Harley-Davidson has filed patents for the Pan America 1250, Streetfighter 975 and the Custom 1250 with the European Union Intellectual Property Office. Now, while it was clear that these motorcycles were on their way, these filings reveal that two of the three models were patented with saree guards and this potentially confirms an India launch – and raises a big question.
Back in July 2018, the company made an announcement revealing a radical new product plan that will see a sub-500cc Harley-Davidson for India, an adventure tourer (the Pan America), streetfighter, a bobber-styled cruiser (the Custom 1250) and a range of electric bikes. This growth plan, called ‘More roads to Harley-Davidson’ spans out to the year 2022 and it comes as part of the two-wheeler giant’s intention to launch 100 new motorcycles by 2027. The three models in the patents however, are expected to be launched by 2020.
Harley considers India an important market. The company sells almost its entire international line-up in India. In fact, the company also manufacturers some of its models here and exports them, too – like the Street 500 and Street 750. India is also one of the fastest-growing two-wheeler markets in the world. All these are good indicators as to why Harley will most definitely bring its upcoming models to the country.
The saree guards seen on these bikes are nothing out of the ordinary. We see them on every two-wheeler sold in India. However, they usually make their way to an imported motorcycle during the homologation process and not when the first patents of the motorcycle are filed. This raises the question of whether Harley-Davidson is looking to ramp up its production in India and manufacturer these motorcycles (for sale and export) here along with the Street models. Nonetheless, it will be interesting to see how the company’s entry into the new motorcycle segments pan out.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
