Harley-Davidson Pan America, Bareknuckle and a look into the e-future
Looking into the crystal ball
The two Harley-Davidson models are expected to come onto the market in 2020. The biggest surprise in the new Harley-Davidson model range for 2020 is the announced Pan America 1250 Adventure.
Torque or horsepower
As a direct competitor to the BMW R 1250 GS, we can be excited to see what performance data the new 1250 engine from Harley-Davidson will bring. In general, Harley likes to use the torque joker, but 1250ccm³ is a far cry from the 1.9L engine of the large tourers, which boast a torque of 171Nm.
There are 2 water-cooled V2 engines with 975ccm³ and 1250ccm³ under discussion
So we can assume that the engine will land somewhere around 136hp and 150Nm at 5000 rpm in order to shine with pulling power.
If the Pan America is to compete in the league of the BMW R 1250 GS, the king of registration, the necessary power could be achieved via a good gear ratio. The BMW limits the top speed to around 220km/h, with the Harley top speed is usually not a priority. In any case, there is a lot of room for speculation here, let's wait and see what Harley can conjure up with the new engine.
In terms of price, it could start close to the BMW R 1250 GS, which starts at €18,000 and only offers many features via a long list of additional costs.
The fight won't be easy!
If you look at the other well-known travel enduros, you will have the affordable XTZ1200Z Super Tenere from €13,495 and the successful KTM 1290 Super Adventure R from €17,999 in the competition. The inexpensive entry could be achieved with another small motorized Pan America model and the 975ccm³ engine.
Is the Bareknuckle the new naked bike from Harley?
The Bareknuckle will come, but it's not really certain yet whether it will be Harley's new naked bike . According to current information, it could be so and the engine will be the new 1250, like the Pan America .
Then it will have to have power and 2020 we expect the first stage of the new Euro 5 emissions standard , which is an additional challenge for all manufacturers. Harley-Davidson is addressing a whole new target group here, which was already announced by the company “More Roads to Harley-Davidson”
Major structural changes at Harley-Davidson are on the horizon
The new models for 2020 will generally be presented a little later in Germany / Austria this year. This is due to the conversion of some production facilities and the fact that deliveries now have to be made from Thailand to Europe in order to avoid punitive tariffs.
The customs dispute is costing Harley-Davidson a lot of money
As is well known, Harley-Davidson is suffering massively from the customs dispute between the USA, China and the EU. It's a real dilemma that the traditional company finds itself in.
The raw materials steel and aluminum have to be imported into the USA at higher prices, for which punitive tariffs are due for the first time. Then Harley-Davidson delivers the motorcycles to Europe and pays punitive tariffs again.
Harley-Davidson pays the tariffs from its profits
Harley-Davidson did not pass on these additional costs to customers, but deducted them from their profits. Profit is currently down 6 percent to $1.4 billion in the second quarter compared to the previous year.
Donald Trump has called for a boycott in the USA because of the relocation of production, which has put additional strain on the US market.
profits
fell by 20% to 175 million euros in the second quarter compared to the previous year, which
directly reduces profit expectations for the future.
In Europe, on the other hand, things are still going well, but there are also declines here.
Economics Minister Altmaier is looking for a conversation with Donald Trump
By relocating production and saving significant costs, there is light at the end of the tunnel. There is also good news from Berlin: our Economics Minister Altmaier knocked on the door in Washington last week and signaled the need for new talks.
In his pocket he has an offer from the EU not to impose import duties on US cars, which have always been higher than when Europeans export their vehicles to the United States.
People may disagree about Donald Trump, but he may even be right when he says it's unfair.
The escalation has led to the EU
introducing punitive tariffs on Harley-Davidson motorcycles.
The talks are expected to continue in November.
Avoid the punitive tariffs via Thailand
The scene will probably experience a jolt when the first machines arrive from Thailand. But if we're honest, most of the parts are delivered. These days, fewer and fewer people are interested in whether the final assembly takes place later in Thailand or Timbuktu. The only thing is the “Made in…” thing!
The network of suppliers is spread across the globe, the Brembo brakes come from Germany, control units from Bosch, Dunlop supplies the tires and so it goes on.
Harley-Davidson will also be involved in China
Harley-Davidson is establishing itself as a powerful international player; in addition to India, it has now also set its sights on the huge market in China.
Together with the company Qianjiang Motorcycle Company China, Harley-Davidson will produce the smallest engine to date with 338ccm³ for the Chinese and later Asian markets from the end of 2020.
HARLEY DAVIDSON FIRST
It clearly shows that CEO Matthew Levatich is expanding and he wants to gain 2 million new customers for the company in the next few years.
The fact is that there will be structural change throughout the world and no one knows today whether Matthew Levatich is setting the right course for Harley-Davidson and the next decades.
But what should he do, if he only concentrates on “AMERICA FIRST” , he still has the problem that the customers are getting older and the younger generations are not really moving into the biker scene.
For Matthew Levatich it's obviously “HARLEY-DAVIDSON FIRST” ! He is not necessarily acting in the interests of Donald Trump and his ideas when he relocates production facilities abroad and enters the market in China.
The LIVEWIRE is a milestone for Harley-Davidson
In any case, we live in an age of change, this year LIVEWIRE is coming onto the market. This is a milestone that we will witness, although we are probably far from feeling ready for it.
Harley-Davidson is a pioneer in this area and in the long term the technical lead in electric drive development can be of vital importance for the company.
The fuel cell is coming!
The German Michel is initially sold the “e” by the industry
The drive of the future above motorcycles will be different; the smaller vehicles will remain with electric drives in the long term. From mid-range vehicles and trucks onwards, the future of hydrogen will be powered by sustainable fuel cells.
For this purpose, the hydrogen is produced green using renewable energies via electrolysis and ensures a long range cost-effectively.
The German Michel will now be covered with electric cars by our automotive industry, Varta is building a large battery cell factory, pushed by the federal government, so the course has been set for now.
Investments worth billions are taking place, some of which are heavily supported by the state. Various companies have already joined forces to form a consortium to conquer the e-market together.
The fuel cell is more effective!
While the first large-scale fuel cell projects will start in Switzerland in 2019 and show us the way for the future, which Hyundai and Toyota, for example, are currently seriously working on.
We in Germany will probably hear in five years that the
CO2 footprint of electric vehicles is surprisingly larger than
expected. Then the electric vehicle will suffer the same fate as the diesel engine today.
There is an interesting report about this in the Handelsblatt.
Now let's put the cloth over the glass ball again and wait and see how it all develops. I'm definitely looking forward to the new Pan American and how it will perform in everyday life.
I used to drive the XT600 and
