New Harley Davidsons

The engine cases look like Yamaha or Kawasaki circa 1980s. The fork bellows ensure regular trips to the dealer to spend money on maintenance that should have been engineered out in early concept. Good time to trade up for just a small increase in your monthly payment.

Also smaller than an 883 Sportster which gets no respect now.

I wonder if upcoming competition from Indian with high end bikes is causing HD to dilute their brand image with knockoffs of knockoffs? Can I still be an individual riding that bike wearing a black vest, black t-shirt, jeans and no helmet?
 
We can probably all agree that this bike will be crap but I think it's great they're making smaller displacement bikes AND actually releasing new models.

I think these are primarily for HD to sell to budding nations like India and Thailand who need to have smaller displacement motorcycles. Japan has a huge HD following as well and these smaller bikes might fit well within their regulations.

Seems like a smart move but I shudder to think how slow a 500 cc Harley Davidson will be. The 883 can't even run away from a 1980s Ninja 250.
 
I think they would sell better as Buells. They could import them to the U.S. slowly in the hopes of them catching on through rider safety classes. They seem kind of heavy and underpowered, but they make up for it by shaking too much and longer stopping distances.
 
People want the Harley Davidson image. If it's shiny and makes noise and vibrates, that's all that matters.

If these new bikes are priced really low in the US, they might be big sellers for those who want the image but can't afford the huge prices of the larger models. Even a basic 883 Sportster is close to $10,000 OTD, I think. It's a lot of money...

2014Harley750Street.jpg


It definitely looks the part. Looks like the MSRP for the 500 is under $7000. The 883 is about $2000 more

Say what you will about HD but they have perfected the selling of an image and have mastered luring people in with easy financing and customisation 'package deals'. Genius
 
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Dustin said:
People want the Harley Davidson image. If it's shiny and makes noise and vibrates, that's all that matters.

If these new bikes are priced really low in the US, they might be big sellers for those who want the image but can't afford the huge prices of the larger models. Even a basic 883 Sportster is close to $10,000 OTD, I think. It's a lot of money... :o
Click to expand...

A lot of $ for a Sportster. HD has the best fit and finish in the business, but these junior bikes do not fit into the brand image. Reminds me of Indian's last gasp after they were dead and buried when whoever owned the name was licensing mini bikes during the 1960s and 70s. I think HD would need a separate building or catalog to sell them here because there is some talk they would import parts for assembly in the U.S..

The bike nobody is making is a 1910s era single or twin repro. A 1950s Indian four with the distinct quad exhaust manifold would at the least get traffic into a Polaris dealership.

*Four wheeled (quads) is the fastest growing segment of powersports right now.
 
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Born to be Mild ?

"Born To Be Mild"


If I can get your motor runnin'
Head out to the driveway
Lookin' for attention
And whatever heads turn our way
That Harley gonna’ make it happen
Take my wallet in its love embrace
Set fire to all of our funds at once
And expose us as vain

My Bike shakes so, it’s frightening
Heavy metal blunder
Bracin' against the wind
And that squeelin’ somewhere under
That Harley gonna’ make it happen
Take my wallet in its love embrace
Set fire to all of our funds at once
And expose us as vain

The bike truly gets me riled
They are boring, and they're mild
with a price so high
I never wanna' buy

Born to be mild
Born to be mild

:cheerleader:

My sincere apologies to Stepenwolf
 
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