Wow......I actually agree with the Motley Idiot. I don't think I like that.

 

 

I totally agree with everything else you said. I am not one of the new wave greenies!!!! I am NOT promoting this bike. I'm not going to buy one but I'd sure as hell ride the wheels off it if someone gave me the chance! All I'm doing is saying let the thing prove itself, or more correctly the e-bike concept as a market share, instead of burying it at birth based on current standards.
HOG IS NOT "losing money," as a company! Profit is way down. Bike sales are waaaaay down (like every comparable brand!) but they are still turning profit. That's not really relevant though. Most successful businesses go through lean times. H-D certainly has before!!! More importantly, neither are they "putting all their eggs in the basket." They haven't discontinued anything. They're still making fat,slim, bob, boy glides. Maybe you're in a thinly populated area, I dunno, but anywhere even remotely near a metro area, those blue charging station signs are popping up everywhere. GM is retooling. EVERY major vehicle manufacturer is devoting huge sums and personnel to e-vehicle R&D. THIS IS THE FUTURE no matter how much petro is in the ground or how much more it's going to cost to restructure the support network. The decision has already been made before the debate began. This is where the industry is going and it's going to be up to the industry to figure out how to do it. To that end, how can H-D be so wrong for getting a jump on the competition?
I've said it already, nobody at H-D is expecting this to carry the company to financial highs - anytime soon. When the internal combustion vehicles become choked by more and more restrictions, we'll have the same people complaining about why didn't Harley get out front with e-bike development. I don't expect that in my lifetime. I do expect e-vehicles to become at least as common as new internal combustion ones though.

As far as the other bikes it's being compared to. Do you think Harley owners in the 50's made the same comparisons to the first Hondas & Yamahas?

 

I don't think anyone has an issue with forward thinking. It's the price as compared to the current competition. It's absolutely outrageous. Unfortunately, the Moco has a lot of us butthurt over their current pricing (of ice bikes) to begin with and this ain't helping. This is just more of the same when many of us were hoping for a course correction. In the end I do not believe this high priced entry into the fray will gain them a foothold on emerging technology like they hope. Instead I feel it solidifies the opinion of guys like me who feel they offer too little for too much - especially as compared to the competition.

They got away with this pricing strategy before because it was a "Harley". This isn't a Harley. It's just another option that does not compete against other available options - at twice the price. And all future offerings by HD will be judged by this failed attempt. They had one chance to make a good first impression and the effed it up big time.

And just wait until the big 4 get onboard with this technology. Game over for HD electrics.

The good news is HD will go back to being a bike for the dedicated few instead of one in every garage. Dare I say they will be cool again?

 

Which competition exactly? A Zero?

Pardon me but looking at a Zero is like looking at a 250cc Honda compared to an FXDR. Puny little things.

Also, the range widely quoted on here of 100 miles is only with the 'extra' battery pack. If you buy that you do not get the ability to buy the optional Level 2 charger...you cannot have both.

If you think the Livewire price should be $15k like a Zero then that is an opinion. If you think a Zero is a competitor as a bike for daily use then why are you not riding a Honda 250 instead of your Harley?

 

The Zero is far from the only competition.

And have you seen the Livewire? It's not a big bike. At all. More like comparing a 450 to a 350.

Speaking of which, I have a Honda 160 and 305 that I ride frequently.

 

THIS is a comparable competitor. It is STILL a relatively small company 99% of Americans have never heard of.

When Lincoln and Cadillac entered the SUV market did anyone think their products would be competitive with s-10 blazers and Explorers? Harley IS a premium brand. They are not going to enter the econo market with the first offering. That said, there are other products in the chute. Give em a chance!

 

Which is part of my point - there was a good opportunity here for the Moco to capitalize on a new market segment. Time will tell if it was a fail, but many of us believe it is. Honestly - $30k for a no-frills e-bike? The hardest thing to believe about the whole deal is that there's even a few here who think it's a reasonable exercise. $30k!!

And as mentioned - just wait until Honda and Yamaha wade into this with infinitely deeper research and production pockets. They will make the Livewire look even more absurd than it already does.

But hey - I'm glad there's a few of you out there willing to buy the bike. You're keeping my friends and neighbors working. You should start a thread and tell us how great they really are.

 

What really mystifies me, not ONLY in this debate but just about every debate about the MoCo, is how totally incompetent most Harley owners think the company is. Pick any subject and someone - most - will pile on with their own opinions on how Harley made a mistake doing this or that and it's only a matter of time before they close the doors in bankruptcy because of their rampant stupidity... while each and every one of those guys buys and rides one of the same company's products and will taunt every Honda rider about not being a real motorcycle rider.

Hey fellas, there's always a Goldwing with your name on it!