Check it out.

http://street.harley-davidson.com/?source_cd=Email_110513_Street_Announcement...

Triumph needs a 500 twin!!!! Just copy the old one with a modern engine. The future of motorcycles is downsizing. With smaller engines making more HP and better mpg there's no point in riding a hog.

Serowbot wrote on 11/04/13 at 21:10:42:


I was gonna say that...  

I bleed HD black and orange. Unfortunately for me, HD went out of business in 1964. If it isn't 6v kick only, it is NOT a Harley Davidson. So, 8 years before I hatched, the Motor Company quit making the real thing.

I put about 5k on Honda vt500,.. and it was a fantastic little motor...
Nice sound,.. good pull, it would do 105mph tops, and the 6th gear was a real OD (it dropped rpm's to a purr at 80)...
The styling was very "Jap chopper", and it felt that way...  I never felt anything but geeky on it... but, it looks like Harley fixed that...(one thing Harely does pretty good, is make bikes that aren't geeky looking)...
So,.. it actually could be a darn good line of bikes...
I'm just not sure the HD crowd will accept them as real Harleys...
A 500 air-cooled single (which they already have a motor for, would have sold like hot cakes)...
The Blast motor was pretty good,... but the styling on that thing was as bad an imitation of sport bike, as 80's Jap bikes were of Harleys...

I just can't understand why I'm not the CEO of something... I'm so much smarter than most of them...
They could at least ask me first... ...
I'd hire out as a corporate consultant for a flat million per job...
...

Pass the word... ...

It is interesting that HD has gone this way, but a wise move too.  They need to get into this market for survival/market increase.
As already stated, it will be interesting to see how this compares to Honda's engines of the same size.  When I looked at them that thought came to my mind immediately.


I think Suzuki should turn the LS650 back into a standard type street bike like the 250 they have now, redo the head so it has a proper exhaust port like the old DR650, with a similar camshaft, update with FI and a good exhaust system.
It would be a good running basic motorcycle with plenty of power for general purpose riding/commuting/etc and be affordable for a lot of people.

To me the new bikes looks like a Suzuki S50 and a Yamaha Bolt mated and had a fugly child. I'll stick with the Intruder/S50 over a copy of a Jap bike made in India. And Babyhog is right, that huge radiator has to go. That radiator makes the one on my 750 Intruder look tiny.

+ 1 to most of the comments.

I wish HD well on these bikes. I am not a fan of water for waters sake, I have to assume its to rein in emissions. ( a more stable temp, gives the FI computer something to work with).  First thing I went looking for .. weight.. well that sits good with me 480 wet... not bad!

They seem to really want this bike for other markets (outside the US). So even if it fails here... it may succeed elsewhere.

On the bright side.... maybe my 883 won't be a "girls", "beginners" bike anymore...
...
Danggit'!... Do you have to ride a road barge to be a man?... (I think it's affecting my hormonal balance, lately...
...I'm getting moody)... ...
...