Considering that the Kansas City plant manufactured V rods and dyna's. two bikes that they don't make anymore, it doesn't really seem like a big deal. And downsizing when sales are in a slump is a good idea.
Any thoughts? IMO, considering what happened in 2009 and Harley has not changed at all since then, I would be lying if I said this news surprised me.
Considering that the Kansas City plant manufactured V rods and dyna's. two bikes that they don't make anymore, it doesn't really seem like a big deal. And downsizing when sales are in a slump is a good idea.
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/31/1...otorcycle-2019
Unfortunately for fans of the legacy bike brand, the announcement of the futuristic product was a side dish to some really troubling news for Harley-Davidson. The company announced that it’s closing a factory in Missouri, which will end about 800 jobs, and that it’s consolidating another plant in Pennsylvania by about 260 jobs.
the York assembly plant across the river from me. know alot of people who work there. the KC plant produced sportsters...vrods...dyna series bikes. both vrod and dyna production has ended with each model being terminated. sportster production being moved to York plant and the KC plant being shuttered after it's gutted. the KC plant was only constructed and opened in 98 or thereabouts when H-D decided to ramp up production and surpass 100,000 total units for the first time in their history during the "harley craze" of the 90's and early 2000's.
as a side note how ironic it is that victory, buell and the vrod motorcycle production all ended with each marque producing the same approx. amount of bikes during their production runs. coincidence???
If Harley thinks an electric bike is a bridge to the next generation, they are dead wrong. The best current highway range offered with electric is ~100 miles with a 40-60 minute full recharge time, if you can find a station before losing juice. There is no way to describe that except for "awful." The battery tech and refueling support is simply not there yet and won't be there for another 10-20 years or longer.... if ever.....
The electric bike thing would be for commuters. We have the luxury here in the states of lots and lots of free space so I also don't see an electric bike as an alternative for how I use mine either.
Maybe to replace a small dirt bike? Other than that, I'll keep converting dinosaurs to noise with a grin on my face
I use electric bicycle for commute on rainy days and Buell for dry weather commute. Energy for electric bicycle for commute costs me less than 5$ per year + no insurance + maintenance free + much more fun than Buell + you can ride everywhere + no traffic jams + good for health + no such hard sweat and effort like on conventional bicycle but still good physical activity at fast speed.
Last edited by TPEHAK; 02-06-2018 at 02:27 AM.
Too bad about the KC plant closing down...especially for the folks that worked there. It will be interesting to see where HD goes in the future. Electric bikes are cool and making significant progress (check out Energica if you haven't already). But, it is hard for me to see HD having a lot of success with a line of electric bikes. They have spent so much effort for so many years building a certain brand image...to the point that HD models that stray a bit too far outside that image (V-Rod, XR1200...let alone Buell) don't get much traction with HD customers. An electric bike from HD might be very cool...a great bike even...but it will be interesting to see if they have commercial success (even if electric bikes in general start getting more commercial success).
I’ve often pondered getting an electric bike for commuting. I live 30 miles (60 miles round trip) from work and my company offers free charging stations for electric vehicles. But to be realistic, because of the climate I live in, and the price tag associated with these bikes, it’s not really an option. (Typically these things are going for 20 grand, and I’d rather put that money towards a new daily driver.)
What’s funny is Victory was killed off and had an electric motorcycle (rebadged Brammo), which I would totally purchase based upon the specs. But now Harley Davidson is investing some of its future in electric motorcycles.