Last year, we published an April Fools post about a new Harley-Davidson engine called the “Milwaukee-Eight.” The post was total BS, of course, except for the name; Harley-Davidson does, in fact, own the trademark for that Milwaukee-Eight. (UPDATE: Harley-Davidson has now officially announced the Milwaukee-Eight engine.)

Thanks to new 2017 motorcycle certification data released by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, we now have details about Harley’s newest engine which will replace the Twin Cam engine.

According to the EPA’s data, Harley-Davidson will introduce a new 1746cc (107ci) engine with a larger 1868cc (114ci) engine for CVO models. The new engine will be used on the: CVO Street Glide, CVO Ultra Limited, Electra Glide Ultra Limited Low, Road Glide Ultra, Ultra Limited, Ultra Limited Shrine Edition and the Tri Glide Ultra and Free Wheeler trikes.

The EPA data has the 1746cc engine producing 92.5 hp at 5000 rpm, compared to the previous 1688cc Twin Cam’s EPA-rated 80.5 hp at 4000 rpm. Meanwhile the CVO models’ 1868cc engine is EPA-rated at 100.6 hp at 5000 rpm, a significant increase over the current 1802cc engine’s 87.2 hp at 4000 rpm.

Early speculation about the “Milwaukee-Eight” name assumed the number refers to the number of valves (as in four per cylinder). The EPA data however rubbishes this theory, confirming that the new engines will continue to use two valves per cylinder. (UPDATE: with the official announcement, Harley-Davidson confirms the engine uses four valves per cylinder, contradicting the information in the EPA’s certification documents. We’re going to take the manufacturer’s word on this one over the government agency and assume the EPA’s info is either outdated or an error.)

Assuming the EPA data is correct, we have a different theory for the name. Tracing Harley-Davidson’s big twin engine history back to the 1914 F-Head, the Milwaukee Eight will be the eighth in the succession:

F-Head (1914-1929) Flathead (1930-1948) Knucklehead (1936-1947) Panhead (1948-1965) Shovelhead (1966-1984) Evolution (1984-1999) Twin Cam (1999-2016) Milwaukee Eight (2017 onwards)

Harley-Davidson typically reveals its model updates in late August so we expect to hear official announcement in the next few weeks. Check back here at Motorcycle.com for the latest as it emerges.