Harley Davidson have unveiled a motorcycle that runs on electricity this week.
The bike has been named Project LiveWire, and will not be available for public sale, but will be tested by select customers, who will have a chance to experience the innovation and report back to Harley Davidson.
So far, reactions have been mixed. The bike itself has been deemed "OK" to look at, but one commenter brought up the issue of noise. An electric bike, with minimal sound, is a "recipe for disaster" according to the commenter, on "our increasingly busy roads". The comment has a major implication in two respects. The first risk is that of being unnoticed on the road by other road users. Already, motorcycles account for 19% of road fatalities every year. Secondly, one factor that always appeals to a biker is the noise. Typically, a Harley Davidson has a sound that makes it the bike of choice for purchasers.
With the bike unavailable for purchase, it limits the evidence of how well received the bikes will be, or others like it.
Regardless of the success, it is a great innovation on the part of Harley Davidson, and certainly opens the door for other manufacturers to explore environmentally friendly alternatives.
