Letter of the Month
Letter of the Month
UP FRONT
David Edwards
LETTERS, BOY DO WE GET LETTERS. Lately, it seems everybody from greasy one-percenters to button-down CPAs wants to weigh-in on le subjet du jour, Harley-Davidson’s new V-Rod power-cruiser-which, judging from the pros and cons arriving here almost daily, should have been named the “Lightning Rod.”
One especially insightful e-mail got my attention. The sender was Steve Kransky, from Miles City, Montana, a 25-year Harley XLCR Café Racer rider (“Some say I’m really committed to the bike; others say I really ought to be committed...”) and taxicab driver who recently put himself through college and earned his B.S. degree. Not bad for a 46-year-old family man.
“There has been much coverage, and many heated opinions, on the subject of Harley-Davidson’s surprising new offerings this year, the VRod and the Buell Firebolt,” Kransky begins. “Of course, except for the hydro-formed frame, there’s nothing all that new about the V-Rod. The Firebolt, on the other hand really is a leap forward in the design of sportbikes-how much so we will discover as soon as the comparison tests appear.”
Then Kransky takes a step back and ponders the Big Picture: “Discussion so far has focused on the bikes themselves; few have taken the time to ponder what these models say about the venerable Motor Company and its future market tactics. Doing so suggests that Milwaukee’s strategy is far more revolutionary than the bikes themselves.”
How so?
“The Japanese have been poaching on Harley’s home ground for a quarter of a century, with cruiser clones now so derivative one sometimes has to look closely to tell if it’s the genuine article. It would be only natural that Harley would want to return the favor,” he says. “But those who take on the Big Four do so at great risk.”
Kransky cites the K-series BMWs, Triumph’s TT600 and MV Agusta’s 750 F4S as warnings to be heeded.
“The prevailing theory regarding the laydown threeand four-cylinder lines introduced by BMW in the early ’80s seemed to be 1) offer performance that’s in the ballpark and 2) hope that the magic of the brand name and upmarket image will cover the difference. Sales were disappointing, and the company has since mostly moved back to its flat-Twin roots. Triumph’s problem has been that they seem to forget they are aiming at a moving target. By the time the TT came out, Japanese sport 600s had moved on, and the Triumph was both behind the curve and flawed in execution. MV’s designers aimed at superior performance, but once again, the introduction of the latest Suzuki GSX-R750 left them short on horsepower and blunted the impact of an otherwise fabulous motorcycle.”
So what’s little ol’ Harley-Davidson supposed to do?
“With this recent history in mind, Harley has embarked upon a daring course. Who else would put a Superbike engine in a cruiser, or an aircooled pushrod motor in a leadingedge sportbike?” Kransky asks. “Its new bikes are different not merely to be different, but to be better than the competition. The V-Rod was intended to be the world’s fastest V-Twin cruiser, and it is by a comfortable margin. According to Erik Buell, the Firebolt is intended to be the world’s best-handling backroad bike, and though the jury is still out on that, just the fact the bike is so stable with its extremely short wheelbase and steep rake shows Erik is clearly on to something. In the future, gas tanks mounted above tall, overhead-cam engines, or heavy mufflers hanging off the rear of a motorcycle may come to be regarded as design faults.
“Having successfully defended its ground against all comers for almost 100 years, Harley-Davidson has now moved over to the offensive, led not by faceless committees but by men whose names appear on the gas tanks. Harley sees little future in copying the Japanese, and so it will go its own way. Goals will be high, and if the company falls short, it won’t be for a lack of bold designs. Surely, Erik Buell is working on a liquid-cooled sportbike as you read this, and Willie G. and his crew are developing an armada of VRod variants. In the past, with the Knucklehead in 1936, the Sportster in 1957 and the V: Evolution in 1983, Harley has changed the direction of the American market with a single new model or engine. Over the past few years, H-D has totally revamped its lineup and introduced no fewer than four new engines. Clearly, HarleyDavidson is serious about this.”
More Big Picture stuff from Kransky: “It’s interesting to note that Honda, that other giant of the industry, has decided on a similar take-no-prisoners marketing approach to the next millennium, and surely in this clash of titans smaller companies will suffer. The impending merger of Kawasaki and Suzuki is an example, and there may well be more casualties. The heady optimism of the Clinton boom years saw the creation of new brands and the return of legendary old names to the market. Sadly, as that golden era dwindles in the rearview mirrors, replaced by terrorist attacks, a rollercoaster stock market, massive layoffs and scandalous bankruptcies, some of these will fail. A few are already gone. The name of the game is survival. Next year, Harley-Davidson will be celebrating the fact that it has survived longer than anyone. Honda and Yamaha are also in a strong position. All others must prepare themselves for a long uphill fight. In the 21st century we may have fewer bikes to choose from, but one thing is certain: The choices we do have will be incredible motorcycles. Here’s to the future.”
See, isn’t that better than the usual “V-Rods suck/rule” banter?
