Pass...

No apehangers, I’m out.

Seriously, a few people will buy them, like the Tesla crowd. Until they seriously increase the range of electric vehicles, there will be little interest.

I'm exceptionally interested in an electric bike. But not 30k interested and as posted on the first page of the thread the zero SR/F would get my dollars anyhow.

quote:

Many people driving are surfing on their smartphone while they do so, so it makes commuting highly dangerous on a bike, especially during rush hours.

This is why I don't own a bike. I'm an admirer of sorts and I think they're a kick to ride, but I'm not willing to risk my life with the amount of fools that are on the road these days.

quote:

Originally posted by Bytes:


I so much agree with you. What would make the perfect electric for you. For me it's range. The power is cool as hell and I could care less about sound. Well, let's take the cost out of it

Perfect? I don't know. I daily drive an electric car for reference. And as I said, I've ridden multiple "e" bikes from Zero as my local stealer is Honda, Yamaha, Polaris, and carries the Zero brand. I've been handed the keys multiple times and went out on spirited local rides. The claimed range is utter bullshit. The charge wouldn't last for shit charging into and out of corners.

It's the same with electric cars. My DD e car has a rated 84 mile range. This is fine for my commuting purposes to work year round. It gets me to work, the gym, and back home. And I have range left to get the groceries or run an errand or two. It works excellently. I plug it in before I go to bed. It's a dd, a beater, whatever you want to call it, I call it an appliance, that's all it is. But on a motorcycle, well back to that Zero bike. If you accelerate slowly, ride slow, etc, maybe you can get their quoted range. I doubt it. Range on the e bikes are like my car. The range is under ideal conditions, slow. My DD, if I'm using heavy acceleration, like a highway onramp, that quoted range goes down, higher than 60 mph on the highway, down further, so the range that quote is always bs, only Teslas are somewhat in the ballpark of what they rate. But if you use the acceleration they have on tap, the range won't be there, same as a gas car. When I ride my motorcycles it's sport riding. Twisties or track. I have 4.5 - 4.8 gallon tanks in my bikes and I'll get 105-125 miles of sport riding in before the red light indicates I'm on my .8 gallon reserve. You'd probably need a motorcycle with a 275-300 range to match that and even then the recharge time would eliminate it for that kind of use because you'd have to charge it several hours. For a commuter or something this isn't an issue. Nor if you're the type, like many Harley riders here, who fire up their bike, blip the throttle, ride it 5 miles to the bar, and park it. But if you want to go on a nice ride, we are many years away from e bikes being something worthy of real sporting use. Where I ride out in the country, on twisty farm roads, even gas stations aren't common, you have to know where they are. Even if they installed a charger, I couldn't imagine being at the gas station for 2+ hours charging it so you could get back home. A 4 gallon refuel takes 2 minutes.

A good place for electric would be a side by side for someone on their own property/land. Maybe a dirt bike used for the same purposes. Battery development has many many years before it could be used for a sport bike, or any kind of road bike where folks actually want to get away from home and really ride. Same goes for MX bikes. I don't currently own my own, but still go and we carry jugs of gas with us as the tank burns up quick on the dirt. The reality is these electric bike mfr's are desperately trying to make something millennials will be interested in and it isn't going to work. Harley's business is drying up fast as they've lived off Baby Boomers for the past 15-20 years. They just aren't making near the $ they used to and they are unwilling to face the fact that the entire motorcycling sport is decreasing fast. It's impacting the Japanese as well but they sell bikes world wide every place imaginable and scooters and small displacement bikes keep the money coming in. They make less on their sportbikes and metric cruisers. It's going to become an even more niche business. The business needs the new generation to continue buying and they aren't. An e bike will work for some city dweller who only rides it to work or a coffee shop. Men and women who ride for fun, slow or fast, ain't gonna work if they do any kind of mileage at all. And at 30k, well that demographic they are chasing, they aren't going to pay that. They don't like paying for anything.

And to give you an example. Last MotoGP round was at the Sachsenring, we call it the Sausagering as it's in Germany, mostly left turns and the track is very narrow. The MotoGP race, which is all literbike prototypes was something like 28 laps. MotoGP races are usually around 45 minutes per class as there is no refueling. They had the inaugural e bike race the same weekend and it was 5 laps.

300 mile range, and massively quicker rechargers are going to be necessary and that won't be for a decade at least.

Too expensive and too short of range.
No Harley rider I know personally is interested.

If you do away with the sound, you will lose 50% of possible buyers--that sound is their identity. (And no, it need not be especially loud, just there.)

flashguy

Coming soon - mufflers on NASCAR cars, followed by electric racecars. No wait, the mufflers will put them out of business.

quote:

Originally posted by YooperSigs:
No potato, potato, potato?

This is perfect for this younger generation, because all you hear is the "whine" of the electric motor.

quote:

Originally posted by P250UA5:
For an electric motorcycle, I'd put my money on a Zero SR/F $20k ... Or Zero SR $17k

I'll help you cast a vote for Zero.

And I do know Zero is actively working on extended range.

quote:

Originally posted by Yellow Jacket:
Electric bikes just don't spark my interest.

I too predict a big flop. It looks like a very solid bike...but the $30k price and Harley branding will simply kill it.

Anyone interested in an electric bike will get a Zero which has been out for years and cost $10-$13k less! Anyone interested in a "Harley" isn't buying a Livewire.

$30k is serious coin for a bike...like pick almost any motorcycle you want including some "superbikes" kind of coin. Panigale V4 S Corse $29,995 retail...

Uhm, yeah, no thanks.

Harley’s have been cruiser seating forever and now they’re supposed to switch to sport/standard seating?

Plus, the already mentioned lack of loud pipes, and a non-ball numbing idle certainly detracts from it.

But, yes, the biggest laugh is the pitiful range.

If they cut the price in half and make improvements in mileage numbers, they might sell a bunch of them. At the current specs and cost, not so much.

quote:

Originally posted by GrumpyBiker:
Too expensive and too short of range.
No Harley rider I know personally is interested.

Exactly.
The club I hang around with actually rolled with laughter when this was announced.
I'll keep my Low Rider. I limited my mileage but got serious gains in return. Love the Milwaukee Eight. No electric.

In America, real bikes burn gas & have gears. Usually they make a lot of racket.

Weak ass electric bullshit belongs in Europe.

I have a ride scheduled starting tomorrow. We are riding 575 miles over two days with several stops planned. Looking at the range on these electric bikes, there is no way to make a ride like this.

I kinda like it.

quote:

Originally posted by Jelly:

quote:

With acceleration of 0-60 in 3 seconds these bikes are pretty fast!

As far as fast.. last I seen top speed was 95 MPH. What will the 0 to 60 be after say 125 miles. I will go on record as saying the Livewire will be an enormous flop for Harley. The out of production V Rod might be looking good after this. There is just not that many bikers that will pay 30K for an electric bike.

Harley has spent way to much on R&D and advertising on this bike. It is to bad Harley did not do this to their Buell line when they had a chance. The Buell line up would have given Harley a more diversified line up. It would have also helped them with sales to younger generations these days.

If the top speed is 95 it will not make it imo. Bike riders want more than that on tap. If I am spending 30K on a bike I want to be able to go faster than 95 if I desire it. (disclaimer my last bike was a KZ1000 from the 80s so I am a dinosaur)

Funny how these motorcycle (HD) threads trend, predictable, consistently LOL

There are threads where everyone give HD shit for not catering to the newer/younger buyer, so they will die off.

So HD builds those bikes,

Then we have threads about the new bikes, Livewire, Adventure sport bikes, that are created for the new non traditional HD rider, and HD always get it wrong, even if the product is on par with the market, for whatever reason its wrong, so they will die off.

Of course all the faults, problems, and issues are well known before the product even hits the showroom.

Sounds like someone that hates their spouse, they won't leave, everything is a problem and nothing the other does will be good enough, ever.

And yet they survive each year.

They could build a 500 mile electric bike with a loud speaker for exhaust so it sounds like a vtwin, costs $5K to buy with free service, free battery replacement, and a big tit horny hot bikini and leather wearing hottie that will wash and iron your shirts, rub your back and can cook like a 5 star chef.....

and Y'all probably bitch she passes gas in her sleep too

quote:

Originally posted by HRK:
Funny how these motorcycle (HD) threads trend, predictable, consistently LOL

I think they are different people doing the complaining. The younger crowd about the lack of new bikes catering to them and the older (primary) demographic complaining about the new bikes.

Problem for Harley is their primary demo is dying...or at least many are riding scooters now and I don't mean "trikes."

I don't think the company is going to survive much longer. The young hipsters are buying different new and retro scramblers, the ADV crowd ain't switching to Harley and the rice-rocket crowd ain't either (even if they tried to offer one), Zero has the ele bikes...