HARLEY’S GRAND (PRIX) PLAN!

A little more than 20 years ago, there was a series of high-level management meetings at Harley-Davidson headquarters in Milwaukee, on the shores of Lake Michigan.

During these get-togethers there were two opposing factions. First, the old-school Harley executives who were convinced that the Route 66 cult – around which most of its models were built – would last for eternity, forever attracting generations of motorcyclists keen to ride chugging cruisers and tourers that evoked the good-ol’-days vibe of the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s.

Then there was the second faction of execs who were concerned that Harley’s customer base was ageing fast and that the Route 66 dream would eventually die. They were convinced that sportsbikes and superbikes were the future.

In fact Harley had already taken steps down this road, running its VR1000 V-twin in the US superbike championship during the 1990s, with riders Scott Russell, Miguel Duhamel and others. This machine