[Jeff Higgins]

Big inch Harleys get that way primarily from extremely long strokes. Try 4 3/4" or 5" strokes on a two cylinder motor with 11:1 compression. You just can't mount a big enough starter, or a big enough battery to drive that starter on a motorcycle, even if it is a Harley. No human alive could ever kick one over. Hence the compression release.

You guys who love to knock Harleys should try riding a big inch stroker Harley sometime, like something in the 120-140 cubic inch range. Granted, they don't live long at those displacements, but OMFG, do they have torque. And a sound and feel you will simply never experience anywhere else. When you whack that throttle open, one hell of a lot more than acceleration starts to happen - the whole damn bike shakes so hard it blurs your vision, it's damn near impossible to hang onto the grips or keep your feet on the pegs, much less your ass in the seat. And the noise will make your ears bleed...

I've ridden a couple that were honest-to-god superbike fast, where their owners claim 10 second quarter miles. Let me tell you, they accomplish that in a whole different way. Nothing the least bit refined or genteel about it. There is just so much noise, vibration, and all around commotion, plus the unsettling suspicion that something might just fly out of that rear jug at any second. You know, the one aimed right at your crotch.