Coolest Sportbikes of the ’90s: Harley-Davidson VR1000

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Canadian Pascal Picotte was Harley’s longest-serving rider on the VR1000. (Blake Conner/)

You would have to have been a diehard fan of mid-to-late ‘90s AMA Superbike racing to remember Harley-Davidson’s VR1000 Superbike. There are a number of reasons for that, but the reality is that once Father Time marches on, people don’t remember who finished second or third; racing fans only remember the winners and champions. As Ricky Bobby said in Talladega Nights, “If you ain’t first, you’re last.”

Unfortunately for the sake of history, the lack of success that the VR1000 achieved, and the massive amounts of money that were poured into the project, mean that The Motor Company itself has largely tried to forget about the bike’s legacy by quietly sweeping it under the rug. In that regard it definitely came in “last.” And the fact that only the minimum number of 50 homologation bikes were ever built, and weirdly registered in Poland, means that seeing one in person is akin to seeing Bigfoot. Actually, we’re pretty sure there are far more reports of the latter than the VR.c

Carbon fiber bodywork from the factory Harley-Davidson Superbikes of Pascal Picotte (21) and Thomas Wilson (30). (Blake Conner/)

I often wonder if this was further exacerbated by the fact that as one of the largest motorcycle companies in the world, H-D had little to show for its efforts, while at roughly the same time John Britten and his tiny crew not only built their own motorcycle from scratch (in a New Zealand garage workshop), they then basically cleaned up in most of the races they were eligible to compete in on the Britten V1000. There are eerily quite a few similarities between Harley’s VR1000, and Britten’s V1000. Both featured 60-degree DOHC eight-valve V-twins with electronic fuel injection. At a time when such fuel delivery was just starting to be considered by motorcycle manufacturers for production (Honda’s NR750 and Yamaha’s GTS1000 to name a few).

Picotte at Phoenix International Raceway. (Blake Conner/)

The reality is that the VR1000 was all but forgettable as a racing machine. How else can you explain the fact that Harley employed the very best of the best racers of the era, and then managed to vanish into history without a single win.

If you were going to go big and hire a big-name rider, it was hard to argue against the hiring of former AMA Superbike and World Superbike champ and five-time Daytona 200 winner Scott Russell. (Blake Conner/)

High-profile riders who piloted the VR during the program’s existence included Miguel Duhamel, who is credited with 86 AMA National wins including titles in Superbike (1), 600 Supersport (2x), Formula Xtreme (2x), and five Daytona 200 wins. He was followed by Scott Russell who also won five Daytona 200s, the 1992 AMA Superbike title, and the 1993 World Superbike title. While three-time AMA Superbike champ Doug Chandler rode the bike for a single winless season in 1995. All three of those riders had also spent time contesting the 500cc Grand Prix series in Europe.

Harley’s longest-serving rider was former AMA Pro Twins champion and AMA Superbike race winner Canadian Pascal Picotte. He rode the VR1000 for four seasons, ultimately scoring a pair of podiums in 1999. Another big name to sit in the H-D’s saddle was seven-time AMA Grand National Flat Track champion Chris Carr. He found limited success, but took the AMA Superbike Rookie of the Year title in 1995, earned a pole position, and had a top five finish the following year. Clearly the talent in the seat wasn’t to blame.

“America’s Superbike,” penned by Kevin Cameron, went into detail on the creation of the VR1000 as he joined the team for its first-ever test of the bike at Grattan Raceway. (Cycle World Archives/)

Back in the March 1994 issue of Cycle World, our tech guru Kevin Cameron penned a feature titled “America’s Superbike,” in which he took a deep dive into the VR1000. He was granted exclusive access to the bike’s first test at Grattan Raceway, where test rider and former AMA 883 roadracing champ Scott Zampach threw a leg over the bike for the first time, prior to Duhamel getting a chance to try out his new machine.

At the time, after years of initial engine development, it was time to actually put the bike on track and start the process of refinement prior to making an attempt at the Daytona 200 and the AMA Superbike Championship. The intent of the project was to build an all-American racer with sourced parts coming exclusively from the US when possible. From Cameron’s story: “The machine has US-made Wilwood calipers and discs. At the front, a machine-sculptured Penske inverted fork. The twin-beam frame is simple, direct—and US-made. The heads disappear up under the black fuel tank, and I know there is a twin-bore Weber-USA fuel-injection throttle body under there.

The cover from March of 1994. (Cycle World Archives/)

“From the head-gasket surfaces downward, the VR is the work of H-D staff engineers. The heads originally were farmed out to Jack Roush’s consulting firm, famous for its NASCAR connections. Steve Scheibe was a Roush employee until two years ago, when he moved to Harley to become racing manager. He is responsible for the changes since then—the redesigned cylinder heads, the lighter chassis, the new gearbox, the chassis, the works.”

Bore and stroke for the VR measured 98 x 66mm, it used titanium Carillo rods which were placed side by side on the single crankpin. The crank itself utilized roller bearings while the rods used plain bearings. Forged three-ring Wiseco pistons were used and sat in Nikasil-lined cylinders. The compression ratio was 12.0:1. As mentioned, Weber-USA fuel injection was used with a single injector per cylinder. Cameron adds: “Right now, the VR has dirt-track power characteristics; peak torque comes relatively early, followed by a wide region of nearly constant horsepower.”

More than a year into the VR’s racing career, success had yet to come, and all indications pointed to the fact that the bike was way down on power compared to the competition from the likes of Ducati and Kawasaki. Especially its top speed. “At Brainerd last year, Scheibe reckons it was 6 mph on top,” Cameron said in the August 1995 issue of Cycle World. “At Daytona this year it was more like 10 mph. Power requirement rises approximately with the cube of speed, so this translates to between an 11 and 20 percent power difference. If the top Superbikes make 140 or so rear-wheel horsepower, this would be 15–28 horsepower. That would put the VR down at 112–125, rear-wheel.”

Up-and-coming talent Thomas Wilson on the VR1000. (Blake Conner/)

Cameron continued: “All this is very perplexing, because the VR has, physically, all the makings of success. It has a chassis of outstanding stiffness, whose handling has been praised by everyone who has ridden it. It has the full 1,000cc that the rules allow, with proven mechanical strength to reach competitive rpm in the 11,000 range. The engine is a compact, rigid design that fits a race chassis better than the wide-Vee Ducati engine. Above all, it is backed by a prosperous company with the means to fund fast, effective development.

“Where’s the beef?

“Okay, how much beef should there be? We can estimate this by using the engine’s rpm capability, its displacement and commonly attained averaged combustion pressure. When we put in the numbers, we find that there was nothing wrong with Jerry Branch’s [airflow specialist who worked on the design early on] initial 1987 estimate that an engine of this type could make 165 horsepower. And if the stroke were shortened in F-1 GP style to raise revs into the twilight zone, this expectation could rise to the vicinity of 180 horsepower. These are crankshaft horsepower, so subtract 10 percent or so for transmission loss—160 and 180 then become 144 and 162 rear-wheel prancers. That’s beef, all right, but imaginary.”

The second spread from “America’s Superbike,” in the March 1994 issue of <i>Cycle World</i>. (Cycle World Archives/)

Looking at the output from the aforementioned and very similar Britten V1000, John Britten’s machine produced an impressive 170 hp. It’s also important to note that Britten had far less resources at his disposal. Making the New Zealand–built machines all that more impressive.

Like the engine, the twin-beam aluminum chassis was American made by a shop in Portland, Oregon. The swingarm pivot had adjustable inserts to alter geometry. Initially, the first versions of the bike were fitted with American-made Penske shocks and gas-pressurized forks, but by the time they lined up for the Daytona 200 in 1994, it was fitted with Öhlins suspension. Later down the road, when Russell and Picotte were on the bike, the VR had moved on to Showa units front and rear. Out the door went the all-US-made mantra. If you want to attempt to win in an arena as competitive as Superbike racing, you have to source components with a proven track record.

The team used AP Racing brakes among others, long gone were the American-made Wilwoods by the time Picotte was on the bike. (Blake Conner/)

Like the suspension, the original braking setup didn’t last very long. Initially, the VR was fitted with the American-made Wilwood six-piston calipers, but later on used Japanese-made Nissin six-piston kit, and also at points AP Racing six-piston calipers. As the bike evolved, so did the polish of the bike. Beautiful machined rearsets, looked more akin to units off of a Bimota, while ample use of carbon fiber formed the dash and housed the displays.

But all of this meant little since the bike couldn’t perform the one task it was assigned, winning races. Sadly even as far back as 1995, a full five years before the project was canned, the writing was on the wall.

The August 1995 cover of <i>Cycle World</i>. (Cycle World Archives/)

In Cameron’s 1995 article, he wrapped it up saying: “So, what can we conclude? Is VR success just around the corner? Probably not. Is it coming, slowly but surely? The track results say no again, but Steve Scheibe believes the VR is viewed inside the company as being on-track, making satisfactory progress. Seething discontents, if any? Take your pick. Racing is attractive, so people want to be part of it. As a project grows, some ideas are selected, others are dropped. Egos swell and shrink. Turf is claimed, and fought over. There are internal winners and losers. Money has to be accounted for. Strong feelings reverberate, then become policy. The customary thick layer of PR Bondo is troweled on in hopes of making the human drama look as well-controlled as a studio photo shoot. It never does.”

Looking back now, Cameron was correct. The VR1000 project was always a few too many steps behind, and the team despite all their considerable efforts and high-profile riders just couldn’t find the magic balance to make the bike succeed. By the early 2000s, with the bike out of the spotlight, the VR quietly faded away from most fans’ memories. Winless. But its unicorn status definitely earns it a place among the Coolest Sportbikes of the ‘90s.

Pascal Picotte at Phoenix International Raceway. (Blake Conner/)
In Kevin Cameron’s follow-up story in 1995 he didn’t seem to have much faith that the VR1000 project would be successful. He was correct. (Cycle World Archives/)
The second spread in the 1995 Kevin Cameron follow-up story. (Cycle World Archives/)

1994 Harley-Davidson VR1000 Specs

MSRP:	$49,490 (1994)
Engine:	Liquid-cooled, 60-degree V-twin; 4 valves/cyl.
Displacement:	996cc
Bore x Stroke:	98.0 x 66.0mm
Compression Ratio:	11.6:1
Transmission/Final Drive:	5-speed/chain
Fuel System:	Weber fuel injection
Clutch:	Dry, multiplate
Engine Management/Ignition:	Electronic
Frame:	Twin-spar aluminum
Front Suspension:	Öhlins upside-down
Rear Suspension:	Penske shock
Front Brake:	Wilwood 6-piston calipers
Rear Brake:	Wilwood 2-piston caliper
Wheels, Front/Rear:	Cast aluminum alloy
Tires, Front/Rear:	120/70-17 / 180/55-17
Rake/Trail:	24.5°/3.8 in.
Wheelbase:	55.5 in.
Seat Height:	N/A
Fuel Capacity:	4.5 gal.
Claimed Dry Weight:	390 lb.

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