When Harley-Davidson officially unveils its smoking new Roadster street-fighter at the PD13 rally in Port Dover, Ont., on May 13, it will signal two significant changes in the venerable bike-maker's approach to the Canadian market.
The first change is the bike itself, which is the third "urban contemporary" product to hit the market this year. Combined, the trio represent a full-speed assault on the company's staid image. The second, perhaps even more significant, change is the cozier relationship Harley is developing with the Canadian market.
In fact, the upcoming product launch will be the first formal Canadian debut in the manufacturer's 99-year presence here.
The Roadster takes Harley firmly into the urban hip world, while also paying homage to the lean-bike tradition of the Sportster line of stripped-down street bikes. It comes armed with the lethal "Screamin' Eagle" 1200 V-twin engine. Specs on the Canadian bike have not been released, but the U.S. model is rated at 106 horsepower and a brawny 117 ft/lb of torque, delivered at more than 3,700 rpm.
What really sets this bike apart, however, is the dramatic improvements in suspension: It has 43 mm inverted single-cartridge forks up front with tri-rate springs, offering nearly 8 cm of travel for the bumpiest of roads. The rear suspension features gas-charged emulsion coil-over shocks and adjustable preloads on its tri-rate springs.
It also looks a little like a café racer, with its short fenders, low-rise handlebar and mid-mount foot controls, giving the rider an "aggressive" riding position. The colour choices are just as hip – "vivid black" with a charcoal pinstripe, "velocity red sunglow," and two-tone silver and black.
The other new urban cruisers the bike maker is bringing to Canada are the mid-priced Low Rider S and the high-end (just shy of $30,000) CVP Pro Street Breakout. Pricing on the Roadster will be announced May 13. (In the U.S., prices start at $11,749.)
Anoop Prakash, managing director of the new Harley-Davidson Canada division, said the trio of bikes are aimed at a new generation of riders, including millennials – who are known for wanting to do things on their own terms. Interestingly, Harley says one-third of its buyers in the United States in 2015 had never owned a motorcycle before.
The Roadster, he says, is "minimalist compared to other bikes in our past," with design features aimed to make it look more muscular.
Harley's approach to Canada has also changed significantly. Last year, responding to a slow slide in sales, it terminated its long-standing distribution relationship with the Vancouver-based Dealey Group so that it could market and distribute directly. Prakash said the company made three major moves to improve the customer experience: it brought pricing into parity with the United States (that means big price cuts), introduced direct distributing (speedier delivery and reduced shipping costs) and worked on its relationships with the country's 69 dealers.
It also quickly determined that Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver were under-served. It is adding dealerships in all three cities so it can be "closer to where our customers are," Prakash says.
Harley now offers eight models in Canada for less than $13,000. Its entry model, the Street 500, is less than $8,000. Once viewed as pricey in Canada, Harley now represents "incredible value for your money," Prakash says.
Cool factor
4 stars (out of 5)
It pairs a lean, hip urban contemporary look with a lot of horsepower and fair measure of agility.
Editor's note: When first posted, the article was mistakenly presented as a road test rather than a Quick Spin preview, and the photograph displayed a Harley Davidson Softail Slim S rather than the new Roadster.
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