IT’S one of the enduring legends of motorcycling that Harley-Davidson has some sort of patent or trademark on its ‘potato-potato’ engine sound.
Of course, in reality, it doesn’t. Not through lack of trying though; the firm did have a go at getting a trademark on the noise towards the end of the last century, only to give up when it seemed that the effort would be in vain.
Now, however, they might be wishing they stuck with it. Those with a passing interest in four wheels might have noticed that Renault has just launched its new Clio RS, and it (along with various other Renaults) has the option of something the company calls “R-Sound Effect”. Don’t say it too quickly.
In short, it plays ‘broom-broom’ noises through the car’s stereo while you drive along, with various options as to what vehicle you can pretend to be. Along with various Renaults (Clio V6, Alpine 110, R8 Gordini) and Nissan’s GTR, it can also be something the firm calls “Moto GP”.
The picture on the PlayStation-like dash display shows something that looks like a Harley XR750 flat-tracker, and the accompanying sound (heard on a Renault Fluence diesel equipped with the same system here) sounds a bit Harley-ish too.
