Harley Street 750 and 500

we'll see, but I think they'd be better served going hardcore into the CPO Sportster market.

 

However you look at it, India manufacture takes away that big metal cachet, plus the bikes are basicaly faily uninteresting looking liquid cooled cruisers. Lots of companies offer something similar. So besides the harley name why would one buy one of these bikes. In which case its going to dilute the Harley "brand". Its all what happens when MBA's run motorcycle companies or any company where the product is just a construct on paper as opposed to being a passionate endevour. Read some interviews with Buel its frightening the way that company is run.

Current harley manufacture rides the solid metal air cooled v twin thing with lots of cutomer clinics and some inspired design. They have ridden that horse well, and played the lifestyle game well, but its getting a bit stale and lacks growth.

Besides that harley has shown a distinct lack of talent when it comes to motorcyles. The did nothing with Buel, bought MV which was a Buel competitor then ditched both.If you look at the Ducati hypomatard or the retro triumphs that may have been a great direction for MV, in fact that is where they are going and suceeding.

Look what BMW has done with its sportsbike, Buel could hav been there too.

These new bikes are a sign of the lack of talent at the top at harley. Yeah they will be cheap to make and be profitable. I bet they wont sell in the numbers expected and will be damamging to Harley.

 

From what I have read the parts are mainly sourced in India to to a lesser extent China. Assembly for Asia will be in China, while North American bikes will be assembled here from these foreign parts.

Apparently only the 750cc version will be sold in the US for now. Should be about $6500-7000.

In my mind this is a big gamble for Harley. We will see if it pays off. Indian market may prove a tough nut to crack. H-D management has made some tough (stupid?) choices in th past five years but seem to be able to weather these decisions.

 

Wow. I did not know that;

Harley-Davidson announces sale of MV Agusta to Claudio Castiglioni - Autoblog

They blew 100 million on MV then let it go after 2years? Makes no sense. And that is exactly what they needed. MV has some of the best looking sport bikes. Harley does not. They should have brought quality control and marketing to MV, not to mention the huge US dealership network. That would have been a great deal.

This new bike having parts made in India is a not what HD needs and other than the water it is no different to my eyes than what they already have.

 

great post.

I can see the Harvard MBA case study in 2023 already

I do agree that HD has niched themselves into a corner. they have no idea what to do when Boomers stop buying bikes and play dress-up badass on the weekends.

personally, I like the idea of a Sportster as a city bike, as an alternative to the type of lame-ass bikes that they are now building!!!! I'd much rather ride a Sportster, Monster, etc than some bland Japanese entry level cruiser, let alone HD's copy of a bland Japanese entry level cruiser.

 

Thye could be selling this

MV Agusta, RIVALE 800

And now we read Ducati is buiding Scrambler.

What Harley makes is charismatic motorcycles of reasonable performance and great stability. Harleys are reasonaly well built bought for style and recreation over outright performance.

The Itralians do that too just with a diferent style. MV was agreat fit and htanks to the Harley investment will be making great products.

My Harley dealer said he begegd them not to sell MV, he even wanted to buy it from them.

 

Hey I would have taken MV off their hands for the princely sum of one Euro

Officially Official: Harley-Davidson ?Sells? MV Agusta to Castiglioni Family

H-D blew roughly a quarter of a billion dollars by closing Buell (electing to liquidate rather than entertain not one but two offers to buy from Bombardier at the time) and giving MV back to the Castiglioni family. MV was essentially broke when Harley bought it, debt-free when returned. Buell reportedly had finally turned the corner and was profitable on its own, only to be killed as then-new CEO Kieth Wandell (who didn't even ride or understand what sport bikes even were) decided to hunker down and concentrate on the core of the brand.

So now Harley is going to try to sell $6000 motorcycles to the Indian middle-upper class whose annual income is probably below $15,000. Would you spend basically every spare rupee for the next couple of years to buy a 500cc Indian-built bike with an American logo?

I know it is fashionable to rag on Harley, but this looks like it could be a disaster of huge financial proportions. India is a very unique market in general, hopefully they have done their homework but my gut says they haven't. I'm also not convinced Wandell isn't a bean-counting idiot who should have never been allowed to run the company. Maybe he could have been head controller, but bike companies need enthusiasts guiding the company.

I'm very glad Harley didn't buy Ducati a couple of years ago, they would have ruined that brand too although on paper it looked like a marketing match made in heaven. VW/Audi knows a thing or two about luxury brands, so even though the current Ducatis have a bit of Germany in them these days, the bike lineup looks great and pricing is almost in line with the Japanese. I expect Ducati will continue with its recent run of success, even if the race teams in WSBK and MotoGP had their worst years ever in 2013.

 

Basicaly Harley has saturated the market of fat middle aged boomer wanabe bikers. Their product is well made and executed for this demographic. It appears Harley has little to no clue how to expand its buisness beyond that group, either with the harley brand or another brand.

Lately i ride a sportseter as a means of slowing down. I come from sprtsbikes and nakeds. I could think of 20 different ways the sportster could be improved to appeal to all those people who used to ride inline 4's. Harley makes a good machine for what it tis, but they are pretty cluelss.

there is a big market out there. Look at the monster and hypomotard, these would be ideal markets for harley. They are a company that excellently executes its ago old vsion, and besides that has zero vision.

 

Great post, boxerman.

Matt

 

I see the point in offerings bikes in smaller displacements for overseas. The HD ones just aren't compelling enough. I wish the Ghost of VR1000 Past haunts them into building new versions from big to little. That would be amazing! Almost as amazing as hiring Terblanche away from Confederate and see he how he would envision the Harley brand. It would be polarizing; thats for sure.

 

Conferderate bikes a re not exactly of widespread appeal, although the latest offerings are interesting.

 

What harley needs to build is something like the BMW Nine T. Or take some egli vincent themes into a great riding naked, with proper brakes and decent suspension. They have all the physical ingredients already, just not the mental acumen.

There is a whole market out there for moderm nakeds with retro theme elemts but modern, like the above mentioned bikes. Harley sort of does this with the sportster 48, except it has forward controls crap shocks and brakes. Make it a little Vincent or norley like. Not everyone needs an all out sprtsbike, witness the aircooled monsters but like something charism0atic that rides properly.

I do have a moded sporty 48, still has crap suspension and brakes, but its stable and engaging to ride.

 

Like the Ducati Scrambler? Rumored to be around 600cc and air-cooled.
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Well said.
They might sell well however as a cheap buy in to the Harley brand for awhile until the public finds out "real" Harley owners will shun them or call them a chick bike.
Its happened before it will happen again.