American top gun Harley-Davidson recently announced its plans to produce a new electric motorcycle and it garnered massive attention from bike enthusiasts all around the world. Some voiced out support and traditional enthusiasts were very skeptical about the move. However, there is no doubt that venturing into the electric motorcycle scene will prove that Harley is an all-rounder and that it will stay relevant in the industry for many years to come.
“This will only increase the respect that the brand gets,” Alan Stulberg, founder of custom-build shop Revival Motorcycles, said at the time. “At least finally, they can say that Harley does low-tech heritage and it does cutting-edge technology.”
Harley did not state that the electric bike will be made from scratch and so announced in March that California-based manufacturer Alta Motors would be helping the firm to step foot into the sector. Considering that Harley’s sales has been declining and one of its main issues is the lack of young riders, Alta seems like the perfect partner to collaborate with as it has a younger average customer age.
Not to mention, Harley will be using the technology derived from the Alta Motors Redshift SM to create its own electric bikes. The Redshift SM has a 35.5-inch ride height, smooth Pirelli Rosso II tires, high-placed handlebars, and the wide space between wheels and fenders on the front and back of the bike.
It caps it weight at 283 pounds with a motor that comes at 15 pounds, which is feather light. The bike much lighter than most bikes in the market today. It produces 42-horsepower and has super-spongy shocks alongside Brembo brakes that bite.
This bad boy sets its speed record at 80 miles per hour, capable of competing with other top bikes such as the BMW M3. The bike is useful for urban commuter and those that intend to do short travels. It has n throttle, a single-speed transmission (read: no gears), instant acceleration, and a forgiving suspension.
There is no doubt that we cannot wait to see what these two will come up with for Harley-Davidson in the nearest future.