HD makes a "Sport Bike" well almost....

[bigjohnsd]

https://www.aimag.com/2016/04/harley-brings-roadster-back-2016-sportster-roadster-xl1200cx-first-look/

 

[PapaUtah]

Wow! That thing should be a rocket! They have it stripped down to 570lbs! 76lb/ft of torque! I would not want to run across that thing on a 1000cc or less bike from any other manufacturer. You will get stomped! I mean this thing is a game changer. This may put a manufacturer or two on the ropes. Not sure how anyone can compete with this kind of technology and vision coming out of The Motor Company©. A run of the mill 1200 Sporty starts at $10,899. Quoting the article, “The wheels were inspired by classic laced wheels, and are the most intricate cast wheel we’ve ever created,” said Harley-Davidson Industrial Designer Ben McGinley. “The interlacing spokes shoot outward toward opposite sides of the wheel, creating a dramatic visual effect. These wheels are also very light for their size, which contributes to the Roadster’s handling performance.” That alone is probably worth at least an additional $2G. Those wheels truly are an amazing creative and engineering feat. I don't thing anyone other than Harley-Davidson© could have pulled it off. Dual disc brakes up front. Duh! Why hasn't any other manufacturer tried that??? Once again, The Motor Company© leads the way in trying new things!!!

Thanks for finding this one bigjohnsd. I think we are looking at a podium sweep in the IBR in 2017.

 

[Pterodactyl]

Lean angles of 31 degrees. Maybe a straight line semi-rocket, but still a bar hopper.

 

[airboss]

Give me 2 seconds while I get my head around this one.

aah, Hope!

 

[FJRPittsburgh]

Probably lookin' @ the low 4's 0-60.

 

[lnewlf]

gobs of torque.....but like all Hardleys just when the fun starts it's time to shift and the ricers go by like you hit a patch of wet cement...meebee high 12's if the rider ain't to phatt...

 

[SouthernCruizer]

more overpriced, under engineered doo doo from the Motor Company. Wish I had sold my stock last year.

Oh well.

 

[danh600]

I always like the XR1200X in black from a few years ago. Not enough to buy one, but thought it was a

cool bike.

It didn't sale well and was dropped. Hopefully this one will do better.

 

[Geezer]

Something different for people who like that sort of thing. Personally, I'm still saving my pennies for a KTM.

 

[BkerChuck]

At one time Harley Davidson had a sportbike. It said Buell on the tank. They didn't know how to market a decently built performance machine and killed it off. In '05 they offered the V-Rod Streetrod with mid controls and Brembo brakes. They handled fairly well in spite of a somewhat long wheelbase. That model only lasted 2 years. Harley Davidson is much more of a marketing company than a motorcycle company. Having worked for a dealership for years I can already see what's going to happen. Salesmen will sell these to customers who really want ape hangers and forward controls so what might be a half decent vehicle will be destroyed by an ill advised buyer who took what the dealer had on the floor because they didn't want to wait for the right bike.

 

[Big Sky]

Seems like somewhat better suspension, though travel is still minimal. The rest is another H-D styling exercise. Yawn.

 

[MrZappo]

More drivel to cater to a shrinking fan base.

 

[Uncle Hud]

"Roadster stars in “Cut Loose,” the third commercial in Harley-Davidson’s ‘Live Your Legend’ global marketing campaign that shows how riding a Harley-Davidson motorcycle can enable riders to create deeper bonds and share richer experiences with friends and family."

With a 3.3 gallon tank and EPA 48 mpg, you'll only be able to Live Your Legend for 130 miles before gassing it up again.

FWIW, that's the best looking Harley I've seen in a long while.

 

[PapaUtah]

"At Harley-Davidson© we do not sell motorcycles. We sell a lifestyle and an image. The motorcycle is secondary in the transaction." -- Jeffrey Bluenstein, CEO of The Motor Company©

That was Jeffrey's answer on an earnings conference call in the early 2000's reacting to an analyst's question on new products to spur future sales. One of the most truthful answers I have ever heard uttered by a large company executive.

 

[Fred W]

But sadly, he says that as if it was a positive thing.

 

[Uncle Hud]

He is hired to operate a bidness, and is obligated to the shareholders to make a profit. To him, selling lifestyle and image IS a positive thing, and you cannot deny that H-D does their thing quite well.

 

[MrZappo]

He is hired to operate a bidness, and is obligated to the shareholders to make a profit. To him, selling lifestyle and image IS a positive thing, and you cannot deny that H-D does their thing quite well.

By all means ... These guys (minus willie davidson) are marketing geniuses .. Like many of the companies that make the most money, they do it by "convincing" a large group of people that they must have their product ... It is seldom the best product that sells the most ...

But I must say that HD has made it into an art form ..

Gives new meaning to the phrase "You're shittin' on my head and callin' it a sundae" ...

 

[Fred W]

I disagree 1000%!!! (don't you just hate people that use values greater than 100%)

To a potential buyer, learning that the company that manufactures the motorcycle that they are considering buying holds the value of that motorcycle design as somehow being secondary to the contrived image of the "lifestyle" (which is totally free) that they are attempting to project around that brand would be a total deal breaker.

No... make that IS a total deal breaker.

 

[wheatonFJR]

I disagree 1000%!!! (don't you just hate people that use values greater than 100%)
To a potential buyer, learning that the company that manufactures the motorcycle that they are considering buying holds the value of that motorcycle design as somehow being secondary to the contrived image of the "lifestyle" (which is totally free) that they are attempting to project around that brand would be a total deal breaker.

No... make that IS a total deal breaker.

You are not in their target audience, so they don't fooking give a **** about you Fred.( Or me) They sell lifestyle to people where lifestyle is important.