New Harley Davidson models for 2020
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No, it's not.
Cocked & Locked
Fight until you prevail or bleed out
2A Bourbon Hound 2024
2A Bourbon Hound OG
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All those new model pictured look like crap to me.
I like revolvers too...
HD engines should look similar to this.
I like revolvers too...
HD engines should look similar to this.
Those appear to me to have the VROD engine. The dropped the vrod from the line up but the streets use a smaller revolution engine from the vrod. Bikes that look like that would be a lot better off with the performance of the revolution instead of the Milwaukee 8 in the touring and softail lineup. Makes me wonder what will happen to the sportster. Right now they have the M8 in touring and softail frames, the revolution in the street model bikes and evos in sportsters. If they put revolution in another frame the why keep the sportster around.
I should have said without hard luggage, full fairing, etc. And my idea of a long trip is 700 to 1000 mile days for a couple of weeks. To me, that kind of riding isn't much fun on a naked bike. I don't like picking bugs out of my teeth. YVMV.
OP
Ive done longer trips on an several electra glides and several buells
The EGs with the fairing and big hardbags were wonderful. As was the cruise control.
That said, my soft bags on the Buells worked well too. Just hard as heck to figure out where to put everything (it: clothing + sleeping bag + tent etc)
The EGs with the fairing and big hardbags were wonderful. As was the cruise control.
That said, my soft bags on the Buells worked well too. Just hard as heck to figure out where to put everything (it: clothing + sleeping bag + tent etc)
RaceRedGT
Well-Known Member
If i ever get another one its gonna be a klr. Schweet bike
Harley has ridden the wave as long as it could, truth is that their customers are dying off.. This is the last ditch scramble for additional market share they should have thought of 20 years ago. The motorcycle buyer market is fickle and brand loyality is important. It going to be hard to sell these new bikes when everyone knows that Harley means slow, no brakes and wont turn and expensive.Now me personally, Ive been riding for over 40 years. I did my HD time back when I pretended to be what I wasn't and before it was cool to do so. I might be interested in the street fighter if it can be possibly compare to the jap or European bikes price wise for the performance. But It wont be for the name or the HD boutique that typical HD dealerships have turned into. If this new re vamp of Harley where to survive until 2020, they are going to have to try real hard to convince me and many, many others that they are not the old Harley Davidson company.
Lots of the "other" motorcycle manufacturerers make things other than bikes. Cars, mowers, outboard motors , jet skis, musical instruments, heavy equipment are just some of the things they make. They can survive a big downturn in the bike market. Harley, on the other hand, has all their eggs in one basket.
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Never rode an electric bike but I'd give it a whirl... the "custom" looks cool but it'll be $18k.
Harley has to do something because all the purists are dying (quite frankly). They can't become a boutique builder because there are already too many that would eat their lunch.
To top it off they're getting unexpected competition from Japanese companies (like the Honda Fury). Just my 2 cents-
Harley has to do something because all the purists are dying (quite frankly). They can't become a boutique builder because there are already too many that would eat their lunch.
To top it off they're getting unexpected competition from Japanese companies (like the Honda Fury). Just my 2 cents-
OP
I dont see how any of these watercooled bikes would be 68 hp
The Street 750 is at 60 hp and this will be 500cc larger, so almost double.
I bet youre right in the range of 120
OP
1125R - 146hp
But we're talking HD, I can see them pulling a few HP out of it.
Hell,they had the Buell "Thunderstorm" heads on their shelves for YEARS before they put them on the sportsters and gained a dozen hp or so
But, Harley could make a competitive bike to those bikes. Start copying way works for the other manufacturers and in 10 or 15 years they could catch up in technology, at least catch up to where they Japanese, Germans, Italians and British are at now.... It might not sound good, but it's better than the 50 year gap that exists now.
It's NOT big bike that increases the premiums... Remember a 600 class supersport is far less than 1/3 the displacement of a current Harley touring bike is putting out 50% more hp. (About 80hp for Harley, around 129 for, say a Kawasaki 636)
(Remember, I'm talking SuperSport bikes, not a simple sport bike, there's a night and day difference between say a ninja 636 and a ninja 650. The 636 is TREMENDOUSLY more powerful in every respect from acceleration to top speed to brakes so good that you can lock them up (if you don't have traction control) with your pinky finger.
The difference in rates comes down to that most (I'm not trying to put everyone in the same bucket) people buying a supersport, whether 600cc or litre class, are young squiddy fools who are out riding their machines near (and beyond, hence the high insurance rates) the edge of what physics allows, and what the law allows. Therefore they crash FAR more often than a typical 50 year old Harley rider who's putting along at the speed limit or 5 mph under, so everyone he passes can oogle and awe at his shiny machine.
I'm not saying either one is a better rider than the other, just that they are different.
The insurance companies have little data to judge the really young riders of Harley's or the older riders of the supersport bikes, so the older, responsible riders with no accidents, ever, and no tickets in the last 20-30 years will pay out nearly $1200/yr for full coverage on a supersport, and yet a 20 year old with a poor record can insure their Harley for a fraction of that.
Bikes that fall far closer to the supersport realm in all of the handling and power respects, but with a typically older ownership audience, have insurance rates down around the Harley group. (Examples would be BMW R1200RT, R1200GS, K bikes.) Owners of these bikes tend to, as a group, be FAR more responsible riders than the average supersport rider, while at the same time logging FAR more miles than the Harley riding group which puts them at a slight increase in premiums, compared to the Harley/cruiser group, due to increased risk from increased riding time and miles, not to mention riding through types of terrain and weather not often braved by the cruiser owner. (again, I'm talking about these generalized riders as a group, I'm not saying all BMW riders do 20,000+ miles a year, nor am I saying they're aren't Harley riders that do that also).
From what I understand, your pretty much right.. They base their ins rate on their losses for that certain motorcycle. That bike might get crashed more or get stolen thus their premium. Then they take in account age of the rider and experience, then locale or area where you live. Then is it garaged or stays outside where it can be stolen. The cost of the bike for replacement cost and lastly, your credit rating. Your credit rating can make big difference in your premium because it reflects responsibility. Good post bkfist…… Its the same thing with cars or trucks,, they base their premiums on their losses. Insurance company's are not in the business to loose money.
OP
When I was quoted there hadnt been any 1125R bikes crashed or stolen yet...they werent even out on the market yet.
I get the sportbike v cruiser thing totally, and how often a certain bike is involved in a claim. But 500+ a month for insurance is nuts.
I was 25 or 26 and had been riding on the street (after taking MSF course) since 16.
I get the sportbike v cruiser thing totally, and how often a certain bike is involved in a claim. But 500+ a month for insurance is nuts.
I was 25 or 26 and had been riding on the street (after taking MSF course) since 16.
Most of you are not old enough to remember, but HD had an Enduro model in the early '70s. I bought a new one before I was 16. It was an Italian built POS joint venture trying to get into the dirt bike market. I had the 250 model and the 125. Bought every one that I could find just to get parts. It was kinda like the Buell with no thoughts given to a dealer network or even parts sales. And I still ride a shovelhead.
Internet grab photo:
OP
Aermacchi bikes were discussed in another thread recently.
I'd love to have one, but you just cant get parts for them at this point. Even with ebay/internet, the parts supply is very shallow, hard to find things.
Most that do have them have several just like you mentioned - for spares.
I'd love to have one, but you just cant get parts for them at this point. Even with ebay/internet, the parts supply is very shallow, hard to find things.
Most that do have them have several just like you mentioned - for spares.
I'm a big fan of the Adventure Touring class of bikes, and ride a KTM 990Adv. As much as I like them, I think all the Adv bikes are ugly; but this Harley sets a new standard of fugly. Good lordy.
The Streetfighter looks great, though, the the electric bike looks pretty good for an electric bike.
I don't get the Classic. Flat-tracker-inspired styling with forward controls doesn't make sense to me.
The Streetfighter looks great, though, the the electric bike looks pretty good for an electric bike.
I don't get the Classic. Flat-tracker-inspired styling with forward controls doesn't make sense to me.
Just wanted to point out a new Harley has two or three times the tourqe of a Hayabusa. I put over 20k on my harley per year. I rode it from Asheboro to Charlotte everyday for work. Then again to Winston Salem and back to Asheboro plus what I did for fun.
People say Harley's are slow but run 1/4 mile times as fast as a mustang GT. It's slow for a bike but not slow. They are heavier than a plastic bike so yep they stop slower.
When I ride the Harley I know what I'm on just like the 62 falcon I had with drum brakes and a very weak inline six cyclinder (170 CI) and a 3 speed auto with first gear so low it would start out in second gear. It didn't stop great and it didn't go great but man everyone loved it. Harley's are the same way except much faster than the falcon.
They should have kept making the XR750. That's one of the coolest bikes ever made.
The made the XR 1200 a modern example with a cammed up 1200 Sportster engine in it.
I hope not I'm only 33
ES44AC
Happy to be here
If HD doesn't change it over for sure. Innovate or die, but its looking painful with these first new bikes.
I would imagine that the dealer network will have to be trimmed in the next few years for sure.
The Adventure market is the only growing market right now ,so I see why they are looking at this.
I would imagine that the dealer network will have to be trimmed in the next few years for sure.
The Adventure market is the only growing market right now ,so I see why they are looking at this.
Seriously? Put down the beer or what ever other form of mind altering substance you are consuming and look at reality!
Hyabusa Torque: out of 1340cc engine
102.3 lb⋅ft claimed
97.8 lb⋅ft measured @ rear wheel dyno
hp:
197 hp claimed
172.2 measured@ rear wheel dyno
HD Milwaukee 8:
Torque : out of 1746cc
108 lb ft claimed
101 @rear wheel Dyno
hp:
Claimed: Too embarrassed to release official number.
Dyno @rear wheel 77.3 hp
And, the hyabusa isn't even a great example of a maximum output engine from this decade, but it's the one you claim the Harley has 2-3X the torque of!
Puhleeeeease!
Stop quoting the wishes/dreams of what you hear your friends tell you.
I've ridden Harley's, old and new-including an M8 with stage 2 (horribly disappointed) and Indians and Hondas, BMW, Suzuki, Kawasaki, Yamaha, Buell... (have yet to get a test ride on a Motoguzzi, Triumph (really want to), and some of the other minor players, but I do ride, I do compare, and I do keep an open mind when it comes to the engines, even when the form factor (ie: cruiser) is something so diametrically opposed to my riding preferences that I'd rather walk than own one... That doesn't mean I don't ride them occasionally and compare.
When's the last time you took a ride on a Hyabusa and opened the throttle wide open in 1st, 2nd, 3rd 4th gear?
I can pretty much gurantee that ANYONE who's said "but my XYZ bike has more torque, and all that matters is torque, or torque is more important..." is delusional, an outright liar/apologist, or has never either ridden, or ridden but never opened the throttle wide open to redline on a 200hp bike. If they had, then they would never make such a silly claim.
Same with braking... Braking is important, and just because a bike is heavy doesn't it can't have GREAT brakes... The only reason it can't have great brakes is poor design or cost-cutting. Get on a loaded BMW or Honda touring bike and tell me that having a lot of weight means the brakes will be marginal! Pluheeeese!
Either the Harley engineers are incompetent, or their greed doesn't allow them to put the same decent brakes on their bikes that other premium manufacturers put in their heavy and/or performance bikes.
So, which is it? Is Harley screwing it's customers by selling sub standard engineering in it's products or is it screwing their customer base because of sub standard manufacturing practices and potentially life threatening cost cutting on the most expensive (mass) production bikes around? (Not comparing prices to some of the small esoteric makers here )
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Ok so I might have been wrong. That's what they said at Harley in Charlotte.
How do you know I have friends, and I'll drink this beer, smoke this shit anytime I want too. I didn't bother reading the whole post cause I can just tell I don't like you already.
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Glad you didn't take that wrong! ;-)
No, actually the ABS brakes are quite decent. At least in the SGS I rode last year, however the non-abs brakes are still very sub-par. Although, not as bad as my 1976 BMW R75/6's front disc brake, but we're talking 43 years ago. (BMW's first foray into disc brakes, and horribly lacking, to say the least, although the rear drums are great.)