#harley-davidson

Several months ago, Harley-Davidson announced plans to reduce its model lineup by 30% as part of its Rewire and Hardwire business strategies. More recently, the company revealed it will announce its 2021 models online in a “ virtual launch experience” on Jan. 19. The question, then, is what current models are on the chopping block, and which models will return?

Motorcycle sites around the world have been buzzing the last few weeks about the Harley-Davidson Custom 1250, the Revolution Max-powered potential Sportster replacement, suddenly appearing on the Motor Company’s official website, signifying it’s impending launch.

Harley-Davidson‘s electric bicycle sub-brand Serial 1 has revealed its initial line-up of four electric bicycles. The debut line-up of pedal-assist ebikes range in price from $3,399 to $4,999 and will initially launch in the U.S. and Germany. Serial 1 is accepting pre-orders now, with deliveries expected to begin in March 2021.

Harley-Davidson‘s much analyzed “ Rewire” plan may be starting to see some positive results, as the company reported its strongest third quarter since 2015 despite decreasing sales volume. It will take a while longer to see if the plan and its eventual follow-up, the Hardwire plan, will pay off in the long run, but for the short term, the Rewire has succeeded in reducing costs.

Harley-Davidson has issued a recall for Livewire models built between March 18, 2019 and August 20, 2020, because of a software fault with the On-Board Charging (OBC) System that can shut off the motorcycle without warning. In some cases, the motorcycle could not be restarted, or if they could, they would shut off soon after.

Harley-Davidson will reportedly stop offering its Sportster and Street models in Europe, thanks to the Euro 5 emissions standards that will come into effect by the end of the year. The Sportsters and Street models will continue to be sold in North America and other markets that aren’t subject to Euro 5 or equivalent standards, but for Europe, Harley-Davidson will discontinue its smallest and most affordable models. The news comes days after Harley-Davidson announced the end of operations in India.

Earlier this year, we revealed design filings for the Chinese motorcycle that was supposed to share a platform with a new small-displacement Harley-Davidson model. That design, filed in China and marketed by Qianjiang as the QJ350, but we noted the parallel-Twin’s engine casing was stamped with the Harley-Davidson name.

In a form 8-K report filed with the US Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday, Harley-Davidson disclosed its intention to discontinue sales and manufacturing operations in India. In 2007, according to Wiki, Harley-Davidson motorcycles were first allowed access to the Indian market in exchange for the export of Indian mangoes – which one Indian commentator called “mango diplomacy.” In 2009, Harley-Davidson India (a wholly owned subsidiary) opened its first plant, and was originally building 11 models on six platforms: Sportster, Dyna, Softail, V-Rod, Touring, and Street. Harley has at least 29 dealers in the Republic of India, which is the second-most populous country in the world (1.353 billion people), the seventh-largest country by land area, and the most populous democracy in the world. There’s also a booming HOG and an annual Harley Rock Riders music tour.

BMW has been teasing us for quite a while, and now that we have it in our hands, the 2021 BMW R18 truly is a thing of beauty. Rolling motorcycle art, if you will. Just walking around the bike slowly taking in the detail work that this embodiment of BMW’s past heritage wrapped in modern technology is a visual feast. From the exposed shaft drive to the polarizing fishtail exhaust to the chromed-out master cylinders of the First Edition trim to the modern headlight in a vintage shell, the R18 exudes quality. Starting the 1802cc oil/air-cooled boxer Twin sets the whole bike rocking side-to-side at the 950 rpm idle speed, pulsing like it’s alive. 

A couple of weeks ago, Harley-Davidson provided an update on its Rewire strategy, including a commitment to releasing the Pan America 1250 adventure tourer in 2021. Harley-Davidson did not, however, provide the same vote of confidence to the Harley-Davidson Bronx, leaving the fate of the streetfighter unclear.

Picking out underrated Harleys is tough, sort of the moto equivalent of writing up the five least-attractive Playboy centerfold moles, the five least-cute puppy breeds, the five least-popular iced beverages at the Death Valley Golf Club in August. Even the most ignored Harleys have their own loyal and possibly violent contingents. But fearlessly tackling this type of project is why they pay me the big money. And thanks to the miracle of social media crowdsourcing, it actually winds up being kind of fun. I learned some stuff. Sadly, none of my FB friends are much older than I am, so we’re not going all the way back to 1903 to pick five. We are going back to 1974 to kick things off.

Chinese manufacturer Qianjiang registered a new motorcycle design with China’s National Intellectual Property Administration, revealing a new naked bike called the QJ350. Why should you care about a small-displacement Chinese bike?

In its second quarter 2020 presentation, Harley-Davidson provided an update on its Rewire strategy, clarifying specific details about the plan, and offered a few hints about its follow-up, the newly-christened Hardwire plan which will carry the company through 2021 to 2025. Moving forward, Harley-Davidson plans to reduce its model lineup by 30%, will concentrate its focus on 50 markets, and will proceed to launch its first adventure-touring model in 2021.

It’s an age-old question in America – or it was, at least, until Indian threw in the towel in 1953. But now it’s back again, ever since Polaris bought Indian and started cranking out modern new versions in 2013 (based upon its nearly 20 years experience building Victory motorcycles). Either way, both Harley-Davidson and Indian are genuine USA royalty, right up there with Coca-Cola, Levis and the Trump Organization – and as such, both enjoy an authenticity that non-native brands can only envy when it comes to penetrating the American market. Here are some things to consider if you’ve decided to take the plunge.

Harley-Davidson has filed a patent for a new engine design that uses variable valve timing. Officially, the patent is not specifically for a VVT system but rather for a modular engine balancer that mounts on either side of a crankshaft. The patent does however describe how the VVT phase timing is incorporated into the balancer module.