The Real Reason Why All American Cruiser Motorcycles Have V-twin Engines

Summary

• American culture, patriotism, and heritage play a significant role in why American motorcycle manufacturers stick with V-twin engines.
• V-twin engines are easier to work on, making them popular among American bikers, especially those who grew up during the Great Depression and World War II.
• V-twin engines offer a usable power band, torquey performance, and a soulful, heartbeat-like exhaust note that appeals to American riders on long, straight roads.

Think of motorcycle manufacturers like Ducati, Honda, or Triumph, and you’ll notice a peculiar trend. These manufacturers used to associate themselves with a particular engine configuration. Ducatis used L-twins, Triumph used twins and triples, and Honda used inline-fours. But over the years, these brands have pivoted to using a variety of engine configurations in their motorcycles. Triumph now produces a single-cylinder motorcycle, Honda produces a V-twin to compete with Harley-Davidson, and Ducati has come up with a single-cylinder supermoto.

In this, two motorcycle manufacturers have almost always been associated with V-twins: Indian and Harley-Davidson. And consequently, these brands have been associated with America — they are the quintessential American manufacturers. But why is this the case — why do American cruisers use V-twin engines over anything else?

The simpler answer would be — it is what earns them money. Modern manufacturers have entire floors of their HQs dedicated to studying exactly what the people want and what will earn them money. Triumph and BMW know a sub-400cc beginner-class motorcycle will earn them money. Similarly, Harley-Davidson and Indian also know what earns them money. This is where the answer lies, and this is what we explore in this article. The bottom line is an answer too simple to address this question.

In order to give you the most up-to-date and accurate information possible, the data used to compile this article was sourced from Harley-Davidson and Indian, and other authoritative sources, including AdvRider and Motorcycle Magazine.

It’s A Cultural Thing (And Customers Don’t Mind Getting Their Hands Dirty)

American culture is perhaps the biggest reason American motorcycle manufacturers, like Indian and Harley-Davidson, have stuck with V-twin engines. And there are three sides to the story. The first side is the American people’s preference for simpler motorcycle engines; the second side is metric motorcycles. Although many will recognize they are great motorcycles, they aren’t, well, American. Which brings us to the third side of this, which is the prestige of owning something truly American.

V-Twin Engines Are Easier To Work On

The motorcycle culture in the US grew after World War II when American soldiers returned home and started picking up motorcycles as a way to stay connected to their friends, enjoy the time back home, and travel the country they had fought so hard for. But remember, these bikers grew up during the Great Depression and lived through war rationing; they had the mindset to keep using and fixing their machines until they broke down for good.

And all they found at the time were Indian and Harley-Davidson motorcycles; metric motorcycles hadn’t made their way to the shores yet. But even when metric motorcycles did come to the U.S., bikers preferred American twins since they were simpler machines that they were familiar with. V-twin motorcycles, in general, are easier to work on since you have access to each cylinder from either side of the motorcycle, and they are fairly analog machines, compared to inline-configuration engines where you’d have to strip the entire bike down to access the cylinders properly.

Supporting The Countries Metric Motorcycles Came From

There’s another aspect to this story: the stigma associated with metric cruisers from Japan. During the war, American soldiers fought the Japanese, and while the war was over, it never was in the mind of a veteran. Even in the ‘60s, American motorcyclists did not want to support the countries that metric motorcycles came from, whether you call it stigma or patriotism, that’s what the market chose at the time. Fortunately, the world has come a long way since then, but patriotism still plays a large part in people’s choice of motorcycles.

The American Prestige And Heritage

Finally, there’s the heritage of V-twin motorcycles. Both Indian and Harley-Davidson have a long history of producing motorcycles. Indian was established in 1901 as America’s first motorcycle company, and Harley-Davidson followed shortly after in 1903. Indian produced the first V-twin in 1903, and Harley-Davidson’s first V-twin appeared in 1909, but while the latter wasn’t a hit, V-twins still stuck around for Harley-Davidson. While these two brands have produced various engines, they have largely stuck to the V-twin format, especially in recent decades.

Many American bikers still want to be a part of this heritage and history. It’s a way of showing their appreciation for the rich automotive history of American motorcycle brands, especially through tough times like the Great Depression or the World Wars. They want to be a part of the community of riders who own and appreciate American-made V-twin motorcycles. Indian and Harley-Davidson are catering to this customer base — this is the reason why it is often said that HD doesn’t sell motorcycles, it sells a lifestyle.

The Performance: A Usable Power Band With Meat Where It Matters Most

To understand why Harley-Davidson and Indian are so adamant about using V-twin engines, you need to constantly look at their histories. Such is the case when we consider the performance V-twin engines offer. For example, when metric motorcycles made their way to the US shores, they were arguably better than the American V-twins — they were economical and more reliable, and they performed a lot better than their American rivals. On the other hand, the V-twins were heavy and slow. Many motorcyclists, especially racers, did gravitate toward metric motorcycles, especially two-strokes, but in the real world, Americans still preferred V-twin motorcycles.

You see, prestige and stigma don’t tell the entire story; to understand the bigger picture, you must understand what bikers really want: power that they can extract. That’s where V-twin motorcycles outshone metric motorcycles. The V-twins were perfect for riding on the streets, thanks to the rich torque spread throughout the rev range, usable power delivery that wouldn’t kill the rider under a whiskey throttle, and comfort.

This is a similar phenomenon that you can observe today, where parallel-twin bikes are making waves in the supersport segment that was once dominated by inline-four screamers. It’s just more practical to own a V-twin motorcycle, especially when you consider that most people who buy HD or Indian motorcycles are the Baby Boom or Gen X crowd, whose priority isn’t performance or adrenaline.

Harley-Davidson Fat Boy 114 Performance Specifications

(Specs sourced from Harley-Davidson)

We’ve picked the HD Fat Boy as it is one of the most iconic American V-twin cruisers ever produced.

The Logic: The Right Setup For Long American Roads

There’s something that not many people think about when arguing over V-twin American motorcycles. Some bikers find them boring while others find them fossil-like, but in a way, they are the perfect machines for exploring the US. Think of it this way: motorcycles are primarily designed for their home country. This is why European bikes are all about lightness and flickability — the streets there are narrow, and ride for a few hours, and you’ll cross into another country. Similarly, the Asian streets are congested and bikers are used as primary transport — bikes have to be economical and maneuverable.

On the other hand, the land of the free and home of the brave, America is a region where roads are broad and straight, and motorcycles are more of a lifestyle product as opposed to primary transport. The US landscape is vast and spacious and there aren’t as many corners as you’d expect there to be. So, it only makes sense for American motorcycles to be long and low, which ensures comfortable cruising at highway speeds, and a torquey engine that’s easy to use without revving its bearings off at all times.

Best American V-twin Cruisers For The Great American Road Trip

The Character: A Soulful, Heartbeat-Like Exhaust Note

American motorcycles are mostly cruisers, and those who buy cruisers don’t really care about top-end performance, cornering clearance, or tech gizmos. It’s a more emotional affair for them, which is why the motorcycle’s character plays a more major role than the spec sheet. And this is also where the American V-twins shine. Yes, modern cruisers are powerful and reliable, but they still have a character that is missing in high-strung inline-four motorcycles made for all-out performance.

Thumb the start button on a Harley-Davidson and the engine comes to life. The big V-twin engine coming up to temperature makes a lot of sound, and the engine quavers in the frame even when the bike is at a standstill. Once it’s up to temp, the engine makes a distinct V-twin rumble that lets you hear the combustion process in slow motion — boom, boom… pause… boom, boom. V-twin engines sound a lot like a heartbeat, especially Harley-Davidson V-twins, whose sound is often characterized as potato-potato-potato.

There are many reasons why American cruisers use V-twin engines. It’s because V-twins are their heritage — they’ve produced V-twins right from the get-go. It’s also because of the patriotism associated with Indian and Harley-Davidson that V-twins are what sells in the US. And let’s not forget that V-twin motorcycles are cheaper to manufacture and easier to work on; they have an analog appeal that is not found in race-oriented metric motorcycles. But ask us at speed-gunpoint, why American cruisers use V-twin motorcycles, and the first answer that pops to mind is this: they have a soul and a heartbeat.