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Street 750

Oct 23
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Tiny Triumph Motorcycle Range in Prototype – targets 200 to 750cc engine market segment

By General Posts

by Todd Halterman from https://www.autoevolution.com

Tiny Triumphs and EV Motorcycle Range in Prototype Now With Indian Firm Bajaj

Triumph is now teasing the development of a series of smaller displacement motorcycles that the company plans to build with Indian manufacturing giants Bajaj.

As far back as early 2020, Triumph announced that it reached an agreement with Bajaj – one of the largest motorcycle firms in the world – to develop and build an all-new range of so-called ‘baby’ Triumphs that would fill in the 200 – 750cc engine displacement category.

While the plan called for the companies to roll out the first models in the collaboration in 2022, the project has been pushed back as a consequence of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now that the pandemic crisis seems to be loosening its grip, both parties say they’re back on track to develop the bikes.

Triumph Head of Brand Management Miles Perkins says prototypes have already been created and plans are back in the offing.

“That’s going great guns, I have seen the development motorcycles – and the prototype for those – it’s all on track,” Perkins says. “We haven’t yet confirmed exactly what the bikes are and exactly when we will launch them but the news is forthcoming soon.”

And fear not, though Triumph hasn’t confirmed exactly which the partnership will create models, it has said the resulting bikes will be sold globally rather be sold only in Asian markets more conducive to sales of cheaper, small capacity motorcycles.

According to Perkins, Triumph found the ideal partner in Bajaj. He says the company’s large market share in India and experience working with KTM and Kawasaki were key to the deal.

“The relationship with Bajaj and conversations I have had with the team over there and the engineering team working with them are very like-minded and passionate individuals, and their focus and commitment are outstanding. They have similar leadership family principles and values,” Perkins says. “The working relationship is strong, the design development is completely Triumph, these are Triumphs and the partnership is building it and selling them around the world. What Bajaj brings is phenomenal in terms of the ability to develop quality in this volume, especially in the lower capacity range.”

Perkins also says the Triumph TE-1 EV prototype has been built and is ready for testing. It represents an electric sports bike model developed in partnership with Williams Advanced Engineering, and Perkins calls it “a blueprint for a future EV Triumph.”

Power for the TE-1 comes from an electric motor that delivers 174 horsepower at peak and 107 horses of continuous power. Triumph chose not to publish additional specifications, but Motorcycle News learned the bike weighs 485 pounds and offers up to 120 miles of range. Quick-charging technology zaps the battery pack with an 80% charge in about 20 minutes. Triumph stressed it aimed to give riders the performance of an internal-combustion-powered bike in an electric package, but what you see isn’t necessarily what will land in showrooms.

Triumph will begin testing the TE-1 prototype in the coming months, but it told Motorcycle News that it still needs to clear the cost hurdle before approving the production model. When it will do that is up in the air.

Triumph calls the TE-1 EV a prototype platform development and not an actual motorcycle available for sale, it’s a project which the company is using for “learning and developing the team’s experience but also developing the partnership of technology with several partners for a full-on electric Triumph platform that will follow in years to come.”

Nov 02
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Harley’s ride with Hero may leave its dealers in the lurch

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by Lijee Philip from https://auto.economictimes.indiatimes.com

Dealers point to the mid-sized bike Street, which accounted for 70-90% of sales in upcountry and metro markets and has been out of production for more than a month.

Harley-Davidson, which exited India in September, may have firmed up a manufacturing and distribution agreement with Hero MotoCorp, but the fate of its 33 dealerships spread across metros and smaller towns remains unclear.

Dealers point to the mid-sized bike Street, which accounted for 70-90% of sales in upcountry and metro markets and has been out of production for more than a month.

A section of Harley-Davidson dealers said continuing with many recently opened showrooms may not be viable, especially in smaller towns and in metros including the National Capital Region and Bengaluru, which have several such outlets.

“We would sell at least 20-25 motorcycles a month. Now, it is down to single digits. With no sight of Street coming back and the launch of a mid-size motorcycle from the Hero-Harley combine at least a couple of years away, dealerships feel they need to be compensated for the investments made or margins increased to sustain operations,” one of the oldest Harley-Davidson dealers said on condition of anonymity.

“As stated in our earlier announcement, Hero MotoCorp will sell and service Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and sell parts and accessories and general merchandise riding gear and apparel through a network of brand-exclusive Harley-Davidson dealers network in India,” a Hero MotoCorp spokesperson said in an email. “We don’t want to comment on anything further at this stage, as all specific details with regard to the transition process will be worked out in due course of time.”

“We will get back as soon as we hear from the global team,” Harley-Davidson said.

Dealers, still awaiting clarity from Harley-Davidson or Hero MotoCorp on the next steps, estimate the network will be scaled down by more than half to 13-15 dealerships from the current 33.

“We have no idea who ceases to be a dealer or who continues,” said Rishi Aggarwal, a Harley-Davidson dealer for New Delhi, Ludhiana and Chandigarh. “In 2013, when the company was more dependent on CBUs, there were 9-10 dealerships and now we seem to be getting back to those levels.”

“With sales reduced to single digits, the viability of upcountry showrooms is an issue,” said Adarsh Tulshan, a Harley-Davidson dealer for Kolkata and Ranchi, adding a call needed to be taken for smaller markets like Ranchi.

Many dealers had expanded and refurbished their showrooms as Harley-Davidson had firmed up plans to increase volumes for the Street and newer mid-sized motorcycles.

“When we signed the letter of intent, we were given no clarity on the expiry date. We invested for the long term and many of us refurbished our dealerships earlier this year,” said another metro dealer on condition of anonymity.

An official communication from Harley-Davidson is expected this week and it will give a clearer picture on the compensation or increased margins for dealers.

Harley-Davidson announced its tie-up with Hero MotoCorp last month. Other similar partnerships include BMW-TVS and Bajaj-KTM.

Sep 07
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Harley-Davidson Street 750 Rajputana Is How Low-Price Custom Cool Looks Like

By General Posts

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

The Street motorcycle is the cheapest two-wheeler in the Harley portfolio, and it represents for most riders the entry point into the realm of the world’s most famous bike maker. As such, the range has been a sales leader in developing markets such as India ever since its introduction.

The Street 750 came to the world in 2014 as the bike maker’s first new model in more than a decade. It quickly grew to become exactly what was needed to tackle the need to expand in emerging markets. And selling lots of Streets meant that soon there were countless garages taking their own shot at the line.

The one in the gallery above was considered six years ago “the first officially sanctioned Street custom from an independent builder.” It’s a significantly modified 750 handled by an Indian garage called Rajputana Customs.

The shop specializes now in reimagining several bike makes, but have a soft spot for the Royal Enfield brand. Yet they seem quite apt at giving a new direction to Harley bikes as well.

It took the garage four weeks to put this thing together, and quite a lot of work went into it. Rajputana went for a more road-friendly approach by replacing the original forks with Suzuki GSX-R forks that are 25 percent stiffer, the dual shocks have been pulled out and a monoshock was fitted, the subframe replaced with a new one, and finally the belt drive was scrapped in favor of a chain.

Visually, the bike looks much more massive than the stock 750. That is owed to the fat tires and the swept down handlebars. The fuel tank is no longer were it used to be, as it was raised at the rear, and the fuel cap moved from the right to the left side.

We are not being told how much the conversion cost, or what happened to the bike after it was completed. Rajputana’s website no longer lists this Street 750 as one of their products, but does list another version of it called Makku V2.0.

Jun 16
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2016 Harley-Davidson Street 750 Indie Is a Custom Cafe Racer Played by Ear

By General Posts

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

A lot of auto and moto shows have been canceled or postponed this year because of the health crisis, and that robbed us, at least momentarily, of the chance of seeing in the flesh some incredible machines. Like this custom 2016 Harley-Davidson Street 750 its builder calls Indie.

The bike was supposed to be shown at one of those many postponed events, but is now a star of a Harley-Davidson initiative called The No Show that aims to bring some of the custom bikes we missed in the flesh this year into the spotlight, via Internet of course.

The build we have in the gallery above and the video below started life as a 2016 750. That means it is part of the Street series, the one that when it was announced back in 2013 ended more than a decade of drought when it came to new models made in Milwaukee.

The Indie is an evolution of the 750 in that it was supposed to be lighter and better in handling than it’s stock counterpart. The bike’s maker, Dan Torres, is the owner of a “small garage shop called Milwaukee Moto,” and even if there was no actual design plan for this customized motorcycle, he must have known what he was doing.

The modifications made to the bike included the replacement of the front end with a Yamaha R1-based hardware, a new Honda CB200T fuel tank on top, and the placement of an external fuel pump right under the seat hump.

The paint scheme is custom as well, and dresses the Indie – named so after Indianapolis, from where the original 750 was purchased – in a cool combination of black and yellow.

The 2016 Harley-Davidson Street 750 Indie is part of a long list of custom Harley’s to be show over the course of this week. Stay tuned for more as part of our Two-Wheeler Month coverage.

 

Mar 12
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2019 Screamin’ Eagle Drag Team and H-D Factory Flat Track Team

By General Posts

2019 Screamin’ Eagle / Vance & Hines Drag Team and H-D Factory Flat Track Team Season Previews

Harley-Davidson is excited to share a preview of the 2019 NHRA Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Drag Team and Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team seasons.

2019 NHRA Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines Drag Team

The Harley-Davidson® Screamin’ Eagle®/Vance & Hines drag racing team opens its 17th season of NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle competition at the 50th Amalie Motor Oil NHRA Gatornationals, March 14-17 in Gainesville, Fla.

The team will begin pursuit of a 10th Pro Stock Motorcycle championship with a three-rider squad, as Angelle Sampey joins Andrew Hines and Ed Krawiec on Harley-Davidson® Street Rod™ competition motorcycles. The trio of veteran riders have won a combined 12 NHRA Pro Stock Motorcycle titles.

“We will be bringing a formidable team to the track at Gainesville,” said Vance & Hines Motorsports owner Terry Vance. “Three former champions with all the savvy and experience it takes to reach the pinnacle of our sport, backed by a strong team in the pits and Harley-Davidson V-Twin power. We are racing in a very competitive class but we expect to be one of the teams to beat for the championship this season.”

The Harley-Davidson Screamin’ Eagle/Vance & Hines team races competition drag bikes are inspired by the Harley-Davidson Street Rod production motorcycle, an agile middle-weight powered by the liquid-cooled High Output Revolution X 750 engine.

The Gatornationals is the first of 16 Pro Stock Motorcycle events on the 2019 NHRA Mello Yellow Drag Racing Series schedule. After the first 10 events, the points are re-set for the top-10 riders that then qualify for the Countdown to the Championship playoffs (the final six races), with the season ending in November at the Auto Club NHRA Finals in Pomona, Calif.

2019 Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Team

The Harley-Davidson® Factory Flat Track Racing Team is preparing to open the 2019 American Flat Track (AFT) Twins season on March 14 at the Daytona TT at Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Fla. Factory Team riders Sammy Halbert and Jarod Vanderkooi will contest the 18-race AFT series aboard Harley-Davidson® XG750R competition motorcycles prepared by Factory Team partner Vance & Hines Motorsports.

The team will field an all-new XG750R flat tracker for 2019, according to Vance, with a new chassis and a revised liquid-cooled, fuel-injected and race-tuned 750cc Harley-Davidson® Revolution X™ V-Twin based on the production engine originally designed for the Harley-Davidson Street 750 motorcycle.

The Daytona TT will provide an interesting test for the Harley Factory Team and other AFT competitors. A new 0.6-mile course will for the first time utilize the paved front straight of the historic Daytona International Speedway tri-oval, requiring racers to transition from dirt to pavement to dirt on each lap while negotiating left- and right-hand turns and a jump on the dirt section laid out on the infield of the speedway.

Flat track is the most-historic form of American motorcycle racing and Harley-Davidson has been part of the sport since the heyday of the Harley “Wrecking Crew” teams of the 1920s. In 2019 the Harley-Davidson Factory Flat Track Racing Team will compete on a diverse 18-event AFT Twins schedule that includes six miles, five half-miles, three short tracks and four TT courses. After a one-year hiatus So-Cal Half Mile at Perris Auto Speedway in Perris, Calif., (May 11) returns to the schedule.