High-res image of new faired Harley Davidson appears online

KUALA LUMPUR: Rumours that Harley-Davidson is working on a new faired bike, was doing the motorcycling circuit for several months now. Back in October, a leaked patent drawing lent a look at what could be in the offing from the Milwaukee-headquartered company. Based on the leaked image, a high-resolution picture of the probable motorcycle by Young Machine, one of the most established motorcycle magazines in Japan, has surfaced online and has since gone viral.

The mechanicals of the new bike, from what appears in the image, seem to be quite similar to the upcoming Harley-Davidson Street Fighter. The faired bike is expected to be hauled by the all-new V-twin, 975cc liquid-cooled dual overhead camshaft (DOHC) engine.

The bubble fairing seen on the high-resolution picture doesn’t seem to be an artist’s creative liberty. Last year, the company filed for a Bar and Shield patent which looked similar to what appears in the latest image. While patents come and go and designs don’t make it to the production stage in many cases, there’s a reasonable chance that the new styling aesthetics may come to life, since Harley-Davidson is trying to reinvent itself.

The design of the faired motorcycle is a departure from what Harley-Davidson has done so far. The company is known to make chrome-laden, bold cruisers. Over the last two years, however, Harley-Davidson has adopted a different design statement which steers clear of its traditional styling aesthetics. Having showcased the Pan-America and Bronx concept bike, the new faired motorcycle is expected to indicate the company’s future plans.

There’s quite a possibility that the faired Harley-Davidson, in its production form, will borrow the design from the 1994 VR1000 racing bike. It was the company’s first ever faired motorcycle and participated in the MotoAmerica Superbike Championships alongside Ducati, Suzuki and other specialist racing motorcycle manufacturers.

The new faired bike, however, is not going to be seen anytime soon since the company usually takes a long time to come up with a new product.

Prices of Harley-Davidson bikes sold in the Malaysian market, meanwhile, have witnessed a major drop with the company beginning full-scale manufacturing operations in Thailand.

Also Read: 2020 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Standard launched at RM 132,400