[Zephyr]

Believe it or not by the Livewire will not be the first electric HD motorcycle. In fact the first of its kind was originally created in 1978 by Steve Fehr of the Transitron Electronic Corporation as a one off model. The factory 900cc combustion engine was replaced with a variable speed electric motor and a series of deep cycle batteries. The 24volt Baldor electric motor was paired up to a four speed automatic transmission via a drive chain that was linked to the rear wheel. The setup apparently allowed the Harley MK2 to reach of top speed of 50mph. The four deep cycle lead acid batteries were said to provide a run time of up to six hours. A total of $70,000 was spent to during the MK2's development, and it recently sold at an auction in 2014; the same year the LiveWire prototype was introduced.

 

[Juiced]

That's pretty neat, had no idea that Harley dabbled with this tech decades ago. If they had to invest that kind of money back in the 70's, I can only imagine what they are currently spending on R&D for the Livewire. A lot is riding on the success of this bike and their future models. Its high time they moved away from their veteran bike club mentality.

 

[eHD]

Shame, we could have had electric bikes, cars and other means of transportation over 100 years ago, but that's what happens when people are able to capitalize on a somewhat finite resource.
Hey at least in the process we got bikes with character, v-twins will be missed.

 

[Zephyr]

Well I cant really imagine the MK2 being a very manageable bike with those extremely heavy lead acid batteries, but its was certainly a proof of concept. Even on the Livewire, weight restrictions are probably the main obstacle that Harley Davidson is facing.

 

[eHD]

It can be argued that on the Livewire we're seeing today that its instant torque makes up for where it falls in weight.
The Motorcycle market is due for carbon fiber frames, its long been done on a supersport level, if Harley can hone it here, the Livewire will address a lot of needs from the A-B rider to enthusiasts.

 

[Juiced]

Yeah I think there are plenty of other areas where Harley can cut weight. But I think its to be expected that an electric propulsion bike, especially from HD, is going to be a bit on the heavier side. So long as its evenly distributed.

 

[eHD]

Yeah I think there are plenty of other areas where Harley can cut weight. But I think its to be expected that an electric propulsion bike, especially from HD, is going to be a bit on the heavier side. So long as its evenly distributed.

Not entirely, not when we're stepping into an era that will see massive growth in carbon fiber adoption. Its slowly hitting higher volume products and Harley can't miss out.