Two new Harley-Davidson middleweight motorcycles have been shown for the first time with the Pan-America and the Bronx making their first public appearances at the Milan motorcycle show.
Harley-Davidson has a monumental task ahead as it attempts to woo new owners to a brand that has become synonymous with older, very traditional cruiser owners.
Part of this plan for the future was seen at the recent Milan motorcycle show where the two pre-production bikes were shown aiming to move Harley-Davidson in a completely new direction from the current model range.
The two new models shown at the Milan show were being shown publicly for the first time but at this stage, they also remain unavailable as the Pan-America will not be available until 2021 and the Bronx slightly earlier but still late 2020.
The challenge facing Harley-Davidson is immense as it has seen not just motorcycle sales falling considerably in the past decade but also profits dropping significantly as younger buyers have just not been interested in what has been offered.
Recent innovations like the all-electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire model and huge investments in new engines, new technology and a more youthful branding is all part of a big plan to reverse the downward trends and loss of profit.
The Harley-Davidson Pan-America is the most radical of the two bikes in terms of being an adventure bike and that’s not something the company has built previously.
Harley aren’t giving away much in terms of detailed information about the Pan-America but we do know the engine is an all-new 1250cc liquid-cooled motor which promises ‘more than 145bhp’; a power figure which is significantly more than most traditional Harleys.
This is the first time Harley-Davidson has announced specific power and torque figures for either of these bikes.
The engine in the Pan-America is one of two that were shown at the Milan show; both are called Revolution Max but there are two capacity and power options which will be made available. Alongside the 1250cc version will be a 975cc unit with ‘more than 115bhp’ which will be used in the Bronx streetfighter model.
Both bikes have new technical links with Brembo for the braking systems and Michelin for tyres; the Brembo brakes are a new design of radially-mounted monoblock four-piston caliper which will be a huge improvement over the brakes of older Harley-Davidson models.
Harley-Davidson Pan-America
Harley is pitching the Pan-America as an ‘advanced adventure touring multi-purpose motorcycle’ and it’s an interesting new direction for the American company to take as it’s never sold an adventure bike using the Harley-Davidson brand before.
The promotional video Harley sent out shows the Pan-America tackling some fairly rough off-road terrain so it’s clear the company wants this bike to appeal to those who might be tempted to take their bikes away from paved roads; even if in reality most adventure bikes rarely get muddy!
The 1250cc Revolution Max engine in the Pan-America will produce ‘more than 145bhp’ and ‘more than 90ft lbs of torque’ according to Harley-Davidson.
The styling of the Pan-America is certainly unique; it owes a few styling cues to other Harley models with the front light housing a little similar to the Harley-Davidson Road Glide model.
Beyond that, the Pan-America bares little resemblance to anything else offered by the company and is clearly designed to appeal to a completely new section of motorcycle buyers.
The Pan-America is promised as a 2021 model and Harley will no doubt be hoping to take a slice of the seemingly ever-increasing adventure bike sales around the world.
Harley-Davidson Bronx
While the Pan-America is a radical departure in terms of motorcycle category and styling for Harley-Davidson, the Bronx is a more traditional streetfighter naked model but still something completely new for the American company.
The Bronx is slated as a late 2020 model and has an aggressive and modern styling package that’s different to anything else sold by the American company.
The 975cc 60-degree Revolution Max V-twin engine is the smaller capacity of the two bikes shown at Milan but still has a healthy 115bhp and 70 ft lbs of torque promised by Harley; way more than anything currently offered in the range.
