Harley-Davidson® Milwaukee-Eight® Engine

 Harley-Davidson® has long been on the front of innovation when it comes to design and development, and their Milwaukee-Eight® engine is a great example of why that’s the case. The engine is the latest in a long lineage of amazingly powerful and terrifyingly loud V-Twin engines that allow riders to put more rubber to the pavement than the competition.

Below, we outline what makes the Milwaukee-Eight® such a fantastic engine. If you want to see the Milwaukee-Eight® in some of today’s best bikes from Harley-Davidson®, stop by Starved Rock Harley-Davidson® in Ottawa, Illinois. We proudly serve the Chicago area and we can set you up with a test ride on an exciting cruiser or touring bike from America’s most iconic motorcycle manufacturer.

History of Harley-Davidson® V-Twins

Harley-Davidson® has established one of the oldest and most innovative lineages of motorcycle engines you’ll find. The company has been particularly successful driving innovation in the V-Twin genre. The first version they released rolled in at seven horsepower and was released in 1909. While that amount of power would be laughable in a modern bike, the engine laid the foundation for how a twin-cylinder engine could be designed. Their second attempt at the V-Twin was the F-Head engine, which came out two years later in 1911. The F-Head was the first major success from Harley-Davidson® in the engine department, and the model lasted all the way till 1929, becoming known as a reliable and powerful workhorse.

Next came the Flathead which featured a full 45 cubic inches of cylinder displacement. It’s still known as one of the company’s most iconic engines. The Knucklehead engine increased cylinder displacement again with its 61 inches of compression space. The Panhead brought more technology to the party with hydraulic lifters and aluminum engine heads. The Shovelhead was next in 1966, and after that, the 1984 Evolution®. This liquid-cooled, oil-tight engine brought efficiency and power with minimal weight. It was until 1999 that Harley-Davidson® would release a new engine, the Twin Cam 88™. Finally, in 2017, the company dropped the Milwaukee-Eight®, a powerful, efficient, lightweight engine with a name that came from the company’s home city and the engine’s eight intake valve format.

Performance Specs

Today, multiple different cylinder displacements are available for the Milwaukee-Eight® engine, but the 107 and 114 are the two most commonly used. As the name of the engine suggests, one of the most distinctive features of the new Milwaukee-Eight® engine is the eight intake valve layout. This layout gives the engine a more efficient gas- and air-intake system that helps it develop serious power through refined tuning. What does that mean in raw numbers? The Milwaukee-Eight® offers 10% more torque than previous Harley-Davidson® engines as well as 10% better acceleration. The fuel economy is also increased and the engine runs much cooler than previous engines, too, thanks to liquid-cooled heads.

Design Improvements

The new Milwaukee-Eight® offers several upgrades in its design and engineering, too. For example, rubber mounting and counterbalancing allows the engine to create significantly less vibration than before. The shape of the engine has been sculpted to fit into engines better, too. This allows the engine to be less intrusive and transfer less heat to the rider’s legs.

You won’t be able to feel the real difference the Milwaukee-Eight® engine makes until you try it for yourself by taking a test ride on one of the newest Harley-Davidson® bikes. Bikes such as the Softail® line and the Road Glide® feature powerful Milwaukee-Eight® engines. See them for yourself at Starved Rock Harley-Davidson®. We’re located in Ottawa, Illinois, near Chicago. Give us a call today to set up a ride!