Page 59 - Australian Motorcycle News (January 2020)

Top Electrics
Harley-Davidson is
heavily committed to
electric bikes

HARLEY-DAVIDSON KAWASAKIELECTRIC

ELECTRICBIKES PROTOTYPE

ONE OF THE surprises of November’s EICMA show
HARLEY-DAVIDSON HAS rarely been a firm to break new ground was Kawasaki’s prototype electric bike – a machine
when it comes to tech but the company’s LiveWire is one of the few that shows the firm has an interest in battery-
convincing electric offerings from a mainstream bike firm to be on powered models but one that avid, long-term AMCN
the market right now. Yes, it’s far too expensive, but Harley is intent on readers might have recognised. That’s because we
leading the way in the electric bike market revealed the patents for an identical machine way
and that means more – and cheaper – back in 2013.
electric offerings are coming. DURING2021-22 In fact, the prototype appears to date back even
Harley’s own predictions are that electric further than that. The earliest patent documents for
bikes will reach ‘cost parity’ with similar- HARLEYSAYSIT the design were filed in 2011, which is a lifetime ago
performing internal-combustion engine in a field where the technology is developing rapidly.
bikes by the end of the decade, and by then However, one thing is clear: Kawasaki has been
the firm will have a wide range of battery- WILLLAUNCH working on the development of electric motorcycles.
powered models on its books. Like Kymco, Kawasaki seems to have decided that
During 2021 and 2022 Harley says it will TWONEW motorcyclists want multi-speed gearboxes, even if
launch two new electric bikes at a more the torque characteristics of electric motors mean
accessible price point than the LiveWire, they’re not really necessary. The prototype here
and the firm has released sketches of a ELECTRICBIKES features a four-speed box. Suspension and brakes
flat-track-style machine to illustrate what borrowed from an older Ninja 300 give a pretty clear
we can expect at least one of them to look indication of the prototype’s performance level, but
like. During the same period Harley will launch additional ‘lightweight we’re hoping that Kawasaki hasn’t really shown its
urban’ electric bikes including models that blur the line between hand yet.
bicycles and motorcycles, and at least one electric scooter. If this is the bike the firm developed back in 2011,
surely there are far more advanced machines sitting
in Kawasaki’s R&D department right now.

The Big K has solid
resources to put
into electric bikes

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