant. I’ve owned a string of Valiants over the years but always with slant-6 engines — no resources to drop in a Hemi! But a slant-6 can be made to hustle right down the road with help from Mopar Performance; and I had a couple that didn’t disappoint.
You mention “thanks, Doug”. Is that Doug Jackson of the World’s Motorcycles News Agency? We’ve been e-pals since he ran the story of the Steampunk cycle based on a comic. Loved that massive thumper!
Paul Crowe - "The Kneeslider" says
My mom had a 62 Valiant with a slant six I remember well. That’s why the resto mod at P&M really jumped out at me, very impressive build I would love to drive, it just looked so cool. I also remember some dragsters in the 60s using the slant six.
And no, different Doug.
Jay Allen says
Why not a XRVR?? That XR1200 would be a nice place for the revo motor, and I could have mid pegs. My next HD will be a VR of some sort, but would prefer to sit upright when I’m riding, like on my old KZ1000
HolyHandGranade says
First, the Revo is far too big to fit in a XL or XR frame. 2nd the air box is on top of the Revo engine so some major tweaking would need to occur as well as figure out what to do with the radiator, water pump and other plumbing. It is not as easy as sticking it in the XR.
HD made a VRSC with mid mounts, performance suspension, and a standard rake. It was the VRSCR and no one bought it – of course it was really ugly so that may have been the reason, and not the performance. Anyway, HD has made some great functional improvements to the 2012 VRSC line. The VRSCDX now has revised ergos, reduced rake, and revised suspension for better handling. The VRSCF has had these enhancements since 2009.
The VRSC is a very good motorcycle. The price came down $2k last year across the line – while improving the bike. The VRSC (all variations) gets you upside down forks, brembo brakes, liquid cooling, ABS, 125HP, and decent handling – all from HD no-less. The VRSC (along with the XR) is one of HD’s best sellers in Europe an area that is a boon for the MC – the region is a major growth area for the MoCo despite the vastly shrinking European bike market (even Italy).
Even here in the US the VRSC has had sales increase the last few years. I had to order my ’11 VRSCF last year as the dealer could not keep them in stock – sure it does not sell like the StreetGlide (HD most popular model, despite being quite expensive) but does sell well enough and HD keeps making it better every year – the changes are subtle but they are made. The difference between the original A and the current DX and F is significant.
Ramadancer says
Thanks HHG for the very informative VRod updates info. A $2K price drop for a lot of recent improvements has a bunch of appeal. The MoCo is not always wrong, are they.
Richard Gozinya says
Actually, The Street Rod didn’t sell that well because it tried to be something Harley still has no aptitude for, a performance bike. It was still too heavy, still had too long of a wheel base.
As for the 2012 models, they’re still too long, too low, and too heavy to have good handling. They’re beautiful bikes, no doubt about it. But they do not now, nor have they ever been made with handling in mind. Just look at the 3rd rate suspension on nearly every Harley (XR1200 being the only exception). Harley doesn’t care about handling. Neither do their customers. No sense pretending otherwise.
They’re great at what they do, but what they do has as much to do with performance as it does with fly fishing.
zipidachimp says
since Norton lost it’s designer,
http://hellforleathermagazine.com/2011/06/pierre-terblanche-quits-norton/
I’d love to see this guy offer his services. I love his work. coooool!
zipidachimp says
p.s.: I had my mom’s dodge(big car body) slant six up to 110 before I quit.
what an engine!
B50 Jim says
Paul —
Plenty of us have fond memories of the slant-6 — do some head work, add a Clifford manifold with a small Holley 390 4-barrel, slide in a Racer Brown cam and fabricate a 3-into-2-into-1 exhaust (which really wakes up that little motor), and you had an impressive runner that not only hustled, but sounded like a demon school bus from Hades. Back in the early 60s the boys in the skunkworks at Chrysler were building some 7,500-rpm screamers from that common mill (they ran them to 8,000 but the cams flung off their oil and wiped out). Then the Hemi came along and they relegated the slant-6 back into taxicabs and family haulers. Too bad.
Check Motorcycle Consumer News for Doug Jackson’s stories — he covers the new-bike market as well as what’s going on in the world of fabricators.
I agree that most riders could benefit more from improving their riding skills than buying the fastest bikes on the planet and putting along at 50 mph in heavy traffic. They might then discover what a lot of us know — it’s much more fun riding a “slow” bike fast that riding a fast bike slow.
maarten MJ-Works says
I would build it with a KTM 990 LC8 v-twin! like the TZ rear and the overall look but I’m not a fan of harley (engines)…
Kevin says
Oberdan Bezzi always has good looking drawings. Too bad none of them are ever made. I bet he could sell the bikes if he just built them himself. For some reason, while this looks good, it looks a little outdated already.
But I have to say, I would get the Wakan over this any day.
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2006/07/18/wakan-1640-new-french-v-twin-motorcycle/
Or the Bottpower XR-1
http://thekneeslider.com/archives/2011/03/07/bottpower-xr-1-leftover-buells-transformed/
rohorn says
Does anybody know the weight difference between Vrod and Sportster engines? No speculation – hard numbers from a scale, please.
dave in kalifornia says
rohorn-
Sportster 1200 engine unit: 190lbs +/-
VROD engine unit: 229lbs +/-
They are close- but you have to consider the added weight of the cooling system on the VROD as well… something the sporty doesn’t have to deal with.
rohorn says
Thanks!
OMMAG says
Great design exercise ….. but …..
Jc says
Amazing retro ride.. Would like to see HD do a limited run just for funs sake.. Ohhh wait HD stopped being about fun a long time ago. I have always said I would never buy a HD after their treatment of buell but I would probably go back on that statement for this…
It would be nice to see a builder make the frame and swing arm and leave the rest to the buyer. Using your hands to build what you ride leaves a pretty rewarding feeling. That is unless you forgot to tighten all the bolts.
Richard Gozinya says
It isn’t that they’re not about fun. It’s just that the fun they’re about has nothing to do with anything resembling excitement. It’s fun the same way listening to an old person talk about their youth after a few beers is fun. Or sitting on the porch on a hot day drinking lemonade. There’s clearly a place for it, but it’s not the sort of thing that gets the adrenaline pumping.
JR says
Muscle tracker… very cool
Tony C. says
akaacount, – The big attraction is 125 Hp from a true V-Twin, A twin that sounds awesome and backs it up plenty. Now, does it go 200 mph or rival a Busa, hail no, but it’s damn respectful for true cruiser, The engineering is second to none in how it can be tame and cruise the streets with ease or push it into the 6-7000rpm range and up to redline and it’s a bit of a beast. Very nicely done from the MoCo and it’s a bike that should be selling like crazy. However it’s the people wearing blinders like yourself that fail to get educated about the bike/engine or ride the damn thing before making ill-informed comments. Besides most of you can not handle a 165 Hp Busa anyway so this would fit perfect.
Dr Robert Harms says
Leaves me cold. This is a rehash of their 35 year old design and it looks conservative and dated.
Tom says
I like it. I also liked the Harley factory’s Street Rod model – the VROD engine in a big road GT platform. I didn’t buy one, though, and neither did anyone else.
Richard Gozinya says
I was recently wondering about the Street Rod. If they’d really put the effort into it, brought the wheelbase in another 6 inches, dropped another hundred pounds, do something with that ridiculous tail section. Would probably still be in production today.
But if that’s really your thing, just buy a Diavel, more power, more torque, better handling. And those things apparently are selling like crazy.
GuitarSlinger says
Incredible ! Too bad H-D is so entrenched in their Cruiser past and Bimota , probably too stubbornly proud to produce these V-Rod Bimota’s . At a reasonable price I’m guessing they’d sell like Hot Cakes . Heck I’d sign on the dotted line .
We can only hope some sharp Custom Bike builder gets a hold of these designs and makes them reality . Then hopefully a small production run .
Stunning !
Kevin says
“At a reasonable price I’m guessing they’d sell like Hot Cakes”
now there’s your problem. Bimotas are VERY expensive. And so are other custom bike builders. That is basically the definition of custom.
rohorn says
One of Bimota’s first bikes had a 2 cylinder liquid cooled Harley engine…
GuitarSlinger says
That would of been impossible as at Bimota’s inception Harley Davidson didn’t have a liquid cooled engine in their line up. What you’re thinking of was the H-D labeled Aramichi motor , which H-D owned , yet did not manufacture , but calling that a Harley motor historically speaking is a bit of a stretch .
rohorn says
It was a 500cc GP RACING engine, so, duh, it wasn’t a “production” engine. Yes, it came from the Aermacchi (please note the spelling) factory in Varese – which was owned by Harley, financed by Harley, and had Harley’s name on it.
The fact remains that it is part of Bimota and Harley history.
Mule says
Sign me up! I’ll build it!
hoyt says
how ’bout a can on either side terminating in the same spot as the top exhaust tip? Chain clearance issue?
joe says
Fantastic looking bike ! If only the Motor Company had such a creative imagination,who knows what they could do with thier most modern engine.
craigj says
I’ve ridden a VRod. Great motor, don’t get the rest of the bike. I like this. It’s a sport bike for adults. I don’t need to go 186mph. I need to enjoy the road I’m riding. Given the size of the motor, this bike would be a little larger than something like a Monster or a Speed Triple … making it easier for me to ride as I don’t have to try and fold my 6-4 frame around a tiny bike. Would I buy it? Probably not, too expensive, but it would be #4 on my list of Harley’s I would enjoy.
– 78 XLCR
– XR 1200
– Buell XB12X Ulysses
– Bimota HD2 concept
Nicolas says
it’s a nice drawing, but just a drawing, I’d rather see a real bike.
rohorn says
There are no real bikes on the internet.
Nicolas says
you get the point, at least pictures/videos of real bikes
Simon says
I agree that the execution seems rather dated (shades of RC30), but I like the idea of stretching HD’s design capabilities. The V-Rod, as is, is a rather unattractive bike and perhaps this is why it isn’t selling especially well. It could use a redesign, although I would rather see the engine in a Glide-style bagger (as someone here drew up once). I own a Sportster 1200 Low, which is my current daily ride, and at some point in the future, after it’s paid off, I will either shop around for a used second Sporty or customize this one along the lines done by Benjies. I think a Sportster cafe makes more sense than one with a V-Rod engine. I doubt Harley will build anything like that, because they tend to be conservative, but that’s no reason individual owners can’t play.
Richard Gozinya says
I don’t know, I think the V-Rod’s a beautiful bike. It’s not built for performance, that much is clear. But it is awful nice to look at.
Evilchicken0 says
I don’t think Bimota would make something like that, twin shocks and a tube frame ???
I’d go more along the lines of alloy beam frame, monoshock and fairing. It would be more effient to keep the wheelbase as short as possible and try to bolt the swingarm to the gearbox.
Horse power probably isn’t a major concern, V twins develop good torque and getting traction out of the bend would see you use more of the engine’s performance.
Boris
Mike says
Magazines have said this is an excellent streetbike motor that needs to be put in a different type of bike. This would do it. I like it, but it`s not really an earth shattering design except for the fact it has a V-rod engine. Reminds me of the really big bore “sport-standards” that the Japanese have marketed in England & Europe for sometime. They don`t sell `em in North America, `cos no one would buy them. Would they go for the concept with a H-D engine in it ?. Would it be worth the developement $$$ to find out ?.
It has enough power for the street. I think there is a growing interest in bikes that offer something other than top speed performance. Thank the police & insurance co.s partly for that. At “normal” bike pricing it might sell a bit. At “premium” pricing, I don`t think so.
Champsae says
I’m really late to this conversation, but… I’d buy that *today* if it were available!