Harleys for the hipster
Eco-friendly electric motorcycle loses growl but still turns heads with sleek design.
Quiet. Sleek. Unintimidating. The LiveWire is the antithesis of everything Harley-Davidson has ever stood for. And yet, it is undeniably a Harley.
The LiveWire, the first production electric vehicle from Harley, is looking to redefine an industry that has grown complacent in the face of declining sales.
The country’s oldest (116 years) and best-known motorcycle maker, Harley wants “to lead in the electrification of this sport” just as it led with traditional, gas-powered motorcycles more than a century ago, said Matt Levatich, the chief executive.
“We are as a company shifting our mind-set from where our first thought in the morning was ‘We build great motorcycles’ to our first thought having to be ‘We build riders,’ ” he said.
Arriving at dealers in September, the LiveWire is targeting a new audience for Harley — one that is young, affluent and urban, and eager to adopt new technology.
Harley, like most other motorcycle companies, is trying to reverse a steep sales decline. It sold 132,868 bikes in the United States last year — down 10 percent from 2017 and 18 percent from 2016. It’s an industry problem. Domestic sales peaked at 1.1 million in 2006 but struggle to reach 500,000 annually now.
“The millennials are getting in too slow, and the baby boomers are leaving too fast,” said Ron Bartels, general manager of Bartels’ Harley-Davidson in Marina del Rey, Calif. “We need a new kind of customer.”
Bartels’ is among the 150 American dealerships, out of Harley-Davidson’s 650, that will carry the LiveWire this year. All of them must install a DC fast charger and train staff to service electric motorcycles. Bartels said his shop had presold seven of the eight LiveWires (retail price: $29,799) it would receive this year.
The electric cousins are easier to ride than the gaspowered monsters. They have no clutch or gearshift, so riders do not need to coordinate all their extremities to operate the controls. They just twist the grip and go. There’s no hot exhaust pipe to burn a leg. And they project a friendlier, more ecoconscious image. They’re whisper-quiet.
While sales are flagging, motorcycle ridership is at an all-time high, according to the Motorcycle Industry Council in Irvine, Calif. Almost 29 million riders swung a leg over a bike at least once in 2018. What’s getting the industry in trouble is that the pre-owned market is three times the size of the market for new bikes, the group says.
Electrics could change that. Almost 70 percent of millennial riders in the council’s survey of owners said they were interested in electric motorcycles. But so far, no Tesla of bikes has emerged.
Electric motorcycles face many of the same market hurdles as electric cars. Buyers must deal with limited range, a lack of charging infrastructure and high prices. There are other deterrents. Most people don’t use motorcycles for primary transportation. Moreover, the young consumers the industry needs are frequently too saddled with student loan debt to afford them.
That’s why analysts are watching Harley-Davidson’s electrification strategy carefully.
“We remain somewhat skeptical,” James Hardiman, a Wedbush Securities analyst, said in a note to investors last month, citing the company’s declining sales. At best, Harley will sell 400 to 1,600 LiveWires in the first year, Hardiman said. That would add less than a percentage point to the company’s annual sales of 228,000 bikes globally.
The LiveWire is a radical departure for the Milwaukee-based Harley, a brand synonymous with large, expensive, gas-powered, cruiser-style motorcycles that both fans and detractors refer to as “hogs.”
The LiveWire’s lack of noise is the most noticeable difference from a typical Harley, and the most surprising for a company that filed a sound trademark application in 1994 for its V-twin engine.
Per charge, the LiveWire can travel 146 miles in the city, or 95 miles in combined city and highway riding.
Recharging can be done at three speeds. A regular wall outlet using a cord stowed under the seat can provide an overnight charge. Speedier results are possible with a Level 2 charger or a DC fast charger, which take it from empty to 80 percent in 40 minutes.
Harley says it will bring two to four more electric bikes to market by 2022. Already, it has invested in the pint-size electric motorcycle maker Stacyc and floated two additional electric concepts, including an offroad motorcycle and a mountain bike.
“Our sport is about the ride, and we need to inspire and light a fire under people to continue to enjoy what we enjoy and for more people to give us a look,” Levatich said.