Today, along with its plans for a new streetfighter, adventure bike and roadster-style cruiser, Harley-Davidson also announced its intentions to boost its electric vehicle lineup.
We already knew Harley-Davidson was planning to sell an electric motorcycle, presumably some iteration of the Livewire design, by 2020. We also knew Harley-Davidson was teaming up with Alta on two new electric models for sale in coming months.
Now, we have an idea of what the new electric machines will look like.
Although the bikes in the feature image are all futuristic battery-powered concepts, they all riff somewhat on Harley-Davidson’s history; there’s a flat track-styled bike referencing the old days of the all-conquering XR750. There’s also an e-bike and scooter concept, both of which reference Harley-Davidson’s sensible commuter options (many of them rebadged Euro machines) which were common enough until the Japanese took over the market in force in the late ’60s and early ’70s, with cheaper, more reliable options. Calling back to those days is smart, as those bikes are more in tune with the economically-pressed reality of today, not the excessive bling-happy spending spree that sold so many large cruisers 20 years ago.
Harley-Davidson also said it was moving the Livewire availability to August 2019, and released an updated picture (below).
So, all in all, a big day for Harley-Davidson. There’ll be plenty to talk about at this year’s 115th anniversary celebrations in Milwaukee, for sure.
Never thought I’d have a reason to step foot in a Harley dealership, but there it is.
How do I buy stock in HD?
Wow, nice. It’s an improvement over the Alta bike. Someone at HD is possessed by an interesting creative person. Way too much creativity coming out of the HD headquarters. Weird, just weird.