Power Wheels has sold one for years.
My granddaughters have one:
Harley dealers and riders refused to back the V-ROD for not being a “true” Harley. Imagine what those knuckleheads will say of an electric bike.
BZZZT BZZZT
Awesome, ‘cuz whisper-quiet bikes are so much safer than loud ones. /s
Harley dealers and riders refused to back the V-ROD for not being a “true” Harley. Imagine what those knuckleheads will say of an electric bike.
http://project.harley-davidson.com/en_US
Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle. Only available on the Project LiveWire™ Experience Tour.
I’ll stick to my 93 FXR, thank you very much.
The DUMBASSES at Harley-Davidson Desperately TRYING to go BANKRUPT for a 2nd TIME!
Ping! Or maybe it should be BZZZZZ
Power Wheels has sold one for years.
My granddaughters have one:
If it doesn’t leak Oil, it isn’t a Harley.
Will it come with a PA system for making Harley-like engine noise? /S
I’m surprised they didn’t make it a front wheel drive, and get George Michaels to do the commercial music.
More data at:
Harley-Davidson’s First Electric Motorcycle Surprisingly Doesn’t Suck
http://www.wired.com/2014/06/harley-davidson-livewire/
excerpted:
enge in building the LiveWire was the shift from building a bike around an engine to building one around a battery. A battery is heavy—Harley wouldn’t say what the pack weighs, but one EV expert told us something with the range and recharge time Harley claims would be around 250 pounds—so engineers had to cut weight elsewhere. The cast aluminum perimeter frame wrapped around the battery box weighs just 14 pounds, which makes it a full eight pounds lighter than the Zero’s frame. The wheels have hollow spokes, and Harley claims they’re among the lightest aluminum wheels it’s ever produced...
The high-pitched whir of the longitudinally-mounted, three-phase AC induction motor reverberates through the chassis, amplifying the sound. It starts off quietly, then builds in pitch and volume as the bike gains speed. It’s louder than you’d think...
The LiveWire offers 74 horsepower, 52 foot-pounds of torque and a (governed) top speed of 92 mph. It’s more powerful and quicker off the line than the $13,000 Zero DS, but it’s got less torque and range. That said, it’s got more torque and power than Harley’s Iron 883...
Harley isn’t saying much about the drivetrain beyond saying the bike uses a lithium-ion battery with a range of 53 miles. It charges in 3.5 hours at 220 volts. Assuming the bike has a 3.3 kw charging system like other electric motorcycles, some back-of-the-envelope math suggests the LiveWire uses a 10 kilowatt-hour pack. Twist the throttle and the bike leaps forward with authority. Roll off the throttle and the regenerative braking kicks in, bringing the bike down from speed with due efficiency...
RIP Harley-Davidson.
And why not? Most HD riders are over 55. HD needs to expand its market. They added a couple of smaller bikes this year and are test marketing an electric bike.
Harley has been quite successful at market segmentation with its big twins and Sportsters. For the serious distance rider like me, the FLH models are fabulous. For the bar hopper and commuters, the softtail models rule. The Road Kings fit the middle distance rider. The Sportsters are for the ladies and younger, entry-level riders.
The V-Rod and the Buell models didn’t work out very well because the competition had them beat from the beginning. Perhaps an early entry into the electric bike market will work out better.
For short distances, I ride a Stella Scooter and a Yamaha 2-stroke Zuma moped. They aren’t as fast as the new electric model, but they cost about 10% as much and I can park the Zuma at a bike rack. I think they are a better choice for urban short trips.
There is a growing market for “street fighter” models. The electric bike may fill that segment.
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Yes and it comes with SISSY BARS!
I don’t think this will sell well....