Is the 500cc Harley Destined to Become This Generation's Aermacchi or Hummer?

Is the 500cc Harley Destined to Become This Generation’s Aermacchi or Hummer?

By John Coyle - October 1, 2013

When a company has been around for over a century, there’s bound to be some oddball stuff—if not outright skeletons—in the company closet. Remember the Harley Golf Cart? In my opinion, the H-D branded Aermacchis and Hummers fall squarely into the oddball category—even if I do think the Italian cousin is kind of sexy.

Now, I honestly hadn’t thought about the MoCo’s European stepchildren for years, but with Harley set to produce a new 500cc bike, I started wondering about where this small-bore machine would fit into the company history. While I realize these bikes would be built from the ground up and not rebadged European rides, I kind of see the 500cc H-Ds becoming this generation’s Aermacchi or Hummer, less real products than weird footnotes in the company story.

What do you think? Head over to the forum and sound off! >>