More cubes and more power for Harley’s all-new engine
How Harley managed to produce their largest, most powerful V-twin motor yet – the 119bhp ‘131’
‘Peak torque of 131ftlb arrives at just 4000rpm’
Harley-Davidson have just started production of the largest and most powerful road engine in their history. Called the ‘Screamin Eagle 131’, it’s a tuned version of the latest MilwaukeeEight engine and will be sold as a ‘crate motor’ – a separate unit sold to specials and custom builders. Named ‘131’ because of its cubic inches displacement, that puts its capacity at a whopping 2147cc. The motor is also Harley’s most powerful ever, with a claiming 119bhp at the rear wheel (the V-Rod was 125bhp at the crank).
So how have Harley done it? By ‘supersizing’ everything, basically.
The majority of Harley’s ‘Milwaukee-Eight’ motors start out at 1868cc, so Harley have expanded the bore considerably. Piston diameter has gone up from 102mm to a whopping 109.4mm, while the stroke is unchanged at 114mm. Filling that gap, meanwhile, is a new set of lightweight, forged pistons. Of course this cylinder will need filling with air, so Harley have done a bit of work there, too. The 131 has a new set of heads, which have had extra flow work and come CNC ported from the factory. They’ve also got larger valves in both exhaust and inlet to get the gases in and out as fast as possible. Helping get the air in is a new 64mm throttle body and intake manifold, which have been fitted with a highflow injector that’s capable of flowing half a litre of petrol every minute. While to make the most of all this is a new high-lift ‘SE8517’ camshaft, which spins on a high performance bearing. Fitted with a set of Screamin’ Eagle Street Cannon pipes, the ‘131’ is said to put out 119bhp while the peak torque of 131ftlb arrives at just 4000rpm. It is, quite simply, the most powerful street-going production engine Harley have ever produced. As it’s a bolt-in replacement for an existing engine and is an H-D product, the 131 is backed by a proper two-year warranty. What’s more, if you already own a Harley with a 114 motor, they sell all the parts needed to upgrade your motor for half the price of the full crate engine. For now, Harley are only offering the 131 for sale in the US, although we imagine it’ll come to the UK, too. We’d also be amazed if this engine didn’t make an appearance in some of next year’s CVO models. 119bhp Low Rider S? Yes please.