Legendary motorbike manufacturer Harley-Davidson has invited members of the public to test its first electric motorbike. Instead of the bike going on general sale, US customers will be invited to take it out for a spin and provide feedback.
The good news: 0 to 60 mph in just under 4 seconds. Probably faster than any current production Harley other than the V-Rod.
The bad news: A reported range of 53 miles, and 3.5 hours to fully recharge the battery using a 220v outlet. Great if you like riding around town, not so great if you want to go from New York to Bangor Maine, a 450 mile trip. That would entail a total of 9 hours of riding time plus another 28 hours spent charging the battery. I think I'll pass on this one.
The sound is too much in my opinion, there's a point of being seen and noticed by car drivers for safety against being ran into, and then there's the being absurd! Case in point there was an old biker behind me in traffic many years ago on a Harley and the hellish rumble coming off it I could actually physically feel inside my car as a vibration. I couldn't imagine being on that thing.
People who run straight pipes on their Harleys are both obnoxious and clueless. The purpose of straight pipes, also known as drag pipes, are for drag racing, where the engine operates at 4,000 rpm and above. They tend to produce a terrible "flat spot" in a V-twin engine's powerband between 2,500 and 3,500 rpm, which is exactly where you do 90 percent or more of your riding. I have a S&S Super B carburetor installed on my 1971 Harley Sportster XLCH, and the instructions for jetting the carb make it perfectly clear: If you run straight pipes, you will never be able to properly adjust the carburetor's intermediate jet due to engine surging. S&S carbs require a certain amount of exhaust backpressure to respond to tuning, and straight pipes do not provide this. People might think they sound great, but they are seriously compromising smooth running and good throttle response in the engine's midrange, and this could make the difference between accelerating your way out of a dangerous situation or finding yourself with a Buick parked on your chest.