Harley-Davidson launches Milwaukee-Eight engine

Harley-Davidson unveiled the all-new Milwaukee-Eight engine, the ninth Big Twin in its history, plus all-new front and rear suspension for its Model Year 2017 Touring motorcycle lineup.

“These are the most powerful, most responsive and most comfortable Touring motorcycles ever offered by Harley-Davidson,” said Scott Miller, Harley-Davidson Vice President of Styling and Product Development Strategy. “You truly have to ride one to feel the difference – so we’re inviting all riders to visit a Harley-Davidson dealer and take a test ride.”

To launch the Milwaukee-Eight 107 and Milwaukee-Eight 114 engines, Harley-Davidson – in a brand first – will take fans where they’ve never gone before: The floor of a Harley-Davidson factory in a virtual tour on Facebook Live to watch the making of its newest Big Twin engine August 23 at 12:30 p.m. CST.

“We’re excited to open our doors to allow the world to see our newest Big Twin engine come to life in our state-of-the-art factory,” said Randy Christianson, General Manager of Harley-Davidson Powertrain Operations in Menomonee Falls, Wis. “With an all-new design, the new Milwaukee-Eight engine offers quicker throttle response, more passing power, purer sound, a smoother ride and more of the feeling riders want from a Harley-Davidson Touring motorcycle.”

Power. Comfort. Control.

The new Milwaukee-Eight engine is a ground-up design that combines the classic look, sound and feel of Harley-Davidson Big Twin engines with improvements in performance, comfort and control.

Retaining the classic 45-degree V-Twin cylinder angle, the Milwaukee-Eight engine produces 10 percent more torque and features four-valve cylinder heads that offer 50 percent more intake and exhaust flow capacity than previous year models.

The Milwaukee-Eight engine is counter-balanced to cancel 75 percent of primary vibration at idle, retaining the classic feel of a Harley V-Twin engine while being very smooth at highway speeds. A new heat management strategy improves rider and passenger comfort.

New engine and much more for MY 2017

Along with the Milwaukee-Eight engine unveiling, Harley-Davidson also announced:

• New Touring Suspension: All-new front and rear suspension components enhance the comfort, control and performance of all 2017 Harley-Davidson Touring models. New dual bending valve front suspension technology provides the performance of a racing-style cartridge fork with linear damping characteristics and reduced weight. New emulsion-technology rear shocks offer 15 to 30 percent more pre-load adjustment than previous standard Touring shocks, with a single, hand-adjustable knob to hydraulically dial in pre-load.

• Screamin’ Eagle Performance: Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle Performance will offer a full selection of street-legal performance components for the Milwaukee-Eight engines, including Screamin’ Eagle Milwaukee-Eight engine Stage kits that deliver up to a 24-percent increase in torque over the stock engine (availability varies by market).

• Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations: Harley-Davidson Custom Vehicle Operations (CVO) models combine prestige and performance in three limited-edition factory-custom motorcycles for 2017. The CVO Limited and CVO Street Glide models feature the refined performance of the new Twin-Cooled Milwaukee-Eight 114 engine, while the CVO Pro Street Breakout motorcycle is powered by the Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110B air-cooled V-Twin engine.

• 2017 Harley-Davidson Street motorcycles are now available with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and the Harley-Davidson Smart Security System with hands-free, proximity-based security fob, each as a factory-installed option.

• Powerful Cruiser lineup: With the High Output Twin Cam 103 standard for all 2017 Softail models and Dyna models (U.S. models only) except the Street Bob model and the S Series cruisers with the Screamin’ Eagle Twin Cam 110 engine, Harley-Davidson continues to offer its most powerful cruisers ever.

“We want all riders to save the date of Sept. 23,” said Dino Bernacchi, director of U.S. Marketing at Harley-Davidson. “That weekend, Harley-Davidson dealers across the country will host open house events so riders can throw a leg over our Model Year 2017 touring motorcycles and feel the difference of the all-new Milwaukee-Eight engine for themselves.”

To experience the transformation of the 2017 Harley-Davidson models now, visit h-d.com/testride to schedule a test ride.

* All comparisons in this communication are drawn between Harley-Davidson 2017 Touring models and 2016 Touring models.

** Not all models are available in all countries. Please contact your local Harley-Davidson dealer for more information.