Harley-Davidson’s launch of smaller-capacity 500cc and 750cc Street models into its Dark Custom range – based around a liquid-cooled 60-degree V-twin motor distressingly redolent of Japanese metric mini-cruiser offerings – has been hailed as a new era of wider appeal for the brand. It’s nothing of the sort, of course, given that Harley has a long history of making lightweight machines at various points in the post-war period. The real story is that it signals the beginning of an offshore manufacturing strategy.
Street machines for US buyers will be built at Harley’s most modern factory at Kansas City, Missouri, judiciously located in a “right to work” State precluding trade union recognition and therefore delivering more modest labour costs. Kansas City is already the hub for production of CKD kits of larger Harleys, destined for assembly at overseas plants in Brazil and India, and its docile workforce will now play a part in transferring a lot more than kit assembly overseas for the Street roll-out into global export markets.
According to Harley chief operating officer Matt Levatich, these will be served by the company’s factory at Bawal in India, which currently only bolts together limited numbers of higher-end CKD kits. However, Levatich says Bawal will be fed with Street components direct from suppliers, rather than complete bikes in knocked-down form from Kansas City. And the Indian plant will also source some low-tech Street elements, such as fuel tanks and frames, from local fabricators.
Levatich says Street sales will start in the first half of 2014, in the USA and India as well as Italy, Portugal and Spain – the latter three initial European target countries also presumably acquiring inventory from India. Other Asian and possibly European markets will follow.
Proposed US retail prices are very competitive – $6700 (£4200) for the 500cc version and $7500 (£4700) for the 750. They are likely to be cheaper elsewhere, particularly in emerging markets. It is also fairly safe to assume that the 500cc Street will be compliant with the new European Union A2 licence category.