Written by / Story by Mark Barnett
Excerpted from Barnett’s Magazine Print Article
I have to admit, this concept bike deal is even more fun than I thought it would be. Last issue I explained that Barnett’s Magazine had retained the services of Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi to put pen and paper (actually a mouse and keyboard) to some of the ideas for future Harleys that I’ve been kicking around for awhile. I’ve also invited the staff and some outside bike builders to help me out on this project. Once we have about ten designs finished, we’ll load them on the online magazine at www.barnettharley.com and let you vote on which ones strike you as most interesting. Or, let you deride them mercilessly in the comments section with that special anonymous Internet forthrightness.
The second bike, a giant dual-sports model, would definitely require more than a few inches of tubing to get built, probably $50 million in tooling so it is a much bigger decision. Oberdan fitted this bike with an imaginary water-cooled, counterbalanced Sportster engine. Harley’s 45-degree, boom-boom-pause firing order is the original big-bang engine. It would be perfect for a dual-sport model where some time is spent on dirt roads. The pause in the power pulses gives the tire time to regain traction and minimize spinning (see XR750 on the web). A bike like this would only be built if Harley decided to take on Honda, to become a manufacturer of a broad array of bikes, not just cruisers. That would be an agonizing decision, to venture out into other people’s markets. My feeling is there are many American non-cruiser riders out there, just waiting for an American company to build something for them.
I picked a dual sport partially because I’m getting into it a little myself. Our parts manager and his brother go out almost every weekend into the Gila National Forest of New Mexico and come back with the greatest photos. They are both ex-motocrossers and particularly good riders, but this sport is open to everyone who is an above-average or lifetime motorcycle rider. It is mainly hard-packed dirt roads with an occasional stream crossing to get your heart rate up. Another reason for choosing a big dual sport is that this seems to be a growing niche globally, so it should make good business sense.
Hope you’re enjoying this plunge into The Motor Company’s business. Hey, we’re the customer, it doesn’t hurt to prepare a wish list. Coming up next issue, I should have my beginner’s bike ready: a horizontal single with hints of Harley-Davidson’s Sprint model made by Aermacchi in the sixties and seventies. We should have a few roadster versions of the V-Rod ready next time as well. Again, I welcome your emails on this subject if you have ideas you’d like to share. I think Harley corporate might consider a high-tech, water-cooled touring bike to go head-to-head with the Gold Wing and BMW K1600GT. I don’t really like high-tech touring bikes, but I know others do. I’m having a hard time with this one since my enthusiasm is absent. Our editor has suggested a V-Rod-based V4 engine for this bike. So any suggestions on engine configurations for such a monster? Please help me out on this one and feel free to send in your ideas. We’ll then let Oberdan work his magic.