Harley Davidson India – Excitement for Future

Harley Davidson India - Excitement for the Future
Harley-Davidson Street 750 and LiveWire
Harley Davidson India - Excitement for the Future
Harley-Davidson Street 750 and LiveWire

As a celebration of having completed a decade in the Indian market, Harley Davidson has presented a special edition of Street 750, to be launched in the country for Rs 5.47 lakh (ex-showroom price).

Harley-Davidson Street 750 – 10th Anniversary Edition

This repackaging of the smallest toy by Harley Davidson includes a different paint scheme. The company claims that the graphic design on Street 750 draws inspiration from their perception of India. Although the motorcycle does not come with any new upgrades other than its styling and appearance, Harley hopes that the fresh look would re-excite Harley enthusiasts and possibly sell some decent numbers. To be practical, only 300 units of the Harley Davidson Street 750 special edition will be made available and the model will be sold all across India.

10th anniversary celebrations

Further, the company has also announced the launch of a smartphone application for Harley Owners Group (H.O.G). Harley Davidson India is also celebrating the successful 10 years in the country by holding anniversary rides across India. A variety of anniversary special merchandise and offers will also be put up for grabs at all its dealerships.

Premium electric motorcycles from Harley stable

Sajeev Rajasekharan, Managing Director, Harley-Davidson India Pvt. Ltd. was excited to share that they are the first company to manufacture electric motorcycles in the premium segment. He also conveyed that the company will continue to uphold their legacy in India as these ten years mark just the beginning; the future holds much more excitement for the motorcycle enthusiasts in the country.

Harley Davidson’s LiveWire

Harley Davidson has also just showcased their first-ever fully electric motorcycle, LiveWire.

They have given it some serious amount of time and planning to market the LiveWire just right. Having done a nationwide tour of the U.S four years ago pre-introduction, and then introducing the model quite-aptly in the Marvel movie “Avengers: Age of Ultron”, they have struck the right chord of excited anticipation amongst fans – Marvel followers and motorcycle lovers alike – of its launch.

LiveWire by Harley-Davidson is the first of the many electric bikes that the company is planning to launch in the future. It simply does not disappoint with either its appearance or specifications and the iconic American motorcycle manufacturer has indeed outdone itself. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire will have a riding range of 235km (on a single charge). Even though it is an estimated figure, it’s good to have a reference to go on.

The electric bike has the all-new H-D Revelation permanent-magnet electric motor, it means that the LiveWire produces 106 horsepower and generates 116Nm of torque. The H-D Revelation produces a full hundred percent of the torque without any delay, which gives it an edge over its internal combustion counterpart. The 15.5kWh battery or the RESS (rechargeable energy storage system), as it is dubbed comprises of lithium-ion cells and is placed at the longitudinal center of the motorcycle, guarded by the motorcycle’s cast-aluminum chassis.

The structure and material of the frame act as a heat-sink to help cool down the cells. The sides of the battery are visible through gaps in the motorcycle frame structure to expose it to air which helps in the cooling of the RESS housing. Other than RESS, the LiveWire also has an additional 12-volt lithium-ion accessory battery to provide power for start-up and key recognition.

A water jacket is used to cool the H-D Revelation motor, as the coolant is circulated via a small radiator, which helps balance and handling of the motorcycle.

The LiveWire can accelerate from zero to sixty miles per hour, which is approximately 100 kilometres per hour, in 3.0 seconds, and from sixty to eighty miles per hour(nearly 150kmph) in about 1.9 seconds more.

Harley has confirmed that LiveWire will come with seven Ride Modes that will electronically control the performance of the motorcycle and the amount of intervention it has. Four of the seven modes are pre-programmed and the other three can be customized by the rider himself. Each Ride Mode has its own particular combinations of power production and regeneration, throttle response, and traction control settings.

The LiveWire has been designed keeping in mind hassle-free charging of the battery for the customer. The motorcycle comes with an on-board Level 1 charger which can be plugged into a standard 120/240 volt household outlet with a special power cord that is provided with the bike and can be stored below its seat. Every hour of charging adds 20km of drive for the motorcycle. For a complete charge, the company recommends overnight charging with Level 1 charger. There is also the option of a DC charger that can completely charge the bike in sixty minutes tops.

The Live Wire will regrettably, only be available in select dealerships across the United States of America, Canada, and most parts of Europe. The Harley Davidson LiveWire is priced at US$29,799, which equals approximately Rs 21,41,000 excluding the taxes and duties. This makes it one of the most expensive production bikes to be built by the company. The company is yet to confirm plans for launching the motorcycle in India (at present there are none). But hopefully, with the relaxation on taxes and the boost by the government for the sales of electric vehicles, they should be able to bring this electrifying motorcycle to the Indian market.

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