Cars, etc.

[Bob Zumbrunnen]

When you have six cylinders you have three times the problems you have with only two.

Yes and no.

You have 3 times as many rod bearings, connecting rods, pistons, and valvetrains (depending on configuration), but on the other side of the coin, you've got balance (HD's lack this, which gives them their distinctive lope) and Honda's definitely tighter manufacturing tolerances and superior engineering and manufacturing skills.

I used to be a mechanic at a Honda/Kawasaki dealership, and aside from maintenance, Gold Wings (which this is definitely a derivative of) were extremely under-represented in the waiting-for-work staging area.

They had guys at the shop whose sole job was assembling bikes out of the crate, but on the Wings, they had me do it. The stakes are a bit higher on those machines, so it's best to have a mechanic do it.

Typically the test-ride was the last time I'd see one of them.

Plus, there is no sound exactly like the opposed twin Harley.

Technically, it's a V-twin. An example of an opposed-twin engine would be the BMW boxer engines.

The odd (from an engineering perspective) angle of the cylinders does give it an endearing sound, though.