I think a 500cc Harley would work, but they'd have to carefully manage the "made in India" tag. Harley's don't have anything going for them except their image. They are heavy, noisy, ugly, low tech (relatively) and slow. But that is sort of the point. They are American, brash, in your face and proud of their short comings. Surely that is more or less why people buy them. But if the truth of their place of manufacture came out along with a small "Asianised" Harley I think they might cop a bit of flak from the "good old boys" and they'd become as attractive as the Yamaha Virago only less reliable.

I'd thought I would never utter these words, but "one day I might own a Harley" if this electric thing goes through.
They might lose the "one wannabe man's fun is 10000 people's noisy horror" kind of crowd tho.

The big question here, in regards to an electric HD, is.... would it still have a leaky oil reservoir to stain your driveway with?

@I agree with Scion in the "Harley's don't have anything going for them except their image." statement.
Harleys are > 1200cc mostly because their shitty engine design requires that much displacement to make power. There 1200's are about 65HP when "little" 600cc sport bikes are around 105 HP.
It has twice the engine size and still makes half as much power. If they use the same engine technology the 500cc will probably be around 25 HP which would be about where the 250 Ninja was (the new 300cc version is 35 HP).

And all that time I thought a 450 Rebel was an imitation mini-Harley

Gee ! I thought ALL Harleys were classed as learner bikes !

Well, where do I start ? A single cylinder Harley is never, ever going to sound like a Harley v-twin. Period ! And not only are Harley shocks sourced from Japan, so are the front forks. And the wheels are Australian-made. Yes, for the capacity, Harleys don't perform in the traditional sense, but where can you use the power of a modern 'performance' bike anyway ? For me, Harleys are simple, reliable and do what they are supposed to. Same reason aircraft engines are big, simple lumps. I've owned Sportsters as well as Jap and Italian bikes for over 45 years, and currently own a Buell and a Ducati Monster 1000. Maybe I am a fully paid up member of the Flat Earth Society, but I enjoy my ride.

Harley have had small bikes before, when they owned the Aermacchi comany in the '70s; the Italian made 350 was a good bike but it didn't sell well because it was a vertical twin and as so was very un-HD in style.

Are they going to make the electric version as abnoxiously noisy as the gasoline version?

Interesting article. Not sure an Indian single cylinder Harley will catch on. Harley folks are pretty traditional. Also the Buell Blast was not a good bike. Many driving schools here used them. There would be a stampede every morning as the students tried to snag a 20 year old Honda over the Blasts.