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Dec 01
Love0

Harley Virtually Confirms Custom 1250 On Company Website

By General Posts

by Dustin Wheelen from https://www.rideapart.com

The Harley website’s Future Models section has been a revolving door since the brand announced its ambitious plans in July 2018. Since that momentous Annual Dealer Meeting, the Motor Company intermittently teased the Pan America, Bronx, and Custom 1250, keeping customers curious as they further developed the platforms.

With Jochen Zeits taking the reins from Matt Levatich in 2020, many believed the Bar and Shield would scrap its future models and fully return to cruiser-style motorcycles. Like most speculation, half was true (Harley shelved the Bronx indefinitely) and half wasn’t (the Pan America is moving forward). Most recently, the brand added its Custom 1250 prototype back to the Future Models page, paving the way for the concept to finally become a production model.

While Harley officially labels the bike as its Future High-Performance Custom Model, most believe the custom could fill the Sportster’s slot in the company’s lineup. With the long-in-the-tooth model failing to meet Euro5 emissions standards, the MoCo isn’t able to serve a sizeable portion of its customer base. Though the Sportster’s throwback style contributes to its popularity, performance-oriented models like the Indian Scout, Yamaha Bolt, and the new Honda Rebel 1100 are pushing the segment forward.

To meet its competitors, the Custom 1250 would share the same 1250cc 60-degree Revolution Max V-twin powering the new Pan America. Whether the cruiser-styled model will also achieve the Pan America’s claimed 145 horsepower and 90 lb-ft of torque is yet to be confirmed. What looks more certain, however, is that the Sportster’s broad customization possibilities will make it to the new platform.

Of course, the website adds a caveat in fine print: All future models shown may not be available in all markets. Thanks to Harley’s new distribution deal with Hero MotoCorp, we doubt the Custom 1250 will ever see Indian shores. In all honesty, we’ll have to wait for an official Harley release to confirm that the Custom 1250 will even make it to dealer showrooms in 2021, but it’s nice to see it out of the concept waste bin for now.

Aug 25
Love0

Harley-Davidson Bronx streetfighter delayed until at least 2022

By General Posts

by Kyle Hyatt from https://www.cnet.com

Harley is delaying the Bronx to focus on its Pan America adventure touring motorcycle.

The Bronx was looking like the sportiest Harley the world had seen since Buell, but now it’s been delayed indefinitely.

Back at the EICMA motorcycle trade show last November, Harley-Davidson surprised everyone by introducing two motorcycles that were dramatically different from anything it offered at that time or previously.

These bikes were called the Pan America and the Bronx, with the former being a large-displacement adventure touring motorcycle in the vein of BMW’s R1250GS or Ducati’s Multistrada 1260 and the latter an upright naked bike meant to take on the smaller-displacement Monsters from Ducati, among others.

Both bikes looked awesome, and Harley seemed earnest in its plans to produce both for the 2020 model year, but then the pandemic happened and things took a turn for the worse. Now, according to a report published recently by Motorcycle.com, Harley won’t debut the Bronx in 2020 or 2021 at all. Does that mean it’s dead? Harley isn’t telling.

Harley-Davidson representatives have confirmed that while the Bronx won’t be happening next year, the Pan America has become the chief focus for the brand and that it’s focusing its efforts on that launch being successful. This makes sense, given how profitable the adventure bike segment has become in the last decade.

The change to the launch schedule isn’t the only thing going down in Milwaukee, though. New CEO Jochen Zeitz is pushing a new brand strategy that he’s calling the Hardwire, itself an extension of the Rewire strategy that saw several significant changes — including 700 jobs being cut — earlier this year.

“A total rewire is necessary to make Harley-Davidson a high-performance company. Building on our strong brand legacy, we are reinvigorating our core profit driving business – powered by our strongest dealers, most exciting products and careful inventory management, while focusing on the most important opportunities for future expansion,” said Zeitz, in a statement.

“We’re overhauling our operating model and our product plan and are rewiring our market structure and organization to focus on the strengths of our brand and company,” Zeitz continued. “We are now working on our new five-year strategic plan, the Hardwire, which will be grounded in enhancing the desirability of our brand and protecting the value of our iconic products.”

Rewire, hardwire, haywire — whatever. Harley-Davidson is still in a seemingly precarious position. The decision to push into other market segments seems like a smart one, particularly if it focuses on its strengths and looks for ways to improve its weaknesses.

I’m sad that we won’t be seeing the Bronx anytime soon, but hopefully, the extra time will give the folks in Milwaukee time to perfect the bike, giving it a chance to be something other than a weird American also-ran.

Aug 21
Love0

Harley-Davidson Bronx streetfighter 2021 launch possibly cancelled

By General Posts

by Abhilasha Singh from https://www.financialexpress.com

The launch of the new Harley-Davidson Bronx was delayed to next year owing to the ongoing COVID crisis, but now it seems the streetfighter may have headed to a full stop before beginning to write its story.

Harley-Davidson has had some very radical products lined up for 2021, including its very first adventure touring motorcycle and a streetfighter. The mould-breaking models were due next year but now Harley may have had a rethink on the streetfighter. Harley-Davidson Bronx had been the company website’s future models ‘Coming in 2021’ but has now been taken down. The ADV Pan-America, a ‘High Power Custom’, and other e-bicycles and electric concepts that were listed alongside still remain, but not the Bronx.

All details about the Bronx, including that on the press site have been removed. If the launch had been delayed, Harley could change the text from ‘Coming in 2021’ to ‘Coming Soon’, however, the manufacturer seems to have other plans.

According to a Motorcycle.com report, during the previous quarterly results presentation, Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz did not have a direct answer when asked about the Bronx. “I think that at this time, adventure-touring will be the focus going into next year,” Motorcycle quoted Zeitz. “Other product line related decisions, we will be revealing in real-time, so it’s not something we can or want to talk about at this time.”

The launch of the new Harley-Davidson streetfighter was expected to be delayed but now it isn’t clear whether it will be launched at all. The Bronx could have been put back on the drawing board or axed.

But we still do have the Pan America to look forward to, along with the 1250cc Custom model. Those who had been waiting for a Harley with sporty configuration may have to be disappointed. Although, the Revolution Max platform is modular and Harley is working on cafe racer and flat tracker variants. When introduced, they’d go up against Indian FTR 1200 and Triumph Thruxton.

Mar 16
Love0

Stripped Down Harley-Davidson Muscle Bike Is the Treat to Wait for in 2021

By General Posts

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com/

Despite the fact that it is probably the world’s most famous motorcycle brand, Harley-Davidson seems to be struggling to come to grips with the realities of the age. Plagued by financial problems, Harley recently lost its CEO, and more stormy weather seems to be looming ahead.

There are however plans in place for a turnaround. These plans cover everything from new models to the reinvention of the dealership network.

As far as new products are concerned, we already talked about the two new motorcycles Harley plans to launch by the end of this year. Both – the Bronx and Pan America – are built on a new middleweight platform and use new Revolution Max family of engines.

But perhaps more exciting than anything is the return of the bike maker to the custom scene, with a yet unnamed motorcycle announced for 2021.

Previewed at about the same time with the other two, the custom machine is described as one with “a muscular stance, aggressive, stripped-down styling and 1250cc of pure performance.”

Officially, that’s about it when it comes to this product fom now, but by the way it looks (see in the gallery above) and given the fact that the Pan America will use the same 1250cc Revolution Max engine with 145 hp and 90 lb-ft of torque, we expect the specs on the custom to be even more extraordinary.

All the bikes we mentioned here are part of a plan meant to reinvent the company by 2022 and increase the number of Harley customers by 1 million by 2027, for a total of 4 million in the U.S. alone.

“The bold actions we are announcing today leverage Harley-Davidson’s vast capabilities and competitive firepower – our excellence in product development and manufacturing, the global appeal of the brand and of course, our great dealer network,” said in a statement back in 2019, when the moves were announced, Matt Levatich, at the time the company’s CEO.

“Alongside our existing loyal riders, we will lead the next revolution of two-wheeled freedom to inspire future riders who have yet to even think about the thrill of riding.”

Mar 12
Love0

New from Harley-Davidson in 2020: the Bronx

By General Posts

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com

Because we chose to dedicate this month to Harley-Davidson, we’ve been keeping you up to date with all things Harley ever since the beginning of March. Most of our coverage focused though on what was and what is, and less on what’s coming from probably the world’s most famous motorcycle maker.

There are three major projects in the works in Milwaukee, and two of them will be released by the end of this year. The three are the Bronx (2020), the Pan America (2020), and the uber-exciting and yet unnamed custom model that will see daylight in 2021.

This piece here is about the Bronx, a bike built on a new middleweight platform that was shown for the first time at the EICMA show in Milan last year.

The Bronx will be Harley’s first product to be fitted with the 975cc version of the new Revolution Max family of engines. Although the official specs have not been announced, the 60-degree V-twin should develop 115 hp and around 95 Nm of torque.

The bike will most likely use a new braking solution from Brembo – one that should make its way on all Revolution Max-engined bikes, as well as dedicated Michelin tires.

There’s no official date for the release of the Bronx yet, but we should have it detailed sometime in the near future. The bike is part of an expansion plan cooked up by Harley that would see over 15 models being developed on the new middleweight platform.

This is one of the ways Harley is using as a means to meet the target it set for itself: 1 million new riders by 2027, bringing the total to 4 million in the U.S. alone.

“We’ll continue to fuel all aspects of the riding experience and add new solutions to fully develop, engage and retain riders through their journey, starting with the very first spark of interest,” said in a statement when the plan was announced in September 2019.

Nov 05
Love1

Harley-Davidson’s 2020 Bronx and Pan America EICMA debuts are big flags planted in a brave new world

By General Posts

by Kyle Hyatt from https://www.cnet.com/

The Pan America ADV and Bronx middleweight naked bikes are unlike anything Harley has done before, but they might just be what The Motor Company needs to stay relevant.

Harley’s first ADV bike, the Pan America, is set to bring that classic H-D burble to the wilder places of the world.

One of the main criticisms that we (and seemingly the rest of the motorcycle press) likes to level at Harley-Davidson is that it’s been slow to respond to the changing desires — and budgets — of a younger motorcycle-riding demographic. That criticism is still valid today, but Harley announced its response during the 2019 EICMA show, and what a response it is.

PAN AMERICA
The Motor Company debuted two bikes in Milan on Wednesday, and they’re both aimed at segments in which Harley has never really participated. The first is a large-displacement adventure touring bike called the Pan America, and it’s pretty damned similar to the Pan America concept we saw back in 2018.

The Pan America is packing a new liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin engine called the Revolution Max that displaces 1,250 cubic centimeters and is said to make 145 horsepower and more than 90 pound-feet of torque. Those are big numbers, especially for Harley, which is more accustomed to building bigger, lazier engines with less power and more torque.

The Pan America differs from traditional Harley models in several other ways, too. It ditches the brand’s almost ubiquitous belt-style final drive for a chain that allows much simpler gearing changes and ease of repair should something go awry out on the trail. It also uses a rear trellis-style subframe for strength and reduced weight, meaning it should be a snap to mount all kinds of cool adventure-y hard luggage to it.

Other changes include the use of Brembo brakes rather than H-D’s typical in-house branded stoppers, and a swap to an inverted fork setup, which is much more common on more sporting bikes and ADV bikes. (Interestingly, Indian also went the Brembos-and-inverted-fork route on its new Challenger bagger.) The Pan America also looks pretty unique from a styling standpoint, thanks to its beakless nose and squinty cyclops-like headlight. We love it.

BRONX
Perhaps an even more significant departure for the brand is the introduction of its middleweight naked bike that it’s calling the Bronx. This wee beastie is packing a smaller 975-cc version of the Pan America’s Revolution Max that’s good for 115-horsepower and 70 lb.-ft. of torque. That puts it within spitting distance of Indian’s sporting FTR 1200.

Where the Bronx trails the FTR is in the looks department. While the FTR proudly wears its flat-track racer heritage, the Bronx looks a bit more like a cookie-cutter naked bike, though that doesn’t mean it’s unattractive. Far from it. Harley’s playing its cards close to its chest when it comes to details on the Bronx, but we can deduce a few things from the press photos.

First, while drive-side photos of the bike are thin on the ground, in the one we can see, the bike appears to be belt-driven, as evidenced by the great big, gigantic cog on the rear wheel. This feels like a mistake to us, since getting locked into a single, final gear ratio is a bummer for sporty bikes, and changing out a belt-drive cog is rumored to be a real chore. If there’s an upside to belt drive in this application, it’s a lack of need for regular maintenance.

Next, we can see that the bike also has a small, round instrument display that we’re betting is a TFT thanks to all the menu navigation controls on the left handlebar pod. That would lead us to believe that this thing will pack rider-selectable throttle maps and more.

One thing we’d love to see from the Bronx is an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that would facilitate lean-sensitive antilock brakes and traction control. This is a feature that we know and love on our long-term Indian FTR and plenty of other bikes in the Bronx’s crowded market segment, and it’s already available as part of RDRS for Harley’s touring line.

Harley-Davidson says that it’s aiming to have both the Pan America and the Bronx in showrooms by the end of 2020. It’s not given any indication of where we might expect to see these models priced, but we sincerely hope that it doesn’t go the same way as the Livewire and expect its name to demand a super-premium price in a brand new segment for the brand.

Nov 05
Love0

Harley-Davidson’s® First Adventure Touring and Streetfighter Models Debut with All-New Revolution® Max Engines

By General Posts

Models Beckon a New Era of Middleweight Capability, Performance, and Attitude from Harley-Davidson

Displayed for the first time publicly at EICMA in Milan, Harley-Davidson® is showcasing two all-new middleweight motorcycles, including the release of information surrounding the latest signature Harley-Davidson® V-Twin engine – the Revolution® Max. The powerful all-new 60-degree V-Twin has been designed for a new range of Harley-Davidson motorcycles in two different guises – 1250cc in the new Harley-Davidson Pan America™ and 975cc in the Harley-Davidson® Bronx™. Harley-Davidson® first announced expansion into new segments including new middleweight offerings in its More Roads to Harley-Davidson® accelerated plan for growth in July 2018.  These exhilarating new models will both launch in late 2020 extending the iconic brand into new market segment.

Pan America™

The Harley-Davidson Pan America™ is an all-new advanced adventure touring multi-purpose motorcycle equal parts campfire, wanderlust, and grit. The Pan America™ is a two-wheel multi-tool built to endure, designed to explore, and engineered for the unknown.

Bronx™

The new Harley-Davidson® Revolution® Max powertrain is also at the heart of an all new Bronx™. This middleweight streetfighter model rolls with an unapologetic attitude and performance to match.

Powering both the new Pan America™ and Bronx models is the new liquid-cooled 975cc and 1,250cc Revolution® Max engine. Created to power a range of new Harley-Davidson® models, the Revolution® Max is designed to offer flexible performance with a broad powerband that builds to a surge of high-RPM power. Minimizing weight and maximizing performance, the Revolution® Max provides a narrow powertrain profile that is integrated into the motorcycle as a stressed member of the frame to enhance center of gravity and handling. The fully balanced powertrain has an internal counter balancer that mitigates primary engine vibration to enhance rider comfort and improve vehicle durability. Its design is bold and contoured, classic and contemporary, strong and svelte – a representation of Harley-Davidson® performance and style.

Revolution® Max 1250 Engine Performance Targets

  • Displacement 1250cc
  • More than 145 horsepower
  • More than 90 ft. lbs. peak torque

Revolution® Max 975 Engine Performance Targets

  • Displacement 975cc
  • More than 115 horsepower
  • More than 70 ft. lbs. peak torque

Revolution® Max Engine Technical Features

  • Liquid-Cooled V-Twin Architecture
  • Since 1909 the V-Twin engine has been the centerpiece for legendary Harley-Davidson® motorcycles. This lineage continues into the middleweight performance space with the Revolution® Max engine.
  • A 60-degree vee angle of the cylinders provides space for dual down draft throttle bodies that maximize air flow and increase performance.
  • Liquid cooling maintains a controlled engine temperature for consistent performance in changing environmental and riding situations.

High Performance Development Collaboration– Braking and Tire

To optimize performance of the new Pan America™ and Bronx™ models, Harley-Davidson® tapped into the expertise of world class component manufacturers to deliver bespoke solutions for braking and tire performance. For braking, Harley-Davidson® collaborated with Brembo® to create a new radial monoblock four-piston caliper that combines sharp edges with softer curves designed to create a style that complements the personality of the bike and delivers outstanding braking feel and capability. For tires, Michelin® and Harley-Davidson® have worked closely to develop co-branded tires for each motorcycle model that optimize performance, feel and grip in all conditions.