Here are my choices based on several criteria. 1. Has to be available in Canada and have decent dealer support 2. Has to add something new and exciting to the segment. 3. Has to be a nice bike, of course.
Triumph just launched a new 900 Rally in Morocco yesterday. Supposed to be available here this spring. Might fit your needs.
Good or not, that T7s gonna sell like hotcakes at that price. I'm curious who the HD customers are though. I don't think your typical HD crowd will be interested, and I think the price of admission will be BMW or above. So if the slipper wearing pipe smoking crowd is already on GSs, who's buying the HD?
Very good point. I think that Harley's only hope is that the Pan America is lighter and performs better than the Beemer, a tall order to be sure. In North America HD has a large dealer network which would be attractive to ADV customers. That front headilight though...
Well it is a North American product, this means something to some people. It does not have to be the best of the best out of the box to be a success. BUT, big BUT, HD has had a bad habit of dropping new models like a hot pot. This does not endear them to buyers of these products. I have my first HD, a Road king, it is not a bad MC. Good on the open highway.
I don't believe for 1 second that company even has a concept of how to remove weight from anything, but we'll see, and more competition is usually good, it just depends if they're out of touch with their buyers.
I wouldn't expect Harley to provide anything that isn’t form over function. They are a design company selling lifestyle and imagery.
I believe that Harley is really invested in the Pan America because they went to the trouble of developing a new engine/frame for it. Most of their other models are pretty modular and only contain cosmetic differences, which makes introducing new models easy. You just slap some new parts on an existing platform. This one had some serious R&D cost.
I think you'll find their motivation for designing a new motor has more to do with new emission standards that an air cooled motor won't pass than it does any sort of form/function argument, but that's only my opinion. Also by that same argument, one would think they would have been more invested in the V-Rod too, but we all know that didn't happen.
Don't know about the new Strom but the last version left me disinterested after a 2 hr test ride. Might have been partly attributable to the severe head buffeting, but the bike just didn't connect with me. And, I went there with cash, ready to buy, thinking this would be just the right bike for me. I love my old DRZ, thought the Strom would be great too. Hope this new one is good, hate to see Suzuki going down the tubes. I'd like to get a decent test ride on the new Tenere T7. If the suspension works at speed, off-road, it would be worth the investment to me, having little use for silly electrons interfering with my ride.
I am an X GSA/K100 owner now own HD. I would say BMW is expensive to own & maintain, all German machines, cars, bikes the lot. This goes for KTM too maybe, never owned one. Expensive to buy, good product, need lots of expensive maintenance. If the German stuff was as good as they think they are it would be untouchable. We could talk about the German's and two world wars as well if you like.
Funny how you love the 20 yr old drz but not the ever changing 650 or 1k Stroms.. Not much more disinteresting than a DRZ, other than maybe a mid 80s KLR.