[Jeff Higgins]

The Buell and the V-Rod were both massive compromises. Trying to sell a Sportster motored bike as a "sport bike" was a really bad joke. I wonder how well the Buell brand would have done had H-D held onto it after they came out with their proprietary water cooled, overhead cam, four valve motor. By all accounts it was an awesome motorcycle. Allas, H-D's then new CEO infamously said he saw no reason for as much as the very existence of sport bikes, and cut the brand. That idiot had never even ridden a motorcycle.

The V-Rod was an effort at having their cake and eating it too. They wanted a bike that would still appeal to the H-D faithful so, as such, the V-Rod was doomed from the start. The forward controls, the chopper-like rake, and all of that nonsense unfortunately hamstrung what could have been a very good motorcycle. I think the Street Rod variant will go down as its best incarnation but, alas, H-D chose not to properly fit it out with the necessary gear to be what it could have been - a very good sport-tourer.

This new direction is, thankfully, free of the constraints that led to those two infamous compromises. They are essentially saying to hell with H-D's traditional customer base and their expectations. They's driven Harley development for too long. Not that they are going to be forgotten, not by a long shot, but H-D are certainly going after an entirely new market segment without their misguided past need to pay homage to their current base. This is a big, bold gamble for them. I hope it works out.