The Drive has discussed at length how Harley-Davidson needs to do something to get the youths excited about its product. The company has been hurting for sales while its competition gains on the iconic brand. So, how can Harley-Davidson stay relevant and keep its dominance in the big cruiser market? The answer might be found in a bike that isn’t a cruiser at all.
According to Motorcycle.com, Harley just trademarked the names “Bronx” and “Harley-Davidson Bronx” with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. It’s likely that this is the name of a new model, so what could it be?
Bronx is a pretty cool name. It’s one syllable, ends with an “x,” and it’s the name of a borough in New York City, so it sounds tough and urban. We can’t help but wonder though why Harley didn’t go with one of the catchy names of the neighborhoods in its hometown of Milwaukee like “Historic Third Ward” or “Wauwatosa.”
Being a name that evokes thoughts of a big city, we’re wondering if the Harley-Davidson Bronx will be some sort of streetfighter style bike for the city in the vein of the Ducati Monster. It would certainly be a departure from Harley’s usual cruiser fare, but that could be exactly what the brand needs right now.
Harley-Davidson quietly killed the V-Rod when it introduced its 2018 lineup. Could the Bronx be a high-performance V-Rod replacement? There was a market for the V-Rod as a premium performance cruiser, perhaps Harley isn’t planning on abandoning that idea after all.
We reached out to Harley looking for a hint at what the Bronx could be and were told they don’t comment on future products. All that leaves us with is speculation. What do you think the Harley-Davidson Bronx will be?