[motorcycle.com] - Bold New Harley-Davidsons for 2020

[Ninjette Newsbot]

“Leveraging its industry-leading design and strong manufacturing capabilities,” Harley-Davidson says in this morning’s press release, “it plans to offer its most comprehensive lineup of motorcycles, competing in many of the largest and fastest growing segments with a full portfolio of motorcycles across a broad spectrum of price points, power sources, displacements, riding styles and global markets.”



The company’s first Adventure Touring motorcycle, and not a minute too soon, is the Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250, a 1250cc Custom model. This is the first of a new, modular line of 500 to 1250cc middleweights that will occupy three distinct product spaces and four displacements, beginning in 2020. Modern ADV orthodoxy appears to be in play, including an all-new liquid-cooled DOHC twin that’s shared by all the new models in various displacements.



Then there’s this new 975cc Streetfighter, which also appears to not only contain all the correct building blocks, but appears to have arranged them in the correct places, including the footpegs. Sporting, even, a brand new gas tank and modern-size sport wheels and tires front and rear, this is definitely bold new thinking for Milwaukee. H-D says to expect this bike first when it begins rolling the new platform out in 2020.

Back in December, we first broke the story that Harley-Davidson applied for a trademark for the name “Bronx.”* The name may be a good fit for this streetfighter but the USPTO flagged a potential issue with that application and Harley-Davidson may not end up using that name.



And of course, something for the traditionalists, a 1250cc Custom iteration of the new platform.

“Additional models to broaden coverage in these product spaces will follow through 2022,” says H-D., as it develops more accessible, small-displacement (250cc to 500cc) motorcycles for Asian emerging markets through a planned strategic alliance with a manufacturer in Asia.

“This new product and broader distribution is intended to fuel Harley-Davidson’s customer access and growth in India, one of the largest, fastest growing markets in the world, and other Asia markets.”

More to come later as H-D comes out swinging, kind of, at last. Stay tuned…









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