Harley Finally Makes a Smart Move
While I think Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycle plan for the future might pay off a decade or so down the road, I think the company has made some poor decisions for the last decade or so. Recently, it’s been doing some questionable things. Now, it’s made the right move. According to RideApart, the company will put out a motorcycle in Asian markets under 500cc.
As you might know, small displacement motorcycles in Asian markets are huge. Harley-Davidson wants a piece of that pie, but it needs a small displacement bike to do it. The company will start selling its Street 750 in India, but it will also put out a motorcycle with an engine smaller than 500cc. Because the Street 750 is rolling out, many assume the smaller displacement bike will feature a similar layout and about a $4,000 price tag.
This is a smart move by Harley. The company needs to have a motorcycle suited for the market. However, I wonder if it’s too late. This seems like something Harley should have done five years ago. The company is behind the curve yet again. Recently I reported on the fact that India might make any motorcycle under 150cc displacement go electric by 2025. I would assume that will only expand over time. That would mean, Harley could run into an issue a few years down the road.
Still, that would give them some time to sell a boatload of motorcycles if they marketed the product right and had something people actually wanted to buy. It will be interesting to see how this goes. I honestly hope they bring the smaller displacement motorcycle Stateside. I’ve always wanted to buy a new Harley, and even though the purists would spit in a furious rage about how it’s not a true Harley, I wouldn’t care. I’d ride off into the sunset on my $4,000 Harley-Davidson.
No Comment