Photo: Leif Skoogfors [Getty Images]
It’s been years since Harley-Davidson first teased the idea of an electric bike, which was first announced all the way back in 2014. Since that time, rumors and prototypes have been leaked, but nothing concrete ever hit the market.
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That all changed when the American motorcycle manufacturer announced a series of electric bikes they plan on releasing in the next few years. This includes LiveWire, their first electric motorcycle, which will be available for sale at some point in 2019.
The LiveWire is being touted as “the first in a broad, no-clutch, ‘twist and go’ portfolio of electric two-wheelers designed to establish the company as the leader in the electrification of the sport,” wrote the company in a press release.
Accompanying the LiveWire will be an unnamed, lighter, dirt-bike styled electric bike and a moped/city commuter model, though neither are expected to be available for sale until 2022 at the earliest.
Of course, many traditionalists aren’t likely to be overwhelmed with the electric motorcycle offerings presented by Harley-Davidson, which is why the Milwaukee based manufacturer also touted the Pan-America 1250, which will be the companies first ‘touring’ model. Still, the Pan-America, complete with a 1,250-cubic-centimeter V-twin engine, looks like something out of a sci-fi film in comparison to what most would associate with a Harley-Davidson bike.
That said, Harley’s newest offerings are likely to bring forth new clientele, which is great news for the company considering a sales dip of nearly 10 percent in the past six months.
