Back at the EICMA motorcycle show last November, Harley-Davidson surprised everyone with the introduction of two motorcycles that were dramatically different from what was on offer then or before.
These bicycles were called the Pan America and the BronxThe former is a large-displacement adventure motorcycle in the style of BMW R1250GS or Ducatis Multistrada 1260 and the latter, an upright bare bike that was supposed to compete against the smaller-displacement monsters from Ducati, among other things.
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Both bikes looked fantastic and Harley seemed seriously interested in producing both for the 2020 model year, but then the pandemic hit and things got worse. According to a recent report released by Motorcycle.com, Harley will no longer be debuting the Bronx at all in 2020 or 2021. Does that mean it's dead? Harley doesn't say it.
Harley-Davidson officials have confirmed that while the Bronx will not be held next year, Pan America has become the brand's primary focus and that it is focusing its efforts on getting it off to a successful start. This makes sense given the profitability of the adventure bike segment over the past decade.
The change in launch plan isn't the only thing that's happening in Milwaukee, however. The new CEO Jochen Zeitz is driving a new branding strategy he calls Hardwire, itself an extension of the Rewire strategy that saw several significant changes - including 700 jobs will be cut - earlier this year.
"Making Harley-Davidson a high performing company requires complete rewiring. Building on our strong branding heritage, we are re-energizing our core business, growing profits - powered by our strongest dealers, the most exciting products, and careful inventory management while we focus the main opportunities for future expansion, "Zeitz said in a statement.
"We are revising our operating model and product plan, and rewiring our market structure and organization to focus on the strengths of our brand and our company," Zeitz continued. "We are now working on our new five-year strategic plan, the Hardwire, which aims to increase the attractiveness of our brand and protect the value of our legendary products."
Rewire, Hardwire, Haywire - whatever. Harley-Davidson is still in what appears to be a precarious position. The decision to venture into other segments of the market seems wise, especially if you focus on your strengths and look for ways to improve your weaknesses.
I'm sad we won't be seeing the Bronx anytime soon, but hopefully the extra time will give the people in Milwaukee time to perfect the bike and give it a chance to be something other than some weird American who ran too.
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