I think electric motorcycles would be a welcome alternative for around town. Not a touring design but a nice soft-tail design. The bike would be lightening fast and economical. This would also help control the location of the pollution generating portion of transportation.

As to replacing gasoline? There was a time when many were sure gasoline would never replace steam in primary transportation.

As for full charge in 6 minutes, why would you want to stand at a gasoline pump for 6 minutes when plugging in a cord would only take 6 seconds as you go into the office or house?

 

"As for full charge in 6 minutes, why would you want to stand at a gasoline pump for 6 minutes when plugging in a cord would only take 6 seconds as you go into the office or house?"
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For those happy and willing to CHANGE THEIR LIVES to accommodate their choice of transportation, you have a good point. For the REST OF US, who want transportation that supports our way of living, there won't be any 2 HOUR recharges on a 200 mile ride, we will continue to make that 6 minute stop miles from home to continue on to the next point of interest. Enjoy your new Road Princess when it becomes available.

 

"Not to mention the fact that, I'm guessing, less than 10% of Harley owners "tour."

But, ANY one of them, at any time can do a 700 mile day on a whim. Your whims become far more limited with a battery electric anything. How many SPECIAL PURPOSE vehicles can the average guy afford to buy, license, insure and maintain?

 

That 80 mile range and 4 hour charge were made up and not part of the actual description at all. There have been big improvements in battery life (range and charge times). It is becoming much more viable.

 

Would I buy one? No. Do I think it's a cool thing to discuss and wonder what the future will look like? Absolutely

 

Go ahead and make electric bikes, but don't mess with the KING.

 

150 mile range......that doesn't even qualify to be a Road Queen.

 

EVs are ok if you live in a city and have a 220V charger at home. Like my oldest son My younger son regrets buying a Volvo Recharge. There is very limited fast charger availability and poor reliability of chargers, in rural areas. He had to have it towed 100 miles and be without it for two weeks after a software update left it dead as a door nail.

Eventually EVs may be reliable and economical. That’s not now. Now they are expensive beta tests. Everyone brags about how they recharge for free, but that’s probably why the network sucks.

 

Good way to put it.

Electric motors are cool for 2 reasons. Darn near 100% efficiency. And 100% torque at idle. Gas engines are 25 to 30% efficiency.

2 huge problems with the current Electric push. 1. Batteries are still a generation or 8 away from being where they need to be. 2. We don't have a charging network to support what Electric vehicles we currently have. Definitely not future ready.

love the concept, driving my GAS POWERED bike and cars for foreseeable future. 1st harley made like 17 horsepower. Current stock bikes are at 100 hp. People bitched like hell in my lifetime about fuel injection. First ones were shot. Now it self learns, adjusts for temp and altitude, etc. Time marches on.

 

Nope,I wouldn't have an H-D that doesn't have a gas V-twin and probably not one that isn't an old school aircooled traditional single throw crank.
That said if H-D is to survive they will have to completely move on to the newer generations and modern machinery not the nostalgia machines they make today.
This is where the E-RK fails,it will not appeal to us old school guys that are a dying breed like me and it will do no better with the younger crowd that grew up in the tech world raised on video games who expect futuristic machines.
That really puts H-D in a tough spot going into the future.