“That’s a Harley?”
From the 1st sentence it sounds like HD wants to compete with Yamaha, Kawasaki, Ducati and Triumph in a particular market. IIRC the VROD was developed to compete with the Japanese sport bikes (aka organ donors).
I own a Triumph Bonneville T-100. Its got a classic look (think Steve McQueen’s bike in “The Great Escape”) and has is awesome to ride. My only complaint is that the starter sucks. For some reason, the British have never perfected the starter. They must also have trouble with the supply chain ‘cause it takes a long time to get parts too.
This Harley would directly compete with the T-100. I’d be willing to give it a try. However, I feel like I always get dissed or ignored when I walk into a Harley dealership. It may be because I don’t look like the stereotypical Harley customer. That feeling of alienation may be why I haven’t bought any Harley’s so far.
“Japanese sport bikes (aka organ donors).”
I think the term you’re looking for is “donor cycle”