Only twenty years behind Triumph and Aprilia, Ducati,etc, but HARLEY enter the big naked class!!! Looks like it could be fun, but you know it weighs 300kg and produces 75bhp
Looks OK, but that V-twin engine weighs the same as your whole bike! Aluminum alloys are new fangled tech at Hardly, that'll be solid cast pig iron block
Do you know what. If Harley ever do produce that big naked, I for one will be going for a test ride, just to give it a go. I do honestly hope they can produce a decent bike for decent money to rival a Speed triple. They need to. Can't see their business surving past the date all of their current riders shuffle off their mortoil coils. Ever seen a young guy ride a Harley? Don't see many young guys on bikes anyways, but Harley riders are even older than BMW riders. (No offence Dougie and Winglad, our 2 resisdent HD owners) Even in the US it looks the same, with a very aging demographic. So even tho that adventure bike is a total pig, I hope they can drag themselves into this millenium and maybe they will survive. Good for all of us if they do, variety being the spice of life. Except the HD 883 Iron, that should die, painfully die a horrible slow rusting death. Worst bike I ever rode. Fatboy was fun, in a very loud way, actually felt like a bike, not a 2 wheeled shopping trolley with the handling, brakes and looks to match.
The main reason joe public knows Harley is because of product placement for the last 100 years from Hollywood & TV, but yes the brand is good, but the product not what is going to sell long term. They know it too, that's why they are looking at bike brands doing well - Triumph & Ducati range, I would say are the most forward looking at present, with adventure, naked and classic bikes, and presumably HD trying to get in there, before it's too late. Looks like it from these two new models being put forward. Top three bike brands known in UK - Harley - Triumph - Honda, in that order, doubt many (non-biking) joe public could name yamaha, suzuki, kawasaki or even Ducati and no chance Aprilia !!!( (What make is it then? I get asked after telling them it's an Aprilia Tuono)
Honestly why would you? Ok to some people it looks great & its f******* noisy. But it's soooo heavy & so down on power. Certainly absolutely no fun on our roads in my opinion & that's the only one that counts
Designed for big lanes on long highways, I did have a Dynaglide for a time while saving for my speedy. 1450 produces a lot of low end torque, but not a patch on my Triumph. I even looked at the military styled 1800, but was like sitting on a toy
We have a learners class in NZ, with bike approved (LAMS) on power, so HD have a market with street 500 to entice them to the dark side
Not so long ago Harley we’re making more profit from their merchandising than their bikes - a bit like food profits underpinning pubs rather than their beer! I think the people Harley also need to look at are BMW. Time was when BMW meant boxer twin. From the mid 80s they vastly modernised the boxer while diversifying with range with multiple new engine layouts and sports bikes. The big potato potato V Twin limits Harley’s market and Indian can claim the same heritage while the Japanese make them in many more shapes and sizes. Bluntly, you could see the development potential of ‘their style’ of big V twin hitting the buffers when Cal Rayborn was competing them and BSA/Triumph has already added a third cylinder. Watching Harley bikes, it is as if they cannot escape the speedway formula of 500 singles. It is just oddly self limiting and change is dangerously late in the day. I also just remembered their flirtation with smaller machines through Aermacchi and how lack of investment (as I recall) saw that quickly fold.
Many of our Triumph dealers also have BMW dealerships and their range is attractive to daily riders who also want to do track days. Seems they are ranged on price point.
