Harley-Davidson has announced that the first electric motorcycle from the iconic American brand will be presented at this year's EICMA show in Milan on November 6. The new electric Harley-Davidson LiveWire will be the first Harley model without a clutch or gearshifter, but will definitely be not the last one. Harley-Davidson intends to work on a complete range of electric motorcycles and the LiveWire will be the first in that line. The LiveWire was announced in July 2018 as part of the company's growth strategy, wanting to establish itself as the leader in the electric cruiser space. Harley-Davidson is planning a range of light, nimble and fun-to-ride electric motorcycles that are expected to be available by 2022.
(The LiveWire will get top-shelf components, including Showa suspension and Brembo brakes)
The Harley-Davidson LiveWire is expected to be launched as a late-2019 model, with sales beginning by 2020. In September this year, Harley-Davidson showcased the first production model of the LiveWire, a model based on the Project LiveWire concept, which Harley-Davidson unveiled as far back as in 2014. The LiveWire will have a belt drive, rear set pegs, Brembo calipers and a steel trellis frame, with inverted Showa forks and a monoshock rear. It's expected to be packed with technology and features, including multiple rider modes, as well as Bluetooth connectivity via a full-colour TFT screen instrument console.
So far, there's no word on pricing and availability. But considering Harley-Davidson has chosen to reveal the LiveWire to the public at the EICMA show, it could well be positioned primarily at European markets first, instead of Harley-Davidson's home market, where Harley sales have been under pressure in recent months. The LiveWire has been designed at Harley-Davidson's Product Development Centre in Wisconsin, and built at the brand's state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in York, Pennsylvania.
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