ELECTRIC hARLEYS? TELL ME IT AINT SO!

[pcombe]

<!-- icon and title --> Harley Davidson introduces ELECTRIC motorcycle??!! GOD YOU TAKE ME NOW, I'VE SEEN ENOUGH! The promotional add did nothing to sell me! THIS JUST MIGHT BE THE BEGINING OF THE END FOR ME? ! HAVE TO ADMIT THAT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE CROTCH ROCKET RIDER ON ONE THESE! I REALLY HATE THE ANNOYING SOUNDS OF THEM. I CAN JUST SEE IT NOW, THEY WOULD HAVE TO HAVE A BOOM BOX WITH RECORDED HARLEY SOUNDS? 130 mile range? It's further than that to the grocery store out here,but maybe I will never see one on the highway? -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Associated Press. MILWAUKEE (AP) - Harley-Davidson will unveil its first electric motorcycle next week, and President Matt Levatich said he expects the company known for its big touring bikes and iconic brand to become a leader in developing technology and standards for electric vehicles. Harley will show handmade demonstration models Monday at an invitation-only event in New York. The company will then take several dozen riders on a 30-city tour to test drive the bikes and provide feedback. Harley will use the information it gathers to continue refining the bike, which might not hit the market for several more years. The venture is a risk for Harley because there's currently almost no market for full-size electric motorcycles. The millions of two-wheeled electric vehicles sold each year are almost exclusively scooters and low-powered bikes that appeal to Chinese commuters. But one analyst said investment by a major manufacturer could help create demand, and Levatich emphasized in an interview with The Associated Press that Harley is interested in the long-term potential, regardless of immediate demand. "We think that the trends in both EV technology and customer openness to EV products, both automotive and motorcycles, is only going to increase, and when you think about sustainability and environmental trends, we just see that being an increasing part of the lifestyle and the requirements of riders," Levatich said. "So, nobody can predict right now how big that industry will be or how significant it will be." At the same time, Levatich and others involved in creating the sleek, futuristic LiveWire predicted it would sell based on performance, not environmental awareness. With no need to shift gears, the slim, sporty bike can go from 0 to 60 mph in about 4 seconds. The engine is silent, but the meshing of gears emits a hum like a jet airplane taking off. "Some people may get on it thinking, 'golf cart,'" lead engineer Jeff Richlen said. "And they get off thinking, 'rocket ship.'" One hurdle the company has yet to address is the limited range offered by electric motorcycles. The batteries must be recharged after about 130 miles, and that can take 30 minutes to an hour. San Jose State University police Capt. Alan Cavallo helped his department buy two bikes from Zero Motorcycles, the current top-selling brand, and said officers have been "super happy" with the quiet, environmentally friendly bikes made nearby in Scotts Valley, California. But he said American riders who like to hit the highway would likely lose patience with the technology. "That's the deal with the cars; you can't jump in a Tesla and drive to LA, it won't make it," Cavallo said, adding later, "People want the convenience of 'I pull into a gas station, I pour some gas in my tank and I go.'" Zero Motorcycles introduced its first full-size motorcycle in 2010 and expects to sell about 2,400 bikes this year, said Scott Harden, the company's vice president of global marketing. That would give it about half of the global market for full-size, high-powered electric motorcycles. In comparison, Harley-Davidson alone sold more than 260,000 conventional motorcycles last year. But John Gartner, a research director for the consulting firm Navigant, said having large, well-funded companies get into the electric motorcycle market could give it a significant boost. The major automakers helped drive sales for hybrid and electric cars, he noted. "Their marketing budgets are much larger and they have dealerships set up everywhere, and so it's much easier for companies like Ford, BMW and Honda to advertise about their electric vehicles," he said. Levatich said true growth will require common standards for rapid charging and other features, as well as places for people to plug in. Harley expects to play a key role in developing electric vehicle standards, and its dealership network could provide charging stations to serve all drivers, he said. "We've been very silent up to this point about our investment in EV technology," Levatich said. "... but now that we're public, and we're in this space, we expect to be involved and a part of leading the development of the standards, and the technology and the infrastructure necessary to further the acceptance and the utility of electric vehicles." <!-- / message -->

[wimoonshiner]

Yip, it's all over the news here in Wisc! Apparently the "Project Live Wire" bike is going to be at the next Bike Night (every Thurs night) for people to look at it. Harley is making it very clear that the bike is not in production, YET! They also said that a few lucky people will actually get to ride the bike and give their feedback to the people who designed it. They say it sounds like a turbine engine when taking off, no shifting and accelerates very well. I imagine it has some kind of centrifugal clutch?.?. Come on up and give it a try!

[rhino 2]

They[Harley] has to pretend to be in the mix to keep the EPA Wolfs at bay...

Just like the automobile manufactures have to; [fleet mpg's]
Once there's enough electric vehicles on the roads, The government will have to figure a way to charge the road tax that their losing from people not using gas.... Poof'And there go's the savings by not using gasoline...

[GARYD]

Looks like a sissyfied V-Rod to me.....still....... not too bad looking.

I wouldn't trade my "REAL" Harley for one. . . . . . just yet.

But at least H-D is trying something new and beating all the other top brands to the punch......depending on when they actually put it on the market.

Wonder if Amsoil has dielectric grease.

[trikermutha]

I would try a Electrified Trike if they made one. But would have to get more miles per charge than 130 miles..

[irmagoo]

I have rode a 3 wheeled electric didn't care for it that much I think it was called a rascal!!!
magoo

[skuuter]

This was on TV this morning.....most ridiculous thing I've heard about it is it has "Harley Sound on Board" in case You want to hear the typical "rumble" as You ride...........no idea, but this was a Harley Executive quote.......

[Sully]

I would try a Electrified Trike if they made one. But would have to get more miles per charge than 130 miles..

130 miles me thinks that every time you stop and go you burn power every time you roll the throttle you burn power how easy do you think it will be to find a place to plug in and recharge on the road maybe a good idea but maybe a little ahead of it's time 130 miles, I don't think so

[trikermutha]

Yep you burn power every time you hit the throttle..But to work and back it would be great.Todays electric vehicles are just as fast as a car and faster.. at my place of work they have charging stations and charge you 0.8KWH to charge your vehicle.

I don't care for the lets make a Harley sound track.

But a Trike version would be great at 400-600 miles per charge. At some point there will be charging stations all over the place..

[John Luciano]

There are tons of charging stations. There is a whole network. Our little town has 4. There is no clutch. Y do u need one. Your electric drill doesn't have one. If they can team up with Testla and get use of the super chargers they can go X country. Fast is not the word for it. The ICE Harley is a Slug compared to it. 0 to 60 in 4 sec. Full torque at 1 RPM if you can hold on. Not for everyone. Most Harley riders are bar hoppers around here. Some don't put more than 500 a year on their bikes. Paper is full of Harley's for sale 6 years old with 4,000 miles on them. Just MHO of course.

[pcombe]

Glorified razor scooter, Is AMF taking over again? Maybe they can solar power it and appeal to the tree hugger crowd?
Or perhaps the rich urban biker with kaki pants , flip flops and little alligators on their shirts?
How long will it be before some joker builds a trailer to carry a generator and defeat the purpose?
Or attach a small gear driven generating unit to the wheel to recharge the batteries like the headlight on the bicycles of old?

Perhaps it will come with a built in microwave and refrigerator? How about a cab and air conditioning? Oh the possibilities are endless.

Perhaps they could take it to the next level and make a motor home?

[lasso]

With all the solar powered charging equipment, available today, it should be feasible to hook up a solar powered charger to help recharge while riding. There is also a system out on a lot of electric industrial lift trucks called regenerative braking. Whereas everytime the brake is applied it helps to recharge the batteries.

I could see this coming available in the future to dealers. There may not be a big market in the U.S. for quite a while, but in congested cities in Europe and Asia. These could do quite well.

[trikermutha]

The acel and decel rates can be adjusted very easily with todays technology.

Heck I would even try this out once it is production..Better if they had it a trike version.

http://litmotors.com/

[skuuter]

130 miles me thinks that every time you stop and go you burn power every time you roll the throttle you burn power how easy do you think it will be to find a place to plug in and recharge on the road maybe a good idea but maybe a little ahead of it's time 130 miles, I don't think so

Apparently it has an onboard Charger, and a Power Cord.....just plug into any 110 outlet if I heard this correctly this morning....

[ROAD DOG]

Image how bad this will hurt harley & the aftermarket industry? no more exhaust upgrades , no more high flow air cleaners , no more cam changes ,no more thousand of dollars spent on dyno tuning,speedy dry sales will drop to a all time low, animal vets will suffer from not having sick dogs & cats from leaking antifreeze, the list goes on & on ???? JUST A THOUGHT

[skuuter]

Image how bad this will hurt harley & the aftermarket industry? no more exhaust upgrades , no more high flow air cleaners , no more cam changes ,no more thousand of dollars spent on dyno tuning,speedy dry sales will drop to a all time low, animal vets will suffer from not having sick dogs & cats from leaking antifreeze, the list goes on & on ???? JUST A THOUGHT

But You can probably go back to the Dealers and get a "New/Different Exhaust Sound Chip" to change Your "exhaust tune"......

[suvcw04]

Yip, it's all over the news here in Wisc! Apparently the "Project Live Wire" bike is going to be at the next Bike Night (every Thurs night) for people to look at it. Harley is making it very clear that the bike is not in production, YET! They also said that a few lucky people will actually get to ride the bike and give their feedback to the people who designed it. They say it sounds like a turbine engine when taking off, no shifting and accelerates very well. I imagine it has some kind of centrifugal clutch?.?. Come on up and give it a try!

Name one item that you own that has an electric motor and a centrifugal clutch.

No clutch needed . . . of any kind. Electric motors are at full torque instantly.

[pcombe]

I tell you festus, If you weren't so dunder- headed you could see this is progress!

Doc ya ole scudder, caint ya see if aint broke don't fix it?

[Smitty Werben Manjensen]

Depending on price, I would be interested. Trike would be nice.

[pcombe]

The tag and release program

Now I understand why they will unveil the electric motorcycle in new York.
Has Harley Davidson jumped on the band wagon?

NEW YORK—In an effort to more closely observe the group’s buying habits and personal behaviors, a growing number of corporations are turning to tag and release programs to study American consumers, sources confirmed Friday.
According to reports, multinationals such as Kraft, General Electric, Goodyear, and Apple have embraced the technique of tracking down potential customers in their natural habitats of department stores and supermarkets, forcibly tranquilizing them as they shop, and then fitting them with electronic tracking devices that allow marketing departments to keep a detailed record of individuals’ every movement and purchasing decision.
“In recent weeks, we have employed our tag and release initiative to sedate and earmark consumers in several Costco parking lots and Best Buy television aisles, which has already yielded valuable data from numerous middle-class family units,” said Sony market researcher Nathan McElroy, whose team gathers data on the consumer population by attaching radio-transponder collars to specimens across all age groups and income levels. “Today we subdued and chipped a beautiful white male earning $60,000 annually whose subsequent actions—where he eats, where he works, whether he purchases extended warranties on electronic devices—will give us important insights into his demographic.”
“We’re really starting to get a clear idea of just what sales promotions and big-ticket expenditures make these fascinating creatures tick,” he continued.
Representatives from several Fortune 500 companies described to reporters a delicate process in which marketing associates journey to such varied field sites as Marshalls, OfficeMax, and Bed Bath & Beyond, where they lie in wait behind a row of shopping carts or a promotional cardboard cutout. Once a desirable target moves into view, a member of the marketing team reportedly attempts to immobilize it by firing a tranquilizer dart into its neck or haunches before it can panic and skitter off into another aisle. The unconscious consumer is then fitted with a small, subdermal acoustic tag that is synced to the subject’s credit cards, allowing marketers to both physically and financially track their quarries.
Claiming that every effort is taken to employ humane handling procedures and inflict minimal trauma, marketing associates stressed that consumers always wake up in the same clothing department or mini mall in which they were found, and most obliviously resume their browsing of store shelves within 30 minutes of being sedated.
Researchers affirmed they have become increasingly interested in valuable targets such as college graduates who allot more than $500 per month to discretionary purchases, saying they have become fascinated by the group’s herd-like movements to Panera Bread and IKEA as well as their ritual use of products such as Swiffers and tablets. By monitoring these consumers as they feed, groom, use their rewards cards, and mate, marketers acknowledged they have amassed a tremendous amount of useful knowledge.
“Just last month we collar-tagged a prime specimen of a variety we’d been attempting to capture for a very long time,” said BMW marketing executive Samantha Barlow, referring to a suburban mother in her late 40s who was found gathering bunches of watercress and beet greens at a Whole Foods, where her precise weekly route through the aisles has now been recorded and analyzed. “And we finally have geolocators implanted in several dozen young professionals aged 25 to 35, whose consumption of products such as Stella Artois, Hugo Boss apparel, and designer colognes suggest they’ll provide us with fruitful data for years to come.”
“It’s important that we tag them early in the development of their buying habits,” Barlow added. “Obviously, once they reach 65, they become useless for our purposes and we remove their tags, or just let them chew them off.”
Despite the success of their tracking programs, researchers admitted their work has been hindered by limits in their methodology, noting that they are unable to observe any quantifiable activity from as many as a quarter of their tagged targets who remain sedentary almost around the clock and rarely leave their dens. Marketers noted these larger, slower specimens must often be hit with two or three darts before they can be safely approached.
“A large portion of our targets are fast food consumers, and you’ll lose 10 or 12 percent of those each year, usually to heart disease,” said Jonathan Lockhart, an independent marketing consultant. “You hate to see that, but the upside is that we get useful data we can then turn around and sell to pharmaceutical companies.”
“What’s bad news for Burger King is great news for Merck, GlaxoSmithKline, and Pfizer,” he added.