Because of what I do, I've got a lot of 'feelers' out in the world. So I wasn't too terribly shocked to see an article about a new electric motorcycle, but I was surprised to see Harley's name attached to it.
For those that don't know, Harley is the first major motorcycle manufacturer to bring an all electric motorcycle to market: the Livewire. Initial reaction to the bike is its price tag, coming in at $30K (which is $8,300 over what MSRP is on a vivid black 2020 Road Glide - a popular touring model).
And now the bikes play a main roll in the new series A Long Way Up, also staring Ewan Mcgregor and Charlie Boorman. You can catch it on Apple tv - follow along as they ride Livewires from the tip of Argentina, all the way up South America to L.A. Quite the adventure!!
But, with all that is going on (the pandemic, presidential election, climate change, etc.), is Harley really coming out with another electric motorcycle now?
Of course I dived into the article, which mentioned the same things I just did about the Livewire. Notably, the price. So a more affordable electric option would be nice! While we were in Milwaukee last summer for the annual dealer meeting, we did get the chance to hop on a Livewire and take it for a spin. What a blast it is to ride!! Smooth & quite -you really zip right along. And easier to ride too: no clutch or shifting gears to worry about, you just twist the throttle and go!! But, as previously mentioned, that $30K price tag is a bit much for me just now, even with a tax break.
The same day this article caught my eye, our District Manager for Harley-Davidson popped in the dealership for a visit, so I asked him about it. Did he know anything? There's no 'Revival' (the name of the 'new' bike) on Harley's 'Future Vehicles' webpage or their 'Electric Concepts' webpage. Unfortunately he did not, although brought up the possibility that it might have been leaked. After all, when the MoCo was getting ready to release its newest motor (the Milwaukee-Eight), that had been leaked as well.
So I investigated further. Enlarging pictures of the 'Revival' (that's what the bike is named) that are attached to the article, I could read the text which mentions that customers could swap out the battery for a fresh one at a H-D Kiosk. They wouldn't actually 'own' the battery, just exchange it as needed -which would help to reduce the overall cost of the bike. The pictures also say that there is a way to plug in to recharge, so you can get to a 'swap station' or dealer. Still, Harley does not list this as a 'future' bike on their website, and no mention of when this bike would be seen in the market tho...
Next step was for me to Google the name mentioned in the article: Tanner Van De Veer. Turns out he's a recent graduate from the University of Cincinnati College of DAAP, and he's designed for more than just Harley.
The bad news is that his concept, the Harley-Davidson Revival, was Tanner's thesis project, created in an academic setting for educational purposes only. It is not in affiliation with Harley, at this point anyways.
The good news is that more and more people are thinking about the MoCo, coming up with ways for it to continue its success for another 117 years down the road.
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Electric Vehicles are our future. Most major car companies have cars and trucks already in the market or working on them. Sure, right now charging is another issue (mainly because Tesla EV Charging Stations won't work with other electric vehicles), but the tide will turn there as well.
As the technologies get better, the prices will come down. I'm old enough to remember when microwave ovens first came out: BIG pieces of equipment that could barely fit on the kitchen counter, expensive but didn't work very well... Who else remembers those icy cold middle parts of your meal?? And there was plenty of people that said, "I don't wanna nuke my food!!" But of course now you're hard pressed to find a home without a microwave, and you can buy them new for less than $100.
Best of luck to Tanner!! I hope to see his concept bike come to fruition in the near future with Harley.
