Speaking about the all-new motor, Harley-Davidson Vice-President of Styling and Product Development Strategy, Scott Miller said, "The guiding principle behind the Milwaukee-Eight engine was our voice of customer research from every region of the world. Riders asked us to create a new engine designed to enhance their motorcycle touring experience in every way. Those same voices also demanded that we stay true to our legacy and respect the defining elements of a Harley-Davidson V-Twin. It was a big challenge, but one we've met. With the Milwaukee-Eight, a new era of Harley-Davidson power, performance and innovation has been forged."
2017 Harley-Davidson CVO Limited
The new Milwaukee-Eight engines are available in two displacements - 1745cc (107) and 11870cc . The Milwaukee-Eight 107 features oil-cooled cylinder heads and will be seen on the Street Glide Special, Road Glide Special and Road King. The Milwaukee-Eight 114, on the other hand, features liquid-cooled cylinder heads and powers the CVO Limited.
Both the new motors have been tuned to produce 10 per cent more torque on the respective bikes over the outgoing engines. The Milwaukee-Eight engine continues to retain Harley's trademark 45-degree V-Twin design, but now features a higher compression ratio and four-valve cylinder heads with 50 per cent more intake and exhaust flow capacity. Each cylinder gets dual spark plugs in a bid to achieve a more efficient combustion. Moreover, the engine now gets a single chain-driven camshaft, which the company says is lighter, mechanically less complex and creates less friction noise.
2017 Harley-Davidson Milwaukee-Eight Engine 107
Furthermore, the Milwaukee-Eight engines also get enhanced cooling courtesy of the reduced heat absorption and increased heat rejection, which comes from targeted flow of a coolant or oil in the hottest areas of the cylinder heads. There is also a new knock sensor for each cylinder to ensure a more precise timing control. Harley-Davidson has reworked on the exhaust of the 2017 motorcycles as well to meet the engines and the changes include a repositioned exhaust pipe, while the exhaust catalyst has been relocated to move heat away from the pillion. The bike maker has also reduced the idle speed on the new models from 1000rpm to 850rpm.
In addition, the new Milwaukee-Eight engines have reduced vibrations with a single internal counter balancer that cancels 75 per cent of primary vibration at idle. Harley also says that the new exhaust is mechanically quieter, which enables a richer exhaust note. Lastly, the engine charging system delivers 50 per cent more output to the battery at idle, which in turn helps keep the auxiliary accessories like lighting, audio systems heated gear running.
