After indicating a shutdown of its India operations, Harley-Davidson is now slowly implementing its Rewire strategy in other major markets. The fact that the Harley push rods will not be upgraded to Euro5 norms is clear evidence. The Rewire was planned after Harley reported a $92 million loss in second quarter of this year. As a part of the new strategy, the brand will be exiting a bunch of international markets and focusing on those where the brand is doing well to promote the spirit of riding that started the cruiser bike revolution.
The American manufacturer will use the upcoming regulations in Europe as an opportunity to condense its line-up. And it looks as though its 750cc V2, 883cc V2 and 1,202cc V2 engines won’t be updated for 2021, when the Euro 5 emission norms will be enforced. That means the Street 750, Street Rod, Iron 883, Super Low, Sportster 1200 Custom, Iron 1200, Forty-Eight, Forty-Eight Special, Super Low 1200T and Roadster models will be dropped from the European line-up by the end of the year. Adapting engines to meet the new requirements can be quite an expensive process. And considering the low sales figures for the bikes in Europe, it’s unlikely H-D will be in a rush to update them soon.
While H-D India had updated the Street 750 to meet BS6 norms in April when the regulations kicked in, the bikes that remain on sale in India today, can probably be picked up at discounted prices if you're quick enough. Harley has already confirmed that it will support buyers with after-sales service and spare parts through its dealer network.
The Hardwire (which will succeed the Rewire in 2021-25) will see even more aggressive restructuring. Sadly, it may be the only thing that keeps Harley up and running in the global market.