Its Time to Modernize

Harley Davidson announced that it will begin production of an all electric motorcycle.  Wait a minute.  What year is this?

You’re not imagining things, this thing was first introduced back in 2014(LIVEWIRE) with a full on tour and demo experience.   To top it all off, it made a guest appearance in Avengers: Age of Ultron with spectacular results.  Thanks to the mad skills of Black Widow (or at least a team of stunt riders).

With the doom and gloom we’ve seen related to Harley’s global and world wide sales.  Check out the decline of Harley and some reasons here.

Harley is reaching a pivotal point in its freedom ride.  By committing to this modern machine, Harley is finally saying “bye-bye” to its old  and outdated style.   Harsh?  However the basic lines and style of your favorite HD have not changed much in a generation.   There is a draw to these machines, however one glance at a Live Wire will have you making comparisons to Ducati, Suzuki, and even KTM.  If Harley can pull of this line and embrace a modern style , they may be able to reinvent their brand and recharge their fan base.

The Competition

Harley is alone  in their race to roll out E-Bikes.   Actually there are many others.  Zero , for example, has 4 different all electric models.    Its safe to say that if someone was really just drawn to the electric, save the earth, line of thinking, they would go for another brand.   The truth is, a rider is a rider is a rider.    And even if Harley has been somewhat locked into its “classic” styling , we the two wheel loving population of planet earth WANT modern bikes that still say — Harley. Something that is quick, sporty, and designed to stand out

So as this chapter in Harley’s book continues to unfold, we will be closely following and rooting for a win.