For decades, Harley-Davidson has been the face of the motorcycle industry. Known for their large hogs featuring immense power and sleek design, these motorcycles have made their way to cities and towns across the United States. In large part, their wide success can be contributed to their innovativeness and achievement within the motorcycle industry. The most recent of those innovations is a newly announced lineup of motorcycles. The new lineup is based on their classic Cruiser but comes in many different forms.
The most prominent new model is called the Livewire. The key feature of this model is not what it looks like but rather how it runs. The model is fully electric, but to the visible eye that is not obvious. Like past motorcycles from Harley-Davidson, the new bike is a premium model. It draws upon characteristics of many previous editions Harley-Davidson to create a powerful, yet easy to ride motorcycle.
The motorcycle is the result of a project taken on by Harley-Davidson to explore electric motorcycles. The project, known as Project LiveWire, centered around thousands of riders around the world providing feedback and opinions on what a true electric motorcycle should feel like, look like, and most importantly, run like. Each rider had a chance to test Harley-Davidson’s model and give feedback to refine the design. The feedback was evaluated and used to create this truly one-of-a-kind model.
One of the main highlights in this model is the expression of individuality. Although electric, the model still offers Sonic style and performance to match its good looks. Unlike traditional motorcycles, this bike will not feature a clutch and will utilize a “Twist-and-Go” feature on the handlebars.
In light of the excitement generated by this new model, there are plans to follow up on this exciting model of electric motorcycles to create a portfolio of two-wheeled electric vehicles. Currently, the new models, which are not yet for sale, are set to be available in North America and parts of Europe first. While the bike was designed at Harley-Davidson’s Product Development Center in Wisconsin, it will be manufactured in a Harley-Davidson state-of-the-art facility in York, Pennsylvania. No official release date has been set, but the bike will launch in 2019 as part of the “More Roads to Harley-Davidson” growth plan.
In addition to the Livewire, Harley-Davidson also released designs for three other very different bikes, which are designed to target a broader range of riders and pave for the future for motorcycle manufacturing.
