Harley-Davidson launches LiveWire Electric Motorcycle. What about the sound? : NPR
Harley-Davidson LiveWire, launched in August, is the American manufacturer's first electric motorcycle.
Josh Kurpius / Harley-Davidson
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Josh Kurpius / Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidson LiveWire, launches in August, is the American manufacturer's first electric motorcycle.
Josh Kurpius / Harley-Davidson
Harley-Davidsons is known for its iconic deep clutter. But the latest model in the Milwaukee-based motorcycle factory is equipped with an electric motor that provides a high vibrating sound. Will Harley fans join the tour?
After five years of tweaking and preparation, Harley Davidson's long-awaited electric motorcycle will start rolling out to dealerships this summer.
The company says that electric bikes are the future. A number of startups are already marketing electric motorcycles, and Harley doesn't want to stay in the dust. It wants to attract new customers and it sees growing growth in urban centers – and ultimately in overseas markets, including Asia, where electric scooters and motorcycles are popular.
LiveWire, the electric bike that debuts in August, is sporty and fast – a street bike built for urban environments, not for long-distance cruising. It can go a little 110 miles on a load, with immediate acceleration and, in blessing for first-time riders, no shifting worry.
But there is a marked deviation from the company's traditional range, and it comes with a hefty price tag: $ 30,000.
Marc McAllister, vice president of product planning and portfolio at Harley-Davidson, says the response to LiveWire has been "overwhelmingly positive."
There is nothing inconsistent with an electric Harley-Davidson, he says. "After 115 years, we have had to reinvent ourselves a number of times, and this is just the next step in continuing the legacy," he says.
But while there is a lot of buzz around the bike, some riders are skeptical, says Kelley O & # 39; Brien, marketing director for two Harley-Davidson dealers, including one in Washington, DC
"You have it Demographic that has been a Harley rider for 30 years, she says. "They don't like it. They don't like the sound – it's not the same sound. "
Harley has faced challenging few years. Baby boomers are aging out of the motorcycle market, and the millennia does not replace them.
In 2014, the company sent around 271,000 motorcycles worldwide, says Morningstar analyst Jaime Katz. In 2019 it is expected to send perhaps 222,000 – "a pretty nice decline over the last five years," she says.
To appeal to younger buyers, Harley offers smaller, cheaper bikes – but it makes less profit on each of them, Katz says. Meanwhile, the trade wars have put new pressure on the company.
LiveWire is not likely to be a trading switch for the company, Katz says – at least not at any time soon. It's just too expensive. "The overall target market for $ 30,000 bikes, whether electric or traditional, is not significant," she says.
LiveWire is one of Harley's most expensive offers. Only the most demanding tricks – three-wheeled motorcycles – and custom touring bikes cost more.
Meanwhile, many entry bikes are available for less than $ 10,000. Zero electric models – probably the most well-known manufacturer of electric motorcycles to date – range from $ 8,500 to $ 16,000, while other electric motorcycle startups are promising even cheaper prices.
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Harley enthusiasts at a motorcycle show in Washington, DC illustrate the challenge the company faces when trying to market LiveWire.
Mike Anderson, from Alexandria, Va., Has a vest with an abundance of Harley Owners Group patches. He ran for one of Harley's most performing bikes. But LiveWire?
"It's going to be a nice bike," he says. "But for me, you know, I'm an old school … You buy a Harley because you like the sound, look and feel, and LiveWire is of course 180 degrees opposite."
Then there is David Lutzow, Pasadena, Md. He thinks it's great for the environment that Harley goes electric, and he would love to see and hear a LiveWire personally. But …
"I'm not sure if it's going to take on," he says. "I think it will attract the younger people – they call them, what, millennia or what? I think it will attract that group, except 59-year-old farts like myself."
And those millennia?
Andrew Delgado, from Woodbridge Va., Is 28, and doesn't have a motorcycle yet. He says an electric motorcycle sounds cool. But the price tag – "it's not cool," he says.
"I like the idea," he says. "Just not the price of it."
He is surfing motorcycles with his young daughter, dreaming of buying one a day – for a third of the price of a LiveWire.
