Way Back in 1978 There Was an Electric Harley
Daily Slideshow: A group of engineers built an electric Harley decades before the LiveWire was even a concept.
LiveWire Predecessor
Harley's brand-new LiveWire is the current hot button topic in the motorcycle world, stirring up plenty of controversy and praise at the same time. But in all fairness, it actually isn't the first electric Harley motorcycle. Way back in 1978, an engineer from Transitron Electric Corporation built himself one in a fascinating story revisited by Cycle World.
Make It Happen
The engineer, Steve Fehr, wanted to convince Harley that building an electric motorcycle was in fact possible. So he rounded up a group of co-workers and fellow engineers, a 1971 Harley-Davidson XLH Sportster, a variable-speed electric motor, and a series of deep-cycle batteries to make it happen.
Drivetrain Sorting
The team replaced the original 900cc gas engine with all of this kit and used a proprietary control system with an integrated circuit mini-controller to make the automatic, chain-driven automatic 4-speed transmission work properly.
Old Tech
And those were the bulk of the changes needed to convert this Harley to an EV, save for new gauges to monitor current and voltage. The biggest challenge was generating enough power from the ancient four deep-cycle lead acid batteries, which were also quite heavy.
Respectable Performance
Those heavy batteries ensured that this EV Harley had a pretty hefty curb weight of 608 pounds. But despite that, it still managed to hit 30 mph in a respectable 5-6 seconds, with a top speed of 50 mph.
Startup Effort
With this one-off bike completed, Fehr and his team worked extra hard trying to get Harley's attention. After all, if a small team of engineers with few resources could make it happen, imagine what big old Harley-Davidson could do?
No Thanks
Harley, as you already know, didn't feel the same way about the project. But one of their legendary designers, Brooks Stevens, certainly took notice. He helped the team put the EV through its paces, racking up 360 miles of track testing near Milwaukee.
Failed Project
Despite the extensive testing and a hefty investment of $70,000, the team failed to convince investors that this electric bike was worth it. Instead, the one and only prototype wound up in Stevens' personal museum until his passing in 1995. It was most recently auctioned off at a 2014 RM Sotheby's sale.
40 Years Too Late
Of course, this story obviously has a happy ending, because Harley finally embraced the idea and build its first electric motorcycle - the LiveWire. Clearly, Fehr's original idea was way, way ahead of its time. But now, 40 years later, his dream has finally come to fruition!
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