Harley-Davidson Inc.
Milwaukee
www.harley-davidson.com
Industry: Manufacturing
Innovation: Breakout Motorcycle
Milwaukee-based Harley-Davidson Inc., released the newly designed Breakout Motorcycle at the Bike Week Rally in Daytona, Fla., in March.
With the Breakout, Harley-Davidson took an innovative approach not only to the design but to the process as well.
“We paired one of our youngest designers with one of our veteran designers which was a really inspiring approach,” Ray Drea, chief stylist at Harley Davidson. “We took a look at the geometry of the bike as well as the internal workings and from an innovations standpoint tried to improve the ride of the motorcycle.”
The Breakout features a shaved tank console and a drag handlebar, which gives the bike a low, more relaxed profile, Drea said.
The bike also features chrome and gloss-black trimmed components, which are highlighted on the bike.
“Harley-Davidson is all about the visuals,” said Kirk Rassmussen, manager of styling. “The Breakout bike holds true to that styling but is a tougher version of traditional soft tail bike.”
Rassmussen said the Breakout makes a more modern statement, but harkens back to some of the timeless aesthetics for which Harley-Davidson is known.
The design team and engineers have cut the fenders down to their legal limits, mounted the license plate on the side to keep the fender clean and used really muscular proportioned large diameter wheels.
“It looks very minimalistic,” said Ben McGinley, industrial designer. “The bike consists of one of the lowest consoles we’ve ever done and consists of an extremely lightweight system.”
Another innovative feature is the development of the higher-end custom vehicle version (CVO) that Harley-Davidson introduced six months ago.
The CVO version, according to Drea, includes different finishes and comes in at a higher price point while the original equipment version – just released – is slightly more affordable.
“The launch has exceeded our expectations and the press and the public have responded very positively,” Drea said.
The Breakout is available with ABS (Anti-Lock Braking System) and the Harley-Davidson security system as a factory-installed option. The Breakout sells for $17,899 in “Vivid Black,” and $18,299 in either “Big Blue Pearl” or “Ember Red Sunglo.”
