Prague Harley riders share feelings on electric bike
PRAGUE – Sabine Stettner of Germany has been riding a Harley for two years, and this weekend was her first big motorcycle rally.
She picked a good one, as tens of thousands of bikers from 77 countries poured into the Czech Republic capital for Harley-Davidson Inc.’s 115th anniversary celebration in Europe.
Straddling her Harley Dyna Switchback before embarking on a seven-hour trip home Sunday, she talked about her fondness for riding.
Not long ago, she was a passenger on her husband’s Harley. Now she’s behind the handlebars of her own silver, black and red Dyna named Peggy.
The bike’s splash of red prompted the name choice.
“I thought a girl with red hair must have the name Peggy,” Stettner said.
For custom motorcycle builder Peter Pearson of England, the rally
was a chance to show the world his latest creation, a bike that not only looks cool but is a speed demon that tops 200 mph.
He closed his business for several weeks so that he could get his motorcycle ready for the rally, where it was on display alongside a few dozen other world-class custom bikes.
Pearson said he put in some 18-hour days handcrafting the bike’s individual pieces, one at a time.
“Sometimes it’s so hard. You just work, eat, sleep, get up and do it again. But this event is heaven for me,” he said.
For Samuele Reazi, a custom motorcycle builder from Italy, the rally’s bike show was a sequel to a similar event in Sturgis, South Dakota, where he won top honors a few years ago.
“After these experiences, my life is full now. I am very happy,” he said.
He’s worked years on the bike he displayed in Prague.
“Too much, too many hours,” he said.
With custom motorcycles, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Europeans have strong feelings about Harley-Davidson producing an electric bike.
In January, the company said an electric Harley would be available for sale within 18 months. The effort has been called “Project Livewire,” and it’s been in the works for more than four years.
But some Harley enthusiasts say they’re not going to plug into the trend.
“I would rather walk,” said Peggy Kindts of Amsterdam.
Household appliances, not motorcycles, should be plugged in. And especially not a Harley, said Gary Radmer Jr., of Slinger, who was in Prague.
Thousands of people have taken a test ride on Harley’s electric prototype in recent months as the company has gathered consumer feedback.
One thing is for sure: The electric motor won’t have the syncopated “potato, potato, potato” sound that resonates from a Harley V-Twin engine, a sound
Harley-Davidson unveiled its Livewire in June 2014. Thousands of people have taken a test ride on Harley’s electric prototype in recent months as the company has gathered consumer feedback. DON BARTLETTI / TNS
the company once tried to trademark.
But those who have ridden the Project Livewire bike say it has strong acceleration from dead-stop to high speed, and it’s a very smooth ride.
“It needs to be added to Harley’s portfolio. It won’t be the core of the lineup, but I think it’s necessary for the future,” said Thomas Rappelt of Germany.
“I am pretty sure I am going to buy one for riding in the city,” he said.
Pollution standards in Europe are tough.
“Unfortunately, for us purists who like the internal combustion engine,” electric vehicles are inevitable, said Ross St. Quintin of the United Kingdom.
“I am open-minded about it, personally … but I would miss that V-Twin rumble,” he added.
For ecology reasons, Chris Lipinski of Krakow, Poland, said he would consider getting an electric Harley.
“I’m very confident it’s going to be a big success,” he said.
The bike will be good for the next generation of motorcyclists, said Kathy King, a retired oil distributor, at the rally from Perdue, Indiana.
Many of the bikers leaving here Sunday had a ride of two or more days ahead of them to get home, through multiple countries where the rules of the road vary.
For instance, when you ride into Switzerland, some Harley folks say, you’d better make sure your motorcycle conforms with noise regulations.
“If you get pulled over because your bike’s too loud, they will either give you a large fine or confiscate the bike,” said Dave Neville-Ister of the United Kingdom.
“But in the U.K. they don’t have a problem with it. The louder the better,” he added.
Some European bikes have a muffler system where the noise output can be varied depending on the circumstances.
“It’s like Jekyll and Hyde,” said Karl DeGiovanni, from Malta, located in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast.
Helmet laws in Europe are strict, which meant everyone riding in Prague had to wear one.
“And it can’t be just any runof-the-mill helmet. It has to be European Union approved,” DeGiovanni said.
As the Harley festival wound down Sunday, some bikers said they were coming to Milwaukee for the company’s 115th anniversary bash Labor Day weekend.
Some said they appreciated Bill and Karen Davidson, the great-grandson and greatgranddaughter of company cofounder Willam A. Davidson, coming to Prague where they signed autographs and participated in panel discussions.
“To see them here in Europe, I think, showed a lot of commitment to this market,” said Thomas Rappelt of Germany.
As he left Prague for a sevenhour ride home to Germany, Neumann Jurgen had high praises for the rally, the biggest motorcycle event ever in the Czech Republic.
He’s been to many other rallies, including Daytona Bike Week in Daytona Beach, Florida, 10 times, and European Bike Week.
The Harley event in Prague was different because it was focused on one brand of motorcycle, and it was in a city where the riding can be challenging if you aren’t used to things like being squeezed up against buses and trams.
Still, “it was very good,” Jurgen said.