Re: Harley Davidson Street 500 & 750 - Made In India - Launching in 2014 Quote:
Originally Posted by ebonho Where are you getting the bhp figures from? I thought Harleys never give those out. I doubt anyone buys a Harley for the power and performance anyways. Because in that price bracket I do not think there is any bike in the world that will be slower or lesser powered. Though at the rate Royal Enfield is increasing its prices with every successive model, give it 3-4 years and then there could be some competition. Simply put, this bike would give Indians on a budget the chance to buy into the Harley dream. Don't try to compare your Tbird 500 to the Harley 500 as an apple to apple comparison. Its not. Regardless of the figures. |
Its obvious I or any other consumer is going to compare, these are motorcycles not luxurious cars Doc. I agree on your statement if I were comparing a luxury car to a SUV in the same price band. A bike in essence is a bicycle with an engine and gearbox. Only advantage a bike would have over the other is more power, ridability and something called character.
A 500 cc Harley doesn't have character for sure, not the vtwin rumble, not the traditional harley vibes, so it needs to be at least having some power to move? If you are going to price yourself double the nearest 500 cc bullet, atleast make it worth the extra 2 lacs.
Forget comparing to a thunderbird, I never made a statement like that, can I compare it to a 220c avenger even? Also with EMI schemes a 7-9 lac 800cc Harley is approx in the same ballpark affordability as a 5 lac 500cc/750 cc Harley!!
All across the world Harley is trying to position the 500/750 as a 'street' motorcycle, then it better have some power to get it moving from one signal to the next, not be a entry level trainer bike used to teach riding to kids below 17!!!
Why does Harley sell, when compared to much much better machines in the same price range? The undiluted v twin cruiser character. Now if you are going to dilute that very essence itself, what are your selling points?
Its the same if tomorrow RE is going to make a Pulsar kind of 200-250cc bike and call it the street or something, you are destroying the soul of your motorcycle, expecting higher sales, sorry such a new concept will be compared to everything else in the market, and you can sell, only when you have a superior product...
Lastly lets have a look at the look and feel of the new Harley twins. They pretend to be a cross between a retro bike and a Vrod, doesn't have the charm of a retro machine, neither the power of the VRod. Infact with the VRod Harley tried to make a performance machine, the first performance machine which didn't rely on twin vibes, oodles or chrome and leather to sell...
Last edited by apachelongbow : 17th January 2014 at 16:26.
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