Harley Davidson the iconic brand responsible for creating a distinctive brand of culture and freedom with their two wheeled offerings is in a state of flux. Following the shaky roll out of the all electric Livewire motorcycle, as well as sagging sales. The company admitted that it’s in need of a massive brand overhaul. This included a rethink in the way the firm made decisions, especially in regards to offering sportier offerings for younger buyers. While the Milwaukee based company has kept the fruits of this future close to the hand, a Japanese graphic artist has given us a pretty good idea of what one of these new models could look like.
The folks at Young Machine have a reputation for producing wickedly good renderings of motorcycles, and they have managed to work their magic once again for this Harley Davidson themed creation. While the basic design of the rendered sportbike may seem to be a very radical departure from traditional Harley cues, but when looked at in a broader light, it’s actually not so farfetched. For instance, past patent filings have revealed that Harley has been studying the feasibility of a bubble shaped fairing for a while, and the patent images we have seen are similar to the Japanese rendering.
Furthermore this would not be the first time that the company has dabbled into the world of sport bikes, with the firm creating a race focused bike in the mid eighties called the VR1000. However, the firm never pushed it into full production, and to this day it remains a novel entry in Harley Davidson’s broader history, with only a handful of road going versions built for homologation purposes before Harley axed the program in 2001.
For the moment, the company seems set on expanding its presence in the Asian market, as well as boosting its EV bike lineup. Look for lessons learned from the Livewire to help Harley have a better showing in this area especially in the launch and rollout stages.
With the notoriously long development periods that tend to accompany upcoming Harley offerings, don’t be surprised if we have to wait a few years to see the end result of this effort, but if the rendering is a good indicator of what’s to come? We wont mind enduring the long wait.
Carl Malek has been an automotive journalist for over 10 years. First starting out as a freelance photographer before making the transition to writing during college, his work has appeared on numerous automotive forums as well as websites such as Autoshopper.com.
Carl is also a big fan of British vehicles with the bulk of his devotion going to the Morgan Motor Company as well as offerings from Lotus, MG, and Caterham. When he is not writing about automobiles, Carl enjoys spending time with his family and friends in the Metro Detroit area, as well as spending time with his adorable pets.