Harley Davidson this week announced it’s created a prototype electric motorcycle, called Project LiveWire, that will be touring the country — including Route 66 — so riders can see it, ride it, and offer feedback to the company.
… The Project LiveWire Experience invites customers to test ride, provide feedback and learn more about the story of the motorcycle. Even those who don’t yet ride will have the opportunity to feel the power of Project LiveWire through Jumpstart – a simulated riding experience.
A 2014 U.S. tour – kicking off with a journey down Route 66 – will visit more than 30 Harley-Davidson dealerships now through the end of the year. In 2015, the Project LiveWire Experience will continue in the U.S. and expand into Canada and Europe.
Harley’s website, the full U.S. tour schedule for LiveWire will be announced next week.
The motorcycle will not yet be offered for sale, nor have any specs been released about the motorcycle. But an article in Yahoo! Finance provides some helpful perspective:
… An electric street bike from Mission Motorcycles with a range of 140 miles and a top speed of 150 miles an hour sells for $59,000, but you can pay $75,000 if you’re so inclined. It is not unrealistic to think that a Harley electric would cost somewhere around that price.
If there is any single thing that defines a Harley, it is the bike’s rumbly, throaty sound, but the company is not going to try to replicate that on the electric version. Instead, the company’s chief marketing officer said, “Think fighter jet on an aircraft carrier. Project LiveWire’s unique sound was designed to differentiate it from internal combustion and other electric motorcycles on the market.”
Harley also produced this teaser video of LiveWire:
https://youtu.be/t6F8O5A__Ds
(Image courtesy of Harley Davidson)