Harley's new LAMS bike

[ellipsis]

...fucking marvelous...'bout time too...last little Harley was 2 stroke and eyetie...a couple of them going quite quick at the BSOC...bet they sell like hotcakes (if)when they get down here...and I bet when they get their licence they buy a sportster...

[HenryDorsetCase]

Wouldn't just about any hardly ferguson qualify as a LAMS bike?

LAMS is about power to weight with maximum caps on both, is my understanding, and no current Sportster meets the weight requirement. I think the 883 is around 50 hp though so power wise it would be OK.

Harley needs this bike, not just for the shrinking markets in the "Developed" countries, but more for the massively expanding markets in developing countries. China, India, Asia generally is where the growth is. Plus their markets are protected so it makes sense to build/assemble "locally" in those markets. Sure, there can be problems sourcing globally and in low wage economies, but when it works (Triumph in Thailand, KTM in China, a billion bicycles in Taiwan) it works brilliantly. One of my friends does heavy engineering and he wisely said to me one day "You can get excellent quality out of Asia, you just have to be prepared to pay for it, and work for it". Its also why Honda produces stuff like the NC700 etc.

I read somewhere that not only is Harley massively profitable, they produce (currently) something like 260000 bikes a year. Add to that the accessories and whatnot, and all those t shirts and you have a serious company.

I'd like to take a 750 for a spin and compare it to a current Triumph Bonneville, a Sprotster, and a new Guzzi V7. And a Honda CB1100F.

[HenryDorsetCase]

I am interested in pricing. Particularly in NZ. My view is that the entire Sportster range is way overpriced in New Zealand. Particularly the ones I want to buy The cool Sportsters are too close in price to the base model big twins.

These have to be selling new for between, what, say $14k and $16k?

Oh yeah, some angles remind me a bit of that Honda NV400S cruiser twin from the 80's: I saw a mint one the other day.

[Monkfish]

I'd like to take a 750 for a spin and compare it to a current Triumph Bonneville, a Sprotster, and a new Guzzi V7. And a Honda CB1100F.

The 883 fails when compared to the standard bonnie, as the bonne has around 68hp stock i believe, compared to the 50 odd from the 883.

The 750 street (in my logic) will be less powerful than the 883 (or they are making their own bike redundant) so I cant see it stacking up well against any of the bikes you mentioned. I reckon they are trying to carve a unique niche for themselves, with these bikes.

[neels]

Makes sense, get people who are that way inclined on a Harley from day one, rather than have them ride someone else's bike until they get a full licence then try to get their business.

Be interesting to see how it goes.

[haydes55]

As soon as they get a licence they should sell the bike?

certainly. Harleys are for "cool" people. You aren't cool on a glorified commuter. Imagine someone riding a Harley and not getting the optional chrome and tassles. Blasphemy.

[Ender EnZed]

LAMS is about power to weight with maximum caps on both, is my understanding

Never heard that one before.

The 660cc limit excludes any current Harleys from the list, regardless of their power to weight ratio.

[HenryDorsetCase]

The 883 fails when compared to the standard bonnie, as the bonne has around 68hp stock i believe, compared to the 50 odd from the 883.

The 750 street (in my logic) will be less powerful than the 883 (or they are making their own bike redundant) so I cant see it stacking up well against any of the bikes you mentioned. I reckon they are trying to carve a unique niche for themselves, with these bikes.

absolutely agree with you. What they want to do is have the cradle to grave rider covered. so you get a H-D branded onesie when you are six months old, you graduate to "My Dad has a Harley" shirts and stuff when you are a kid, your first motorbike is a 500 street, and then you progress "up" the range till finally you get a trike because your balance is gone. It makes nothing but sense.

Agree too about the pointlessness of the 883 Sporty. Maybe they will drop it so the range goes 500 Street, 750 Street, 1200 Sprotty, Big Twins... (trike). Though we shouldn't compare power outputs on any of these bikes or their comparators. They arent about stats like that: if you want to get all weenie on stat comparisons and have bragging rights down the boozer, this is not the market segment for you. That sort of nonsense is for sprotsbike riders comparing the ZX10 with teh S1000R etc. I used to be all over that shit but now those bikes are so much better than I am as a rider, its pointless. Like comparing any given Ferrari with any given Lamborghini or Zonda or whatever. I'll never own one, what the fuck's the point?

[HenryDorsetCase]

Never heard that one before.

The 660cc limit excludes any current Harleys from the list, regardless of their power to weight ratio.

I could be wrong. I do get all my information from KB. And I am too lazy to google it.

[oneofsix]

I could be wrong. I do get all my information from KB. And I am too lazy to google it.

one of the wonderful things about KB is someone will eventually do the research thing for you

NZTA LAMS

LAMS-approved motorcycles are determined by two factors:

a maximum power-to-weight ratio of 150 kilowatts per tonne (the power is that specified by the manufacturer and the weight is the weight specified by the manufacturer plus 90kgs for the rider and riding gear); and
an upper engine capacity limit of 660cc.

[White trash]

Looks really fucking cool to me, being water cooled it'll probably perform quite well too.

This is EXACTLY what Harley needs to be recruiting younger riders.

[Monkfish]

absolutely agree with you. What they want to do is have the cradle to grave rider covered. so you get a H-D branded onesie when you are six months old, you graduate to "My Dad has a Harley" shirts and stuff when you are a kid, your first motorbike is a 500 street, and then you progress "up" the range till finally you get a trike because your balance is gone. It makes nothing but sense.

Agree too about the pointlessness of the 883 Sporty. Maybe they will drop it so the range goes 500 Street, 750 Street, 1200 Sprotty, Big Twins... (trike).

With the intro of these bikes they should drop the 883 sporty!! there is absolutely no point for its existence now.

[Voltaire]

The 883 fails when compared to the standard bonnie, as the bonne has around 68hp stock i believe, compared to the 50 odd from the 883.

The 750 street (in my logic) will be less powerful than the 883 (or they are making their own bike redundant) so I cant see it stacking up well against any of the bikes you mentioned. I reckon they are trying to carve a unique niche for themselves, with these bikes.

My track comparison would place the Bonnie ( Thruxton I had) as having about 50 BHP and a mid 70's HD 1000 about 55.
I'd say my Airhead BMW 900 would be about 48-52 ish and the Americans say an 883 is bout the same.

Saying that my little Monza has a nice V twin sound so the HD could be a fun town bike.

[Paul in NZ]

The 883 fails when compared to the standard bonnie, as the bonne has around 68hp stock i believe, compared to the 50 odd from the 883.

The 750 street (in my logic) will be less powerful than the 883 (or they are making their own bike redundant) so I cant see it stacking up well against any of the bikes you mentioned. I reckon they are trying to carve a unique niche for themselves, with these bikes.

Horses for courses. An 883 is pretty quick off the mark and stop light to stop light it would give a modern bonnie a run for its money. If the stoplights were 10km apart well.....

Anyway - good on HD - always good to see new models coming out.

[wysper]

Agree too about the pointlessness of the 883 Sporty.

But I love my 883