Electric motorcycle unveiled by Harley-Davidson

 The iconic American motor company goes green with its new motorcycle project.

Harley-Davidson (H-D) has recently unveiled its very first electric motorcycle that is known as the LiveWire, however, despite the company having created a number of demonstration models, the motorbike, which features new technologies, has not yet been given the green light for production.

Project LiveWire is currently only for events, not for public purchase.

The electric bike will be touring around the U.S. this summer, starting on Route 66, which is one of the most famous highways in America, also known as the “Will Rogers Highway”, the “Main Street of America” and the “Mother Road”. It crosses several states beginning as far west as California and ending as far east as Illinois. In total, Harley’s plans are to visit 30 dealers throughout America for ride-and-drive events.

Later on down the road, the famous motor company also intends to take the event to Canada and Europe. The goal is to obtain feedback from riders who try out the bike, so H-D can determine what sort of potential the electric motorcycle has in terms of future production.

“Like America, Harley-Davidson has reinvented itself many times in our history, with customers leading us every step of the way. Project LiveWire is another exciting, customer-led moment in our history.” Harley-Davidson President and COO Matt Levatich said.

H-D’s LiveWire will be one of the first ever full sized electric motorcycles.

Although the LiveWire certainly is not the first electric bike to exist, it will be among the first to be the size of a standard motorcycle. Currently, the majority of electric powered motorbikes are the size of a scooter.

That being said, if Harley wants to truly impress its consumers with a green bike, it will need to make sure that it perfects absolutely every element of the bike’s performance and design. The bike has been described as sounding like a jet airplane during takeoff, which may be a little too noisy for some riders. The cause of the noise is likely related to the bike’s high-octane performance and speed, as it can apparently go from 0 to 60 mph in under four seconds.

The need to make aesthetic alterations may be one of the main reasons the company intends to take its time before mass producing the bike. Although Harley’s electric motorcycle may not be on the market for a few years, it certainly has generated a lot of attention and interest.