Harley Davidson trying some new formats

Discussion in 'Anything Goes' started by reg71, Jul 30, 2018.

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  1. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    reg71, Jul 30, 2018
    #1
  2. VFR4Lee

    VFR4Lee Member

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    The stret fighter version does not look bad. Have they figured out it should weigh a lot less than 800 pounds?
     
    VFR4Lee, Jul 30, 2018
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  3. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    I suspect the weight will be a little less than what we've seen in the past. A lot will depend on that engine and if they use an integrated transmission instead of the separate primary (I think that's how they phrase it) like in the old days. It doesn't look like it'll be a featherweight, though.
     
    reg71, Jul 30, 2018
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  4. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Yeah, that engine/transmission looks like a pretty sizeable lump. If they could keep the weight reasonable it might be interesting.
     
    FJ12rydertoo, Jul 30, 2018
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  5. GreginDenver

    GreginDenver New Member

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    Imagining a Harley Davidson (the company) that suddenly (finally) gets its shit together in a way that is forward-looking rather than backward-looking is actually scary and fun at the same time.
     
    GreginDenver, Jul 30, 2018
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  6. Lint

    Lint Member

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    They may even make more than 50hp at 3500rpm too...
     
    Lint, Jul 31, 2018
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  7. VFR4Lee

    VFR4Lee Member

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    There's no reason they can't make a lighter more powerful bike.
    Everyone else does.
     
    VFR4Lee, Jul 31, 2018
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  8. Egg on Leggs

    Egg on Leggs New Member

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    If they visit a steam fair someone will still try to shovel coal into them.
     
    Egg on Leggs, Jul 31, 2018
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  9. FJ12rydertoo

    FJ12rydertoo Member

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    Or steal them to run an irrigation pump.
     
    FJ12rydertoo, Jul 31, 2018
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  10. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    Let's not get too carried away! :)
     
    reg71, Jul 31, 2018
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  11. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    I was thinking about it and I like that they are trying new things, but I doubt I'll buy any of them. That doesn't mean I don't wish them well, I just expect that what they think it's worth and what I think it's worth ne'er shall meet.
     
    reg71, Jul 31, 2018
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  12. dbuzz77

    dbuzz77 New Member

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    my vrod was 115hp and 600 lbs and it really felt pretty fast. it looks smaller than a vrod so maybe lighter. the liquid cooled revolution motors are a lot lighter.
     
    Last edited: Aug 1, 2018
    dbuzz77, Jul 31, 2018
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  13. Bubba Utah

    Bubba Utah Member

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    Going back to the Army segment with that G.I Joe cross tourer. The street fight looks like Buell's in the past. If I want a Harley I would buy the Fat boy. The bike not me!;-) But I already have an oil burning Honda so I have no need for a Harley!;-)
     
    Bubba Utah, Jul 31, 2018
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  14. VFR4Lee

    VFR4Lee Member

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    Lose 140 pounds and add 25+ HP, then price it competitively. Oh, make it look good too. GLWS. :drink1:
     
    VFR4Lee, Aug 1, 2018
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  15. dbuzz77

    dbuzz77 New Member

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    take a look at the video on youtube " making the vrod". the motor was designed by Porsche and the tested the hell out of it. willy g sent an email to the design crew every day and all it said was "aluminum". it's a lot different than the air cooled harleys.
     
    dbuzz77, Aug 1, 2018
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  16. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    When I look at what they went with for that "adventure" bike I throw up a little in my mouth. I just think they went in a direction different than everyone else, and maybe not in a good way. I have a hard time saying whether that's uglier than the first multi-stradas. It's a tough call.

    Now I think you could take those other bikes and chop them into some kind of a cool scrambler type thing, or maybe even creat some type of adv ride, just please don't make it look like the one in the pic.
     
    reg71, Aug 9, 2018
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  17. OCLandspeeder

    OCLandspeeder New Member

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    They'll produce that "sport bike" and "adventure bikes" for about 3-4 years. Then discontinue the models. Just like they ALWAYS have done in the past 30 years. They simply are NOT able to compete when performance is factored in. They don't know how to make lightweight bikes, lightweight AND powerful engines. Right out of the gate their bikes are outclassed by the likes of KTM, BMW, the Japanese......H-D makes great bikes for the cruiser crowd, retro crowd, etc. When it comes to style they're very good at it. Even performance they're ok, just not HIGH performance. I would totally rock their Sportster 1200 Cafe model if I were into that, and ONLY if I promise not to look at the other competitors like the Guzzi V7III, or the Ducati Monster 821, Triumph 1200 Thruxton, and the upcoming Honda CB1000R. In the face of that company, all H-D's are just styling exercises.
     
    OCLandspeeder, Aug 10, 2018
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  18. dbuzz77

    dbuzz77 New Member

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    ok I liked my vrod a lot but i am NOT a harley guy by any stretch. the vrod has serious performance, probably all a person would want but they need lessons on how to make lighter bikes. the drag harley are vrod motors and they make serious power and come out very well in their class. these bikes look like an attempt to put that power in something lighter. the reason they discontinue is the airhead crowd don't consider it a harley if it isn't a road king or similar, but those guys are getting too old and aren't going to buy new bikes.
     
    dbuzz77, Aug 10, 2018
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  19. reg71

    reg71 Poser Staff Member

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    I always felt the VROD was just a challenger to the Yamaha VMAX and I don't remember if it was even as fast as that. It definitely didn't resonate with their typical buyers.

    BUT, when I was young, the people I knew buying Harleys were blue collar factory workers and such, not the yuppie crowd that created the massive production (or over-production depending on where you land). So, can Harley re-imagine themselves? Maybe. Maybe they'll buy Ducati? I hear that keeps coming up. They'd get European markets which they desperately need and Ducati could establish a stronger dealer network here in the states. Right now, Ducati shops are few and far between.

    I look at those two companies similarly even though the bikes are drastically different. The companies both seem to inspire passion and brand loyalty sometimes to a questionable degree of sanity. :)

    They could sink or swim together. Hard to say which way it'll go. With millennials, and then Gen Z losing interest in motorcycles something needs to happen to keep both afloat. As we see the boomers getting too old to ride and gen x not having the numbers to buy as many bikes if manufacturers can't open up those other markets we may see many close their doors.
     
    reg71, Aug 14, 2018
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  20. NorcalBoy

    NorcalBoy Member

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    NorcalBoy, Aug 14, 2018
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