I’m not convinced it makes sense for Harley to make a beginner bike. It would make sense for the rider but not necessarily for Harley. I suspect folks who want HD go get one. I’ve certainly seen plenty of beginner riders on 1000cc+ cruisers (not necessarily HD). I know one old lady with arthritis whose first bike is a 1800cc Victory. That thing is huge. Seems to me that in the States, bigger is better and that applies more to the cruiser market than others.
There would also be the danger of watering down the brand image if they made a ‘beginner’ bike. Seems like this is what concerns Buell but if it’s good enough for Honda/Kawasaki/Suzuki/Yamaha I’m not sure what concerns them. If they are trying to turn themselves into a premium brand like Ducatti, they have a long difficult road ahead of them.