..... I have never owned a Harley (or any motorcycle for that matter) but I have always admired them and their sound as an iconic piece of "Americana." Now it seems Harley is going electric. The design looks wicked:




Supposedly, no clutch, no shifting, 0 - 60 in 3 seconds, and a 140 mile range. Price: $30,000.00 and coming in the fall.

I dunno .... what do you "real Harley" guys think?

See:

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019...-electric-motorcycle-goes-0-60-3-seconds

I think electric motorcycles will be the best sellers in the electric market for a while until us old folks get our heads wrapped around electric cars.

Around here average charge rates are 35 cents per minute + 1 dollar. Average cost per 20% charge 10.87. So a 70% charge up runs roughly 40 bucks. Plus many states and cities are looking at 500-1000 dollar added fees on licensing for electric vehicles due to loss of gas tax. 😀

If it don't sound like a Harley, Harley guys aren't gonna give two schits about it..

Owning a Harley is all about "look at me and hear me roar".

They are going to need to develop an entire new customer base, good luck with that.

Somebody is scamming the crap outta somebody around you.

New York is high at 2.99 an hour at some EV charging stations...some states are adding a EV tax to your tags to support road repair..

That's the plan to grow new riders.

A good portion of the traditional customer base are 1)dying, 2)can't ride anymore due to broken down bodies, 3)moved on to boats and other toys, 4)got sick of hd virtue signaling to the homos and deviants.

HD is making a huge investment into the other mc segments, dual sport, electric, while remaining committed to HD touring and cruiser mc. The current and new rider customer goals are global, not singly USA focused.

Electrify America Lincoln Casey's DC Charging Station (CSS 350kw)
12/06/18
$0.35/minute + $1/session

Electrify America Council Bluffs (Lake Manawa) DC Chargin Station (CSS 150 or 350kW)
12/13/18
$0.35/minute + $1/session

Being scammed on what? That’s the damn rates.

0-60 in 3 seconds, I'm gonna need a strap to hold me to the seat

It is fast but runs out of juice quickly.

The new Harleys dont sound like Harleys either.

Or at least the last of the Twin Cams didnt.

Can you charge them at home?

The OP link claims 140 miles of city driving and you can charge it at home or much quicker at HD dealers for free.

Those rates are stupid high, I'm not doubting they are charging that but there are some things to consider.

Those are level 3 fast chargers, the fastest and of course the most expensive way to charge a EV.
But even at that those rates are still stupid high..

I guess it don't matter, from the looks of your typical Harley rider today it's a dying breed anyway, there is gray hair under every helmet...

Ever push a motorcycle?

Harley Davidson is clutching at straws trying to stay relevant.

I've owned a couple of Harleys and I liked them just fine. But I think the big retro cruiser popularity has passed.

I don't think electric motorcycles are the path back for HD.

I was surprised to hear Kawasaki stopped making the KLR650. I've been told they were going to replace it with a multi cylinder fuel injected model

I thought the appeal of those enduros was the single jug simplistic approach

I don't know if Harley makes an viable enduro or not but that might be an avenue into the younger set.

I read where all the big thumpers are in the crosshairs.

They cant really update them and make emissions.

Honda recently came out with a bike that is 10 grand and needs an overhaul every weekend!

Apparently this new tech has rendered the xr650l and the dr650 obsolete!

I have a friend here that just put some huge money into a new Harley Shop, it's 44,000 sq.ft. and gorgeous. I don't really get it, people must come from out of town to buy bikes from him, our community hosts a population of 3100 people.
What I see moving out of his store in droves is the HD three wheeler's, gray hair on every rider. It's like Harley is catering to and following their customer base right to the grave.

As long as it can be done in a parking lot that will be OK....

In Colorado they charge a 50.00 fee once a year per vehicle. Then you have to pay for the electricity to charge the batteries.

By ROBERT CHANNICK
| CHICAGO TRIBUNE |
MAY 10, 2019 | 9:15 AM

https://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-electric-vehicle-fee-illinois-20190509-story.html

A proposed hike in Illinois’ annual registration fee for electric vehicles, from $17.50 to $1,000, is being called unfair by current EV owners, and a sales disincentive by manufacturers — just as the new technology is beginning to gain broader traction.
“It’s outrageous,” said Nicoletta Skarlatos, 56, of Chicago, who bought a Tesla Model S five years ago. “I thought Illinois was progressive and would want to encourage EV ownership.”
Aimed at raising money to make overdue road improvements across Illinois, the proposed legislation would also more than double the state’s gas tax to 44 cents a gallon and raise the registration fee for standard vehicles to $148, from $98, among other elements.
But the kicker is a nearly 60-fold increase in the electric vehicle registration fee — one that is sure to cause sticker shock across a nascent segment of the auto industry, which has depended on government incentives to entice early adopters.
Hybrids and plug-in electric hybrids, which both use gas to supplement electric power, are not included in the $1,000 fee proposal.

😀

Yes.

I agree.

They should be working on stuff like this IMO:

https://www.indianmotorcycle.com/en-us/ftr1200-s/

Electric Harley will never be a real Harley.

HD is releasing an adventure type motorcycle and a "street fighter" type bike much like the Indian you linked for 2020.

I think they're fighting an uphill battle with the adventure bike. It's got some very established competition and it's got to be at least as good as what's already available. People aren't going to buy an adventure type bike because it's a HD.

HD has the resources to compete. But they're going to have to offer a comparable product at a competitive price. They can't just ride the HD name any longer.

Here's the prototype. In my opinion, it's main competition is the Triumph Tiger.

https://www.harley-davidson.com/us/en/motorcycles/future-vehicles/adventure-touring.html

Yikes.

That gonna be a tough row to hoe...

Everybody is moving to electric. Cars, trucks, cycles and even planes.
Problems are fast being solved.

Seems like everyone has to cater to the millennial if they want to stay in business. I'm just an old fart on a dirt bike for as long as I can ride it.

Millenial?

I guess I just fail to see the "problems" that are needing solved which you speak of....

Yeah I'm aware.

But Harley won't be at the forefront of any of them.

Not even on their best day.

Who told you these things?

I have own two Honda motorcycles and several cars. One thing in common...they almost never break down.

This from the same company who ditched Buell

Buy the electric bike and a Honda generator to carry on the back.

Harley threw their future in the dumpster with the Buells.



https://www.cycleworld.com/2010/03/...t-part-2-the-death-of-buell-motorcycles/

The time to charge sort of kills the idea of extended trips, or at a minimum, some careful planning is required.

Well, the problem is their customer base is dying off and not buying new Harleys. They're just trying to embrace the future by making a commuter bike that might appeal to a whole new group of people. Some people here act like Harley is going to make them buy the thing and join GreenPeace.

I'm hoping they have one for demo at Bikes, Blues, and BBQ this year. I usually burn several hours of their gas, and I'd love to see how much torque that thing has.

As pointed out on the electric truck thread, the really neat thing is the seamless pulling power and acceleration.

They say you have to experience it for yourself to believe it.

I want to try that.

Battery powered devices are definitely on the increase. So far I have a cordless Toro weed eater that works as well as anything I've tried. As mentioned previously, I also have a 58V Echo cordless chainsaw with a 16" bar.

The chainsaw is a high quality unit and it does a very good job. I've done a lot of cutting with it. So far I've taken down 6 fairly good sized trees with it. The biggest one was about 40' tall and measured 22" in diameter close to the ground. I've got a lot more to do with it in the fall.

I think the cordless electric chainsaws are going to start taking a big piece of the home owner chainsaw market very soon. They're just so convenient to use that it's hard to think about buying a gas chainsaw after you spend some time with one,..and they're improving them every year.

The only downside is, the high quality cordless chainsaws are fairly pricey.

And lame. Thats also a downside.

I am not a rider and I don't think much of it, looks like something the village people would ride.

2 stroke gas engines are the bane of mankind. If Honda ever makes a chainsaw with one of its hot revvin' little 4 stroke motors, I might be willing to buy one.

But I won't do 2 stroke gas motors.

Personally, I did not like the little 4 stroke Honda motors I have had.


Talking about the tiny ones on a trimmer or something.


WAY less reliable than my two strokes.


We schit canned all of them on the farm and went with Stihl 4 mix engines.


Wery goood!



We must be getting around different engines.......my two strokes are boringly reliable.

No chit, if it don't look like a Harley, don't sound like a Harley, it just isn't a Harley!

So how does this electric one sound?

"Loud pipes save lives" and all that...

In your case it would probably sound like a "Big John Super-slim" so you will feel at home.

Nonsense. They can and they will continue to ride one of the biggest names in motorcycles.

I’m not a biker but I want to know is how are they gonna make it sound like a Harley? Are they going to put baseball cards in the spokes or what? 😮

Simple enough, hang a tin of rocks from the rear and a point of oil at the bottom (with a hole in it).

I spent the better part (literally) of my younger years on motorcycles and have zero interest in any of them now, whether electric or gas. I've also owned electric cars for the past 5 or so years and have no idea why anyone would want an electric motorcycle. The instant torque of electric vehicles is a lot of fun with four wheels but on two, it's probably going to give new life to the idea that motorcyclists are organ donors. Of all the things I ever complained about when riding, needing more torque was at the bottom of the list. So you get a lot more of what you don't need, a lot less of what you want (easy and fast refueling anywhere, badass noises) for a lot more money.

HD's seem to spend a fair amount of time in the shop. My son bought a '06 or '08 Sportster from a HD dealer about 3 years ago. Spent more time in the shop than ridden the first year, brakes, clutch, idling problems. Still has idling problems especially when cold and has an electrical glitch that will kill the battery if not driven for a few days. Not impressed with reliability. Reviews mention reliability as the number one problem with HD.

I think the electric dirt bikes are totally badassed.
I've used dirt bikes for years to access forest service roads that have kelly humps and gates in the way when hunting.. A silent dirt bike? you bet....

They have a taken a stronger hold in the UK than here...

https://wqad.com/2014/08/08/sterlin...harley-davidson-themed-caskets-and-urns/


https://www.pinterest.com/pin/337488565807548682/

Gotta have the leaking oil option to "keep it real"

Perzactly. Hardcore Harley riders are uniformly afflicted with the "notice me" syndrome and buy HD's precisely BECAUSE they're loud. By pandering to the "green" crowd, who have little interest in riding motorcycles, Harley will only succeed in alienating its existing client base. Brilliant marketing strategy.

You'll be able to hear your passenger on a electric Harley too.

It'll open a whole new market for biker babe attire...

Probably because it's quite a small country and if they can hear your dirtbikes you can be sure there will be someone complaining about the noise and pollution and damage and wanting to stop you riding.

Laughing!

Harley's aren't loud unless you make them loud by modifying them.

...or can be modified to make them loud. Like I said: Notice Me.

True... The M8 just doesn't sound like the HO103s.... When I drop down to just one bike the '18 Street Glide's going away and I'm keeping the '14 Ultra.. That '14 has been the best, most comfortable, best performing bike I've ever had..

As to the Livewire, good luck to HD - they're gonna need it re: that model... Maybe I'm totally off - but methinks it'll have the same life as the Rem Etronix rifle...

"Loud pipes save lives"...

interesting read about Buell

I agree that being inside a Harley Dealership was a bad idea. Put them along Yamaha's and Kawasaki's and they would have sold more. How many more I don't know. I always see them competitively priced in the used bike market.

Pass! gayer that a train load of buttholes!

Steve McQueen says [bleep] an electric Harley.
I'd take a TR6 desert sled everyday and twice on Sunday over that gay POS.

I rode an '81 xt225 with plates off an '85 Virago 1000. That may or may not have been "borrowed" out of a blockbuster video parking lot from age 18-19. Ran from the popo several times usually losing them by cutting through some yards to an adjacent street. No insurance, never registered and no M designation in the driver's license.
Can't imagine being a dumbass kid like that on a battery powered Harley.

With modern sound reproduction technology it'll sound just like any other Harley. If the Motor Company is really clever they'll add a volume knob. Customers could go anywhere between dead silent running to full on Harley Phag. No need to modify the bike in any way to do it.

I hope the 2 guys that buy them, at least ride together a little...

I had an 05 Sportster for about 15,000 miles. Absolutely reliable. Cheapest bike I ever owned, as far as maintenance. The 2009 Low Rider I have now, has also been very good, but I haven't had it long.