It is one of the more exciting models proposed by Harley-Davidson in recent years, but there are now suggestions the Bronx Streetfighter may no longer be in line for a series production debut in 2021.
When it comes to Harley-Davidson there are a lot of unknown factors surrounding the American manufacturers future, many of which are the result of new CEO Jochen Zeitz’s ReWire business plan.
Chief among these unknowns are which of Harley-Davidson’s highly anticipated new models will make it into production in the future. While we’ve previously covered the Motor Co.’s delay on its new 1250cc and 950cc water-cooled models – previously due out this year – which have now been delayed until 2021, it appears that the ReWire plan may have claimed its first high-profile scalp in the form of the Bronx Streetfighter model.
While Harley-Davidson has not confirmed the model’s demise, the company’s official website harley-davidson.com no longer lists the Bronx alongside the upcoming Pan America Adventure Tourer as a future model.
We got in touch with Harley-Davidson's official Public Relations firm in Australasia to ask whether the model has been axed, with a representative offering the following statement:
"Regarding the Bronx - At this stage we can confirm Bronx and Pan America have been pushed back to 2021. We can update you with more accurate timings as they come in."
That doesn't sound like the model has seen the axe just yet, but with the internet rife with rumours we won't be surprised if there is some truth to the model's potential demise.
If true, it's a blow for those riders who were hoping to see a sort-of revival of the properly sporty Harley-Davidson models in a similar vein to the Buell sub-brand of old, but it does make sense in line with the ReWire strategy.
Under ReWire, Harley-Davidson is pulling back from certain global markets and re-prioritising its range of motorcycle offerings to focus on its “core” business – essentially the opposite to what sacked CEO Matthew Levitich had planned for the company.
While it appears the Pan America is still due to make full production as a likely result of the popularity of the adventure segment worldwide and the model slotting in well with Harley’s other touring motorcycles, the streetfighter, the Bronx, hasn’t been as lucky.
As a streetfighter, much of the bike’s potential success would have been reliant upon the performance of the Bronx in comparison to the already potent European offerings such as the Triumph Street/Speed Triple and KTM’s 890 Duke R.
While the Bronx was a radical departure from Harley-Davidson’s core if its performance wasn’t up to the task of taking on the cutting edge European competition Harley could have seen the venture as too high a risk for the company to take in its current financial situation which has seen the company report repeated losses in recent years.