Harley-Davidson Switchback

Switchback.

My November issue of Cycle World magazine reports that Harley-Davidson is bringing a new motorcycle to market, the “Switchback.”
Sadly, it isn’t really new. It’s more a mix-and-match rehash of various components applied to an ancient design that has been around for decades.
Harley debuted a new motorcycle a few years ago, the V-Rod.

V-Rod.

Its engine was developed by Porsche (“POOR-sha”), and contrary to previous Harley practice was water-cooled, not air-cooled,
Harley styling had a very difficult time integrating a radiator with “the look.”
In my humble opinion, they failed.
It was the first new Harley in years, but didn’t sell well.
It bombed with the macho Harley-crowd, who prefer the infernal racket made by the old Harley Big Twin.
The magazine calls the Switchback a bagger-lite, although as a big Harley I doubt it’s light.
I bet it weighs over 600 pounds. There’s no weight in the road-test, which is actually a “first ride,” more an impression than a test.
My Honda weighs 380 pounds, which I consider somewhat heavy.
I don’t look forward to lifting it if it falls over.
And I’m sure with a good rider (not me) it would utterly cream a Big Harley.
Tilt a Harley into a corner and it scrapes the pavement; e.g. the footboards.
Plus the Big Harley has nowhere near the specific horsepower output of my Honda.
My Honda, at only 600 cubic-centimeters of engine displacement, cranks out about 100 horsepower at 13-14,000 rpm.
A Harley would hurl itself apart at that speed, and might be good for 80 horsepower tops.
And that’s with 1,300 cubic-centimeters of engine displacement.
“Bagger” means it has saddlebags, although smaller and specially made.
Suddenly baggers are the in thing.
No doubt the marketing mavens at Harley think “Switchback” is a groovy name, little knowing that switchbacks were abhorred by railroads.
Switchbacks were used when a railroad encountered a mountain-range requiring a climb or long tunnel.
When railroading began 1830-1850s, grading was not what it is now, and tunneling was in its infancy.
Long tunnels were impossible, and easy gradients were nearly impossible.
You couldn’t just carve a manageable grade with the rudimentary equipment available back then.
So railroads resorted to switchbacks, although operation thereof has a dreadful time-penalty.
Drive the train head-first into the first switchback-tail, where it stops at the stub-end.
Then reverse up to the next switchback-tail, to stop and go forward again.
(Switchbacks usually came in twos, to get the train headed engine first.)
It’s not through.
The train has to stop in each switchback, and then someone has to throw the switch to the next switchback.
Compared to a through railroad, switchbacks are bog-slow.
Railroads tried to avoid switchbacks, but sometimes couldn’t.
Logging railroads, which weren’t that dependent on through operation, often employed them to get up steep mountainsides.
Cass Scenic Railway (“Kass”), in West Virginia, an old logging railroad restored as a state park, has them.
So Harley called their new offering the “Switchback.”
If they had any idea......