The VR1000-Styled Sportbike Rumors Abound

Brand Cachet

Is Harley-Davidson building a VR1000-inspired sportbike? It is only speculation at this point, but there is a good indication that the Motor Company will release a sports model in the next few years. The move raises some tough questions about where a MoCo sportbike would rank in an already saturated market and will brand cachet be enough to swing the so-called 'crotch rocket' diehards?

VR1000 Racebike

Odds are that no, sportbike aficionados will not be swayed — at least not initially. A new Harley-Davidson sportbike would have to earn its chops on both the street and the track. Japanese and Italian firms also pose stiff competition with over forty years of manufacturing and racing experience. The thing is, Harley-Davidson already built a sportbike — the VR1000 racebike.

>>Join in the conversation about this VR1000 right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

Beyond Reproach

Designed to compete on the fierce AMA Superbike battleground, the VR1000 was Harley-Davidson's first purpose-built racebike. In 1994, Sport Rider magazine asked, “How good is it? As a modern sportbike, it’s fantastic, almost beyond reproach. Most manufacturers go racing with a modified street bike, but Harley- Davidson built the racer first and is only now beginning to think about streetability.”

>>Join in the conversation about this VR1000 right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

Base Model

The Motor Company's possible new sportbike first appeared in More Roads to Harley-Davidson. The 2018 promotional video featured a two-second clip of a clay mock-up, replete with a fairing. Judging by the seat and exhaust configuration the base model appears to be the Bronx. Due for release in 2020, the MoCo's new 'naked bike' streetfighter will probably be unveiled in August at the Dealer Meeting.

>>Join in the conversation about this VR1000 right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

Ornamental Design

Harley-Davidson further excited the rumor mill when they filed a 2019 bodywork patent. Drawings were accompanied by a vague description, “the ornamental design for a motorcycle fairing.” A 2019 Cycle World article proposed that the front cowling was meant to be fitted around the new 950cc or 1250cc Revolution Max engine. They wrote, “The fairing’s side vents hint at the presence of a radiator, and a V-Twin.”

>>Join in the conversation about this VR1000 right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

Horsepower Mark

The 1250cc Revolution Max is expected to produce in the neighborhood of 145 horsepower and more than 90-foot pounds of torque. While impressive, are these numbers enough? The direct competition in the V-Twin category is Ducati, who boasts 159 horsepower from their Testastretta DVT 1262cc engine. Similar displacement sportbikes, but with the inline-four configuration, are now hovering around the 200 horsepower mark.

>>Join in the conversation about this VR1000 right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

Bronx Variant

It is doubtful that Harley-Davidson is building a whole new sportbike motor. It is more likely that the Motor Company's new sportbike will be offered as a faring-equipped Bronx 'Sport' variant. One definite in all the speculation are renderings from excited internet-artists, such as the above composite that oddly resembles a Suzuki Katana fitted with a V-Rod engine.

>>Join in the conversation about this VR1000 right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

Track First

A rendering from Japanese motorcycle magazine Young Machine is considered the most accurate to date. With declining sales and the recent departure of CEO Matt Levatich, the Motor Company needs a win. A sportbike might be just the answer to appeasing a new breed of rider, but it needs to win at the track first — something the VR1000 never quite managed to secure.

>>Join in the conversation about this VR1000 right here in Harley-Davidson Forums.

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