Bold Streetfighter has Street Triple in its sights Harley’s new 975cc weapon will be part of 500-1200cc naked range
Harley’s all-new Streetfighter has its sights set on the Street Triple and Monster in battle of the nakeds
Last year Harley-Davidson CEO Matt Levatich promised to bring two million new riders to motorcycling over the next 10 years along with 100 new models. Now they’ve announced how they’re doing it; with a mindbending expansion into segments they’ve never even touched before.
Watch out Ducati
As well as the Pan America adventure bike on the previous page, Harley will also launch two new middleweights in 2020. There will be a 1250cc Custom, which is the most traditional of the new bikes we’ve seen so far, and a 975cc Streetfighter, which has its sights set on the Triumph Street Triple and the Ducati Monster 1200.
The new water-cooled engine will come in numerous displacements ranging from 500cc to 1250cc. There will also be a few different frames (some using the engine as a stressed member), swingarm and front ends, so that multiple bikes can be made from similar running gear, a technique Harley have used on the current Softail range.
This will ensure Harley will have models to cater for those taking their tentative first steps into motorcycle ownership, right through to the power hungry, corner-carvers looking for big thrills while keeping costs down. Paired with these new engines will be fully adjustable suspension from Showa, Brembo monobloc brakes and sporty Michelin tyres. Harley say the new bikes will also have a proper electronics package and while they won’t be drawn on
‘We’re not doing this to be second-best’ HARLEY-DAVIDSON SPOKESMAN
details we’re expecting lean-angle sensitive traction control, cornering ABS and adjustable rider modes. Of course these three models are just the start.
Get ready to rumble
In the ‘More Roads to HarleyDavidson’ statement that was released on Monday, there are snippets of other machines in the background that we expect will make up the 16 new models to be released between now and 2022. There’s nothing definitive yet but we’re expecting to see a faired sportsbike, a scrambler and a flat-tracker.
“The Softail range has transformed people’s perception of how a Harley handles,” a HarleyDavidson spokesman told MCN. “With these new bikes we’re going to move things on again. “Some of these bikes are in market segments that we’ve never tried before, and some people might have reservations, but we’ve put lots of time, effort and money into this.
“We’ve not got to this point to be second best. Harley is committed to making these bike work.”