It's been almost a year since Harley-Davidson's electric bike project was last talked about and today it's confirmed that The Motor Company has created a separate division called Serial 1 Cycle Company, the nickname for Harley-Davidson's oldest known motorcycle, built in 1903.
This ad comes accompanied by a new prototype, moment Harley-Davidson offers no specification, so we can only speculate on power levels, battery size, range and price.
The Serial 1 eBicycleta has a medium transmission engine, a belt-drive system, an integrated battery in the frame, headlights and rear lights integrated into the frame and leather details, different from the more modern prototypes they had presented so far.
Harley is about to enter a busy market where even big bike makers like Specialized, Trek and Giant are competing with fast-growing electric bike companies such as Rad Power Bikes, Pedego and X-Treme Electric Bikes. Nor will it be the first motorcycle brand to make this change: UK-based Triumph presented its own prototype, the Trekker GT, earlier this year. And Ducati launched its first electric bike last year. Automotive brands are also adding to the action: BMW is manufacturing bikes and electric motorcycles, Audi is manufacturing mountain electric bikes, Mercedes-Benz presented an electric scooter, Ford acquired the electric scooters startup Spin and Jeep recently introduced a high-powered electric motor for its mountain bike. On the other hand, Ariv, the electric bike brand launched by General Motors, quietly shut down in May, amid the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In any case, a door opens for new generations of future bikers to access the world of two wheels. If the brands are able to retain them and transmit them the sense of freedom and fun that this represents, we may be facing the rebirth of the world of the bike.