Harley-Davidson’s new India-made Street 500 and Street 750 entry-level bikes have still not made it into the markets outside their native country, but since we start seeing commercials surfacing, we can only guess that it won’t be long until the dealers start receiving the crates.
Harley’s latest Street 500 commercial shows the bike in its natural habitat, the urban environment. Unlike other bar and shield machines, the Street line-up has been advertised right from the debut as a great choice for the urban rider in search of an affordable Harley, and the advertising message was not the same concoction of clichés about freedom and similar whatnot.
The Street line-up is targeting the younger customers, so it was only natural that the commercials followed in the same direction. For certain riders including myself, the hashtag overflow is not only superfluous and silly, as it sometimes also feels annoying, but it looks like it kind of speaks the language of the new generation of riders… and this makes it a lucrative enterprise.
During the last years, Harley seems to have slowly started to explore new directions, in order to expand the customer pool and the bikes made in India are just the perfect way to catch the attention of people who could/would actually sign a check for them. Cheaper than the Sportster 883, powered by a more modern-approach liquid-cooled engine and with carefully-conserved Harley DNA and character despite their smaller displacement, the Streets might be the start of a new generation of bikes.
eir price point which is rumored to slot under $7,000 (€5,150) in the US will definitely make them quite attractive for the new rider in search of the best first bike. This commercial may look too much on the hipster side, but the message is perfect for the customers it targets, and this makes is great. Now, if only Harley would bring back badass commercials for the rest of their bikes… (sigh).
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