Harley-Davidson Exec Spills Beans on Future Products

Retooling for the Future

Needless to say, Harley-Davidson shocked the world recently when they rolled out a host of new products, seemingly out of the blue. Granted, we knew this was coming. But we didn't expect the legendary MoCo to branch out into so many different directions, building bikes that are a clean break from the ones they've traditionally built for the last 115 years.

And thus far, they haven't really gone into too much detail about the "why," other than the fact that they're working to attract new riders to the brand. That is until Bike EXIF had the chance to sit down with H-D International Marketing Director Steve Lambert and do a little more digging. 

Production Ready

For starters, Lambert revealed that what we're seeing is pretty much what we're getting. "These are not concept bikes. They are quite advanced in their engineering program. Some elements might change, but in reality, these are very close to the intended final state." An interesting development, indeed. 

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Stunning Development

That's also good news for fans of the new Streetfighter, which is pretty much everybody. Including Lambert. "I absolutely love this bike," he admitted. "Brad Richards (VOP Product Design) showed me this product last year in our Product Development Center and I nearly fell over. It is stunning. We see this segment as a big opportunity to show people what Harley-Davidson is all about. This segment is key to our growth and broadening our appeal to more people." 

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Changing Perceptions

Harley's biggest challenge with bikes like the Streetfighter, however, is convincing people they're not just a cruiser brand anymore. "Hopefully these new models will make people who have not previously considered the brand excited about the thought of Harley-Davidson ownership. Streetfighter products attract younger customers who love the thrill of riding. Our Streetfighter offer will be a game-changer for many people." 

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Giving Clues?

But while products like the Streetfighter are the future, Harley isn't ditching its traditional cruisers. Just take the Custom 1250, for example. Which may or may not hold some clues to the brand's styling language moving forward. "You will have to wait and see. This is another stunning model with its roots in the world of custom. There is obviously a clear synergy with some of our existing models, and the custom segment is of huge importance to us." 

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EV for the People

A big part of Harley's rapid expansion, of course, are electric motorcycles. Which Harley sees as a great platform to attract new and inexperienced riders. "We are focused on expanding our community of Harley-Davidson riders and building our next generation of motorcycles globally. Riding EV bikes is easier due to the lack of a clutch. This should make EV bikes more appealing to more people—especially in densely populated urban areas.

E-bikes are an obvious gateway to motorcycles. E-bikes are great fun. There is a great opportunity for us to grow the next generation of Harley-Davidson motorcycle riders." 

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Looking Toward the Future

And while traditionalists will undoubtedly be skeptical of EV bikes, Harley clearly sees some parallels with other automakers. "If you look at the world of cars, making SUVs was clearly a big decision for brands such as Porsche and Bentley. But they were future-facing decisions that were very quickly embraced by their consumers despite initial worries."  

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Dual-Purpose Delight

Of course, Harley doesn't have to worry about fan reaction to the dual-purpose Pan America, because so far it's been great. "We will bring Harley-Davidson brand values to adventure touring, and provide a new proposition versus some of the other players in this space. Pan America will offer a broad appeal and will cater for a high percentage of adventure touring customers’ needs."

"The adventure touring segment is not very large in the USA and this represents a big opportunity to grow this style of motorcycle in our homeland too."  

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Striking a Balance

Above all, it seems that H-D is dead focused on keeping its traditional fan base while also entering new segments. "Entering new segments can sometimes upset the balance. We are absolutely committed to designing and building cruisers and touring models that the most dyed in the wool H-D fan should love.

We need to compete in growing segments, and we need to ensure that we have the right products to achieve these goals. Our new models and strategy are supported by vast amounts of consumer research. Finding the right balance is tricky and is something that we don’t take lightly."  

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