Harley Davidson Resurrects VR 1000

Harley Davidson has announced they will return to Super Bike racing and are resurrecting the VR 1000 program.

Milwaukee, Wisconsin was the site of today's announcement. On hand were Harley Davidson's legends Wille G. Davidson, Chris Carr, and Jay Springsteen.

READ MORE: Kawasaki H2 at 2015 Pikes Peak – We Have the Inside Scoop

From Harley Davidson: "We wanted to return to our racing roots. We compete in AMA Grand National Flat Track, NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle, and now we want to compete on the world stage. In order to do that we had to build a bike that can not only compete but also win in WSBK."

The next generation VR 1000 will displace the maximum 1200 CC, utilizing a modified revolution power plant. This motor was first seen in the V-Rod over a decade ago. It's undergoing heavy reengineering, according to HD, with an emphasis on weight loss and higher operating RPM.

"It has been a challenge to reengineer the motor; it was overbuilt for longevity and torque for use in the V-Rod. Now we need to keep that same reliability but also maximize it for more power and lighter weight. Cost has been a real factor as materials have changed from steel to titanium and significantly more aluminum components."

READ MORE: KTM Introduces Duke 250 and RC250