Harley-Davidson Announces New V-Twin Sportbike

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itsme

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I used the title from Motorcyclist Magazine video. But didn't see really much of "sportbike" in the video. All some naked concepts.

[video=youtube;o6IREuN05jM]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6IREuN05jM[/video]
 
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Wow, that may be the most marketing wank I have seen in a vehicle ad. They must have hired some people from the hifi world.

"We're leading the way in taking the thrill of riding into the future". Ummkay. HD is not synonymous with leading the way and nothing they have done lately gives me any reason to believe them. I'm glad they are trying to evolve, but the four bikes they are teasing as being available years from now just diversify them into existing markets. I see nothing that is remotely leading the way (and based on the past I have doubts that the bikes they release will even equal their peers yet alone best them).

This is the "sportbike"
https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/future-vehicles/streetfighter.html
Harley_Streetfighter.jpg


Similar thread:
http://www.gtamotorcycle.com/vbforum/showthread.php?206191-Harley-Davidson-Adventure-Motorcycle
 
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The Livewire is becoming reality, Aug 2019. See 1:03 in video.
 
Personally I really like the look of that street fighter pictured above. Always wanted an MT01.

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Too early to assume they're not leading the way at anything. That V-twin engine looks interesting, and the Pan America ADV motorcycle does too. Can't really tell if that engine is DOHC or pushrod. For a real performance engine HD will have to abandon their old firing order and embrace newer technology. But power alone does not make a great bike. Weight and agility are big factors. I'm tired of all the oversized, overweight turds disguised as ADV bikes from all the manufacturers. One thing is for sure, the new HDs are not going to be cheap. They are sure to be aimed at the upper end of the market, so the low-income guys need not apply.
 
Iceman said:
Personally I really like the look of that street fighter pictured above. Always wanted an MT01.

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It never came to North America, but Yamaha's Bulldog (used the V-Star 1100 engine) was another cool character too.
 
Flywheel said:
It never came to North America, but Yamaha's Bulldog (used the V-Star 1100 engine) was another cool character too.
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It was never sold in the US, however it was sold in limited numbers in Canada and only for 2 or 3 years. I've just never seen one for sale when I happen to be shopping for a bike.

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Looks decent but it isn't a "sport bike". And the real one will have a big long fender, rear turn signals and license plate bracket ...

I am assuming that H-D has a new 60 degree engine in the works. That engine doesn't look like the 1125 Buell/Rotax, although perhaps it's similar with a makeover. Engine looks compact front-to-back with a decently long swingarm, and I see inverted forks and Brembo brake calipers. I actually "gasp" kinda like this!
 
To define a sport bike we first have to define whether riding is a sport or activity.

America's sports car, the Corvette, started out as a six cylinder two seat car with a two speed automatic transmission. Hardly a glass Ferrari.

Will we be seeing the new HD's at the track or Timmies?
 
Iceman said:
It was never sold in the US, however it was sold in limited numbers in Canada and only for 2 or 3 years. I've just never seen one for sale when I happen to be shopping for a bike.
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So you're saying there's hope? I wonder how few actually made it off the showroom floor. Like the first gen SV650N. Only saw it once, on Kijiji, a few years back.

Anyhow, it's good to see HD looking at other segments of the market. Let's see what they deliver.
 
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Harley is a joke. They are just realizing now that no one is buying their bikes except abroad and need to add relevant models?
 
nobbie48 said:
To define a sport bike we first have to define whether riding is a sport or activity.

America's sports car, the Corvette, started out as a six cylinder two seat car with a two speed automatic transmission. Hardly a glass Ferrari.

Will we be seeing the new HD's at the track or Timmies?
Click to expand...

Naked and ADV bikes don't go to "the track" except to spectator parking - and that's fine. Sales numbers in those segments are much bigger than those of track-ready sport bikes. I'm sure more than a few of these will be seen ripping through mountain roads ... or dirt roads.

busabim said:
Harley is a joke. They are just realizing now that no one is buying their bikes except abroad and need to add relevant models?
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For these two bikes to be at the stage of development apparent here, and with what is apparently a new engine, it's pretty likely that they have been under development for a couple of years, which means the realization (that their traditional market is in an inexorable decline) would have been made some time before that.

The obstacle that remains to be overcome, which is the same obstacle they faced with Buell, and then with the entire V-Rod platform, and more recently with the 500 / 750 platform, is the dealer network. It seems that H-D dealers know how to sell the bloated, overweight, traditional old models. They don't know what to do with anything else, and seemingly steer customers towards what they know how to sell. The LiveWire is going to be particularly challenging.
 
Brian P said:
Naked and ADV bikes don't go to "the track" except to spectator parking - and that's fine. Sales numbers in those segments are much bigger than those of track-ready sport bikes. I'm sure more than a few of these will be seen ripping through mountain roads ... or dirt roads.

For these two bikes to be at the stage of development apparent here, and with what is apparently a new engine, it's pretty likely that they have been under development for a couple of years, which means the realization (that their traditional market is in an inexorable decline) would have been made some time before that.

The obstacle that remains to be overcome, which is the same obstacle they faced with Buell, and then with the entire V-Rod platform, and more recently with the 500 / 750 platform, is the dealer network. It seems that H-D dealers know how to sell the bloated, overweight, traditional old models. They don't know what to do with anything else, and seemingly steer customers towards what they know how to sell. The LiveWire is going to be particularly challenging.
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Dealers will adapt. For a few years they got fat on selling heavy motorcycles to middle aged men, many of whom were denied bikes by their wives until the kids were grown. That wave has passed, HD dealers know survival means turning a page - they will sell what people come to buy.

Ask yourself this, have you ever seen a salesman voluntarily starve himself to death? Not in the auto industry.
 
Flywheel said:
So you're saying there's hope? I wonder how few actually made it off the showroom floor. Like the first gen SV650N. Only saw it once, on Kijiji, a few years back.

Anyhow, it's good to see HD looking at other segments of the market. Let's see what they deliver.
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Speak of the devil lol. Beautiful example for sale locally and I'm not currently shopping.


Please view this ad:

Rare Yamaha MT-01,
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-street-crui...ampaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android

Price: $*6,500

Download the application from the Google Play Store.
http://goo.gl/Hs9Yg

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
Iceman said:
Speak of the devil lol. Beautiful example for sale locally and I'm not currently shopping.


Please view this ad:

Rare Yamaha MT-01,
https://www.kijiji.ca/v-street-crui...ampaign=socialbuttons&utm_content=app_android

Price: $*6,500

Download the application from the Google Play Store.
http://goo.gl/Hs9Yg

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I have to admit I'm curious about what the riding experience would be: 1700cc, 110 ft-lbs and a 5500RPM redline in a sporty chassis.
 
Blackfin said:
I have to admit I'm curious about what the riding experience would be: 1700cc, 110 ft-lbs and a 5500RPM redline in a sporty chassis.
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Me too, since the first time I saw one. I'll likely never know.

Sent from my SM-A500W using Tapatalk
 
How about they try building something other then a v-twin. or maybe they can't because they still have a hard time making that reliable.
 
Knight said:
How about they try building something other then a v-twin. or maybe they can't because they still have a hard time making that reliable.
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Where is it you heard modern Harley v-twins were not reliable ?
 
Knight said:
How about they try building something other then a v-twin. or maybe they can't because they still have a hard time making that reliable.
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I am quite sure H-D wants to maintain *some* connection with their heritage. Would you suggest Ducati make something other than a 90-degree V-angle engine? (The new V4 is a big break from tradition in that it has four cylinders, but they've maintained the 90-degree layout and they kept pretty close to their unique sound.)

That it isn't a 45-degree V angle (it's 60 degrees) is already a big step - it allows a much more favorable bore to stroke ratio, and it needs a lot less counterbalancing to control vibration. I'm sure they've also offset the cylinders to eliminate their traditional forked connecting rod on one cylinder.

I highly doubt that H-D has any interest whatsoever in building an in-line four ...
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