Last year Harley Davidson introduced their retro hooligan bike; the XR1200 to the European public. Funny thing is they only showed it to the Europeans. Yes Harley Davidson the one of the most American companies out there introduced a emotion evoking retro racer into a market that didn’t even have the original (the original being the XR750 dirt track machine) Naturally there were some confused and disappointed enthusiasts in the states. Not only Harley fans but those who normally think of Harleys as overweight, overpriced, bar hopers (and who could blame them for thinking that) were interested in this bike. What made this bike extra special was its focus on performance which unlike most motorcycles is not a common focus for Harley.
Now Harley is not known for making fast bikes, far from it. In the past Harleys were just as competitive as any other brand. The Sportser was one of the fastest bikes around. It was the fastest up until the Japanese came with their four cylinder superbikes. Like the once hot British bikes Harleys became slow and had to sell on nostalgia. Triumph a British bike maker was hit hard by the Japanese just like Harley. Unlike Harley they went under and came back as a modern company. Instead of relying on heritage (later they would cash in on it however) they relied on a modern competitive product. Triumph today has a diversified line up, yet every product they offer is 100% Triumph. I see no reason for Harley to not be able to make something different.
I think in today’s world of skyrocketing gas prices motorcycles are going to be receiving a lot more attention. Another factor to consider is the waning popularity of cruisers. The economy is weak and people are less likely to spend big bucks on a full dresser model. Harleys are now selling at or below their suggested retail price, a far cry from the days when a Harley could charge as they pleased. I think it’s time for Harley to diversify. It’s time to move outside of the cruiser market into the world of standards. I’ve often considered what would be a natural extension of the Harley brand. The V rod was a nice start, the new XR1200 is an even better step. A liquid cooled standard, something resembling the new XR would be a hoot. Harley could bring try to compete with the Gold Wing and Victory’s new Vision with a modern V Rod touring model. As for a sports bike I’ve always felt we could have had something great from the VR1000 project. So what if Harley has no sports bike experience that didn’t stop KTM from introducing the RC8. And yes Buell has sports bikes, but there’s no reason Buell and Harley can’t offer something that will get the blood boiling. Finally Harley could expand downward into the entry level market. This would be good for getting new customers to Harley and motorcycling in general. I predict the entry level market (under 600cc) will grow rapidly in the coming years as gas prices increase and the economy worsens. Harley offered an entry level offering in the past based on Italian bikes called Ameriachi. It would be cool to see what a modern version of one of these 250cc bikes would look like today, I think it could be an interesting niche. Whatever they do they really should look outside the cruiser market, but then again they’ve been around for over 100 years, so maybe they know something about surviving.
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