New 500cc Harley-Davidson?

[brimic]

http://daily.bhaskar.com/article/HW-india-will-soon-get-a-low-cost-500cc-harley-davidson-bike-4369967-NOR.html

The article doesn't say if the bikes will be imported into the US, as I don't think that information has been released yet.
My wife has been working on this project to get these new bikes into production for almost a year now.

[lee n. field]

Waiting for the article to load -- a clone of the old single cylinder Harley?


looks like not

The bike isa expected to be powered by the V-Twin engine as in most of the Harley Davidson motorbikes, and will get 40 bhp of power and 45 Nm of torque. It will be light weight, will sport a low seat height and supple throttle and braking he informed.

 What is "supple breaking"?  I'm not sure that would be a good thing.

[Sergeant Bob]

So much for "made in America" motorcycles.

[AZRedhawk44]

Harley hasn't been American made for a long time.

This won't come to the US.

The "lakh" mentioned in the article is a unit of 100,000, so the bike will sell for 300,000 to 400,000 rupees.  That's about 4700 to 6300 dollars.

[AZRedhawk44]

I also have a hard time accepting that Harley knows how to make a 500cc engine that puts out 40bhp, since the 883cc engine only puts out about 53bhp.  If they have such an engine, then they are probably going to introduce larger versions of it and update the power available in their American market bikes after testing overseas on smaller products.

[brimic]

http://www.autoevolution.com/news/harley-davidson-is-this-your-500cc-bike-66339.html
http://rideapart.com/2013/09/2014-harley-davidson-500-photos/
If this is the real thing in one of the above pics, it looks more like a mini v-rod than a sportster. The cylinder bank angles look similar to a v-rod, and no pushrod tubes. If the twin has an overhead cam arrangement with 4 valves/cyl, it could very well make 40 hp.

[drewtam]

I also have a hard time accepting that Harley knows how to make a 500cc engine that puts out 40bhp, since the 883cc engine only puts out about 53bhp.  If they have such an engine, then they are probably going to introduce larger versions of it and update the power available in their American market bikes after testing overseas on smaller products.

883cc and 53hp???

Wow that is awful (for a gasoline engine). For an 1800rpm rated heavy duty diesel, its about right.

[AZRedhawk44]

883cc and 53hp???

Wow that is awful.

Yeah, HD V-twins (and cruisers in general) are pretty poorly engineered.

I'm eagerly awaiting when I can get out of my 750cc/45hp Honda Shadow and onto an 800cc/100hp Triumph Tiger.

This whole "low" thing in motorcycles needs to get stomped on the head, too.  Low = less maneuverable.  Yeah, I've seen the motocop owning the training range video on youtube.  Exceptions exist, but that same rider on a bike that DIDN'T have floorboards 4" off the ground would be even more nimble. 

[White Horseradish]

They are engineered just fine, for 1950's. Thing is, Harley isn't so much a motorcycle company as a nostalgia and lifestyle company. I've read that they make something like 80% of their revenue off merchandise and licensing rather than actual bikes and parts.

I didn't pay much attention to this until a little while ago I came across an ad on Craigslist where the seller was talking up a highly modified, super-duper-souped-up Harley megachopper that was putting out a whopping 93 horsepower. This thing was in the high $20K range. And here I am, with my 30-year old Yamaha making 130 from the factory...

[brimic]

There isn't much engineering involved.
The sportster has only gone through 3-4 major changes in the nearly 60 years its been in production.
 People may sneer at it, but if they can sell every single copy they make year in and year out without much expense on R&D for nearly 60 years, why fix what's not broken?
FWIW, Honda makes a very close facsimile of the bike and that sells well too.
HP? *shrug* For about $2000, you can bore the jugs out, add a set of Buell XB heads, put a better exhaust on it and make 100 hp, if that's your thing.

[RoadKingLarry]

An abomination unto the eyes of $deity.



Actually, not a bad looking little bike, I suspect they would sell in the US IF they were made built assembled here from at least close to the same percentage of US made parts as the big bikes.

[Gewehr98]

My old Shovelhead Harley has a very poor power-to-displacement ratio.

The power-to-weight ratio is certainly worse.

Ask me if I care.  

[Balog]

People may sneer at it, but if they can sell every single copy they make year in and year out without much expense on R&D for nearly 60 years, why fix what's not broken?

Because Harley has received, what, $3 billion or so in .gov bailouts over the years?

[Gewehr98]

Balog, you just summarized the recurring American automotive industry mantra - lather, rinse, repeat.   

[Balog]

Balog, you just summarized the recurring American automotive industry mantra - lather, rinse, repeat.   

Which is why I own a Toyota. 

[brimic]

Which is why I own a Toyota.

Which I guarantee took 'stimulus' in the form of loans, not to mention the taxpayer subsidized hybrids.

[AZRedhawk44]

Which I guarantee took 'stimulus' in the form of loans, not to mention the taxpayer subsidized hybrids.

As well as having completely brand new manufacturing facilities bought and paid for by SCAP (US tax base) in the 1940's and 1950's, while American competition had whatever they could merit from the value of their goods.

All those keireistsu/zaibatsu industrial concerns got completely rebuilt from scratch.

[Balog]

Which I guarantee took 'stimulus' in the form of loans, not to mention the taxpayer subsidized hybrids.

What loans? Prove your guarantee please.

As well as having completely brand new manufacturing facilities bought and paid for by SCAP (US tax base) in the 1940's and 1950's, while American competition had whatever they could merit from the value of their goods.

All those keireistsu/zaibatsu industrial concerns got completely rebuilt from scratch.

Yeah, cause the rebuilding efforts post-WWII are exactly the same as the auto industry bailouts. 

[charby]

Which I guarantee took 'stimulus' in the form of loans, not to mention the taxpayer subsidized hybrids.

or a property tax holiday to build a plant at Xyzville, USA.

[Balog]

or a property tax holiday to build a plant at Xyzville, USA.

Given that XYZville would easily recoup that in both later property taxes as well as the income/sales tax from the folks employed at the plant, I find it hard to view that with anything other than happiness. Also, have we really reached a point where "Not going to take your money" and "Going to take someone else's money and give it to you" are viewed as the same?

[White Horseradish]

Because Harley has received, what, $3 billion or so in .gov bailouts over the years?

AND the protective import tariff.

If I were to buy an American bike now, I'd probably get a Victory. However, I can afford neither Harley nor Victory, and so the point is moot.

[brimic]

http://www.bloomberg.com/data-visualization/federal-reserve-emergency-lending/#/Toyota_Motor_Corp/?total=true&mcp=true&mc=true&taf=false&cpff=false&pdcf=false&tslf=false&stomo=false&amlf=false&dw=false/

Jeebus, can't there be a thread about H-D motorcycles without the typical douchebaggery?

[drewtam]

@Brimic, agreed. Commence operation "Redirection"

Repeat, "Redirection" is a Go!

[bedlamite]

Jeebus, can't there be a thread about H-D motorcycles without the typical douchebaggery?

So Harleys with douchbaggery is typical huh?

[Larry Ashcraft]

My old Shovelhead Harley has a very poor power-to-displacement ratio.

The power-to-weight ratio is certainly worse.

Ask me if I care.

Exactly.  I had my share of Hondas back in the 80s.  Reliable, fast and nimble.  Now I ride a 1999 HD Heritage Softail and wouldn't trade it for three Hondas.

Question:  if Harleys are so bad, why does everybody clone them?