Harley-Davidson may be best known for its gas-powered “hogs” that are arguably the most iconic motorcycles on earth, but that doesn’t mean the venerable American bike brand isn’t getting revved up for an electric motorcycle future.
Harley first revealed its intentions to get into the EV game with the LiveWire motorcycle back in 2018, and now it’s teasing an upcoming “middleweight” electric bike that could come next with a newly-revealed concept sketch image on their website.
“The middleweight EV concept bridges our EV technology to our rich history of racing and the legendary XR750,” reads the description on Harley’s site next to the new image. “As the ultimate city bike, high-performance run-about or next-gen short tracker, this is H-D’s vision of EV for the quick and competitive.”
CNET’s Roadshow further broke down the newly-revealed concept image here:
The sketch follows a previous piece of design art we saw over a year ago, and it’s shaping up well so far. There’s an updated look for H-D’s signature headlight at the front, but the overall body embraces the battery on board, rather than work around it like the LiveWire.
It’s arguably a better-looking machine because of this. The sleek frame working with the battery feels almost distinctly un-Harley like. For a company working to attract a new customer base as its riders grow older, that’s probably a good thing.
Other things easy to spot from the updated sketch: there’s a larger battery, a set of pegs for whomever is along for the ride and a forward-mounted controller.
While it’s strictly in the concept stages for now, with no further technical details or on sale date, it’s the first EV concept sketch since Harley showed off a concept sketch for the smaller, more urban-centric “Lightweight EV Concept.”
The lightweight EV concept is designed for an urban future. It’s easy to ride – with no clutch and no shifting. A cutting-edge commuter, this concept will unlock the city with clarity and convenience, in a style grounded in H-D design philosophies.
Stay tuned for more information, but it sure looks like Harley will be increasingly focused on electric vehicles in the years to come.
