Harley-Davidson is not messing around. It's on a moon-shot mission to save itself by metamorphosing into a modern motorcycle company, while trying not to tread on its "badass" Boomer cruiser base in the process. Step one: the all-electric Livewire, a next-to silent streetbike. And now, at EICMA, far from the stars, stripes and apple pies of home, the company has released its next two efforts to find new relevance in a changing age. One has to wonder how these things would've gone down at an American release full of die-hard Harley fans who hold the brand's old-school image very dearly.
The new bikes are an adventure tourer and a streetfighter, both powered by a new Revolution engine platform. These will be 60-degree V-Twins, naturally, but liquid cooled and with dual downdraft throttle bodies. They'll also make a lot more power than Harley riders are accustomed to, by revving significantly higher than the big cruiser donks. The engines are narrow and compact, they form part of the frame for engineering purposes, and they feature internal counterbalancers to cut down on vibrations.
The new bikes will have to stop as well as they go, and Harley has teamed up with Brembo to create a special set of radial, 4-piston monoblocs that should set new braking standards for the marque. Harley's key input seems to have been minor and mainly aesthetic, adding a few "softer curves" to the caliper designs. Hopefully that's all; Brembo knows a thing or two about the actual braking part. Likewise, H-D has teamed up with Michelin to develop special co-branded tires for these two bikes, presumably to drum a few extra bucks out of its consumer base when it's time for new hoops.
The 2021 Pan America Adventure Tourer
First up, the adventure machine. The Pan America 1250 is H-D's answer to the R1200GS, the 1290 Super Adventure, the Super Ténéré, and the rest of the colossal "big chook chasers" that make up the ADV segment. While late to the party (everyone else seems to be refocusing their efforts toward middleweight adventure tourers), the Pan America will use a 1250cc "Revolution Max" engine, with which Harley is targeting an output over 145 horses and 90 lb-ft (122 Nm) of torque.
The company calls this its "two-wheel multi-tool, built to endure, designed to explore, and engineered for the unknown." It looks the part, with its beefy bash-plate, touring screen, barkbusters, massive three-box pannier system, spoked wheels, chunky off-road tires, comfy looking dual seat and an exposed subframe that looks terrific to strap a tent to. There's no weight figure as yet, or indeed a price, but Harley has committed to getting this 2021 model into stores in late 2020. Here's a video:
The 2021 Bronx Streetfighter
Every bit as interesting is the Bronx, which takes some of the Livewire's snub-nosed proportions and marries them with a 975cc version of the Revolution motor and a few licks of the kind of flair Erik Buell brought to the Harley stable in the late 1990s with bikes like the White Lightning. This is no Buell, though. H-D presumably still owns the patents on some of Buell's outrageous ideas, but the Bronx has no rim-mounted disc brake, underslung exhaust, fuel-in-the-frame or oil-in-the-swingarm business.
Indeed it's a fairly conservative effort at a streetfighter, especially in an era where things like the Super Duper Duke and Tuono V4 walk the Earth. Power and torque figures are targeted to be at least 115 horses at 70 lb-ft (95 Nm), respectively, which should be fun enough provided it's not much more than the 500-odd pounder (225-odd kg) it looks like it might be.
Harley calls it a middleweight, but one with an "unapologetic attitude." We feel it'd be a bit less apologetic if it had access to the full-fat 1250cc motor, but it's a nice enough looker to sell well if it rides well, and no doubt it'll look and sound much more Harley-worthy and thunderous once owners have bled their way through the options catalog. Here's a video.
What are your thoughts? Has Milwaukee come up with anything that tickles your fancy here? Check out plenty of shots in the gallery.
Source: Harley-Davidson
