Harley-Davidson announces Street 500 and 750

Harley-Davidson announces Street 500 and 750

Undoubtedly, the star attraction at EICMA, atleast for motorcyclists this side of the world, was the announcement of the to-be-made-in-India Harley-Davidson Street 500 and 750 motorcycles. Whether or not you buy into the ‘lifestyle’, the idea of a locally produced H-D with a global — as opposed to a route-66 focus — is worthy of note.

And we weren’t disappointed. The Street line of motorcycles represents what is H-D’s first new platform in 13 years. Sure, we’re hearing all the right old buzzwords: ‘heritage’, ‘steel’, ‘muscle’ and so on, but what we have here is a genuinely new-ish article. The frame’s new, the ergonomics are far less ridiculous than others in the H-D lineup. The design inspiration, in fact, is said to come from the ’70s XLCR, which by itself was H-D’s answer to the European Cafe Racer craze. So far so good. The Street 500 and 750 look like handsome, usable motorcycles in the urban settings they’re being pitched to.

Of particular note is the engine configuration Harley has gone with for the new Streets. The liquid-cooled 60 degree V-twin “Revolution X” mill has more in common with the Porsche-designed V-Rod engine than anything else in the lineup. Harley is at pains to point out that the engine still has the traditional Harley sound, despite the water jacket. The new engine poses a unique problem for the lower-end of the air-cooled lineup. Better thermal management and updated design should allow the 750cc variant of the engine to easily outshine the 883cc air-cooled mills that do duty in the Superlow, Iron 883 and the like. At the competitive prices Harley is expected to announce, some cannibalisation at the low-end of the air-cooled line is inevitable.Which brings us to the heart of the matter — pricing. Harley has proven itself as the most competitive of the big bike makers in India, with a very aggressive product roll-out, a wide range of price points and a particularly aggressive low-end. At Rs 5,91,000, the Superlow represents a compelling choice for those making tentative steps into the big bike world. At that price, the competition is Hyosung, Kawasaki and Harley themselves. It doesn’t take a mental stretch to see the draw. With an expected Rs 4,00,000 to Rs 4,50,000 price for the 500 and 750 variants, Harley’s Street lineup should slot in nicely below the current low-end, and effectively whisk the carpet from under Hyosung’s feet, at least as far as their cruisers go.

Pipping Harley to the post, however, will be Triumph, expected to launch their India line-up at the end of November. Of particular note will be their iconic Bonneville, which is expected to come in at a price competitive with Harley’s air-cooled low-end. While Triumph does intend to assemble motorcycles in India to compete on pricing, we don’t see anything in the range that Harley intends to hit with the Street series. There is a rumoured 250cc in the works, but that will more likely be priced to compete with the CBR300R, KTM 390 Duke etc.

Where does this leave Royal Enfield then? Without much of an upgrade path, it appears. Clearly, there’s a market out there that’s willing to swallow the RE blue pill and buy into what’s effectively a Rs 1.83 lakh Bullet (we refer here to the Thunderbird 500), and that audience will continue to expand its disposable income. RE’s focus in the near term will be on the Continental GT Cafe Racer, which is quite a feat for the company, but is still based round the same 535cc “unit construction” engine that’s fitted to all their other bikes in 350 and 500cc form. Even with a generous Rs 2,50,000 pricetag (the outer limits of most estimates), there’s little room for the upwardly mobile Royal Enfield rider to grow. RE may be safe for now, but its future certainly isn’t.

All considered, come 2014, the Rs 4,00,000 to Rs 4,50,000 price bracket seems to be Harley’s for the taking and Hyosung and Kawasaki’s to lose. They have room for aggression in pricing, but considering the premium positioning of Harley products and the global aspirations of the Street series, a bargain is unlikely.