When we think of Harley-Davidson motorcycles it may be difficult to visualise which will be their best selling bike for 2022…and this is mainly because of changes to their model line up whether by choice or by force.
The traditional sportster class has been rapidly reduced over the last couple of years with many countries not permitting its sale due to not meeting modern emissions standards. The Sportsters were always global leading in terms of sales but as the models were cut, so did the units sold. Up to the end of the 3rd quarter of 2021 Sportsters sales were down to 19,262 whereas the Tourers were up to 79,485 and cruisers 52,117 with Adventure touring at 8,555
We know the Pan America did incredibly well after its launch last February and became the top selling ADV in the USA, but can it hold on to top spot in the domestic market and how will it fare on the global stage? However let us be frank…the 8.5K sales figures are not going to make the company leap ahead of recent sales numbers anytime soon.
It is most likely once again that the top selling bikes will be the tourers and cruisers but the Street Glide may have to fight it out again with the Road Glide for top position. As for the tourers, well it could very well be the Low Rider S and its planned changes by the company that might see it hit the top slot.
Whilst the numbers should be good for the Sportster S, it will take some time to reach the dizzying heights of it predecessor.
We will soon have the full 2021 sales figures but the early indications are the company recovered somewhat in terms of sales growth over the globally struck 2020 however they are still marginally down on 2019 but it appears that compared to other major brands in similar spaces, they are playing catch up once more.
2022 could be the defining moment for Harley-Davidson as it looks to capitalise on the growing popularity of the Revolution Max engine in the Sportster S and Pan America. If they are rumoured to be releasing more RMax motorcycles this year and coupled with the ever strong touring sales and reworked Softail line up with the big push on the Low Rider S variants…then this could really be a strong year for the company, especially as many might well want to get the last production year of the remaining 883s and Forty Eight Sportsters too.