Get your motor runnin’, err, make that charging.

A few weeks ago, Harley-Davidson’s spinoff brand, Serial 1, announced that they would be taking pre-orders for their new e-bike portfolio. According to Aaron Frank, Brand Director, the initial product offerings will be targeted toward casual recreational riders and urban commuters.  Available in four different models, the battery-powered bikes will have a price range of $3,399 to $4,999, and will be available in America and Germany next year, with additional countries to be added as they support new growth opportunities. But with an iconic name like Harley-Davidson, why would the Serial 1 brand branch off?

Ready for urban realities: the new Serial 1 Mosh has enough power for city antics [Serial 1]
“Engaging the e-bicycle market through this joint venture with a dedicated brand allows Harley-Davidson to play a key role in the e-bike mobility revolution while allowing Serial 1 the opportunity to focus exclusively on the e-bicycle space, to better understand the customer, and to deliver an unmatched riding experience rooted in the core Harley-Davidson values of freedom and adventure,” Aaron explained. While the Serial 1 collection represents the future of electric bicycles, the company is also harnessing the power of the past. Two years before Harley-Davidson was founded, 20-year-old co-founder William S. Harley drew up plans for a small motor designed to be used in a traditional pedal-bike frame.

The cockpit of the Serial 1, showing the watch-sized digital display and relatively normal ebike controls [Serial 1]
“When the company was founded in 1903, the motorcycle was the cutting edge of personal mobility,” Aaron explained. “Thus, Harley-Davidson Motor Company became a motorcycle company. I believe that there is a strong case to be made that if Harley-Davidson was formed in 2020, the pedal-assist electric bicycle could be considered the cutting edge of personal mobility, at least in urban areas. So in some ways, Serial 1 is about channeling that original entrepreneurial spirit of Harley-Davidson’s founders, and applying it to our modern context. And that’s why the company takes its name from ‘Serial Number One,’ the nickname of Harley Davidson’s oldest known motorcycle.”

The battery interfaces the pedal cranks and belt drive at the bottom of the frame. [Serial 1]
Depending upon the model, the Serial 1 e-bike can reach top speeds of 28 miles per hour. The top-tier model, the RUSH/CTY SPEED, is equipped with an airy, mid-mounted Brose TF MAG motor that churns out 66 ft.-lb. of torque. This innovative technology is seamlessly paired with the aesthetics of Harley-Davidson’s loop-frame prototype.

A step-thru version, the Rush City ladies’ model, is also available. [Serial 1]
Aaron, author of The Harley-Davidson Story: Tales from the Archives, appreciates the company’s compelling history as not only a motorcycle company, but a mobility company. The Serial 1 brand will continue to carry this long lineage of mobility and adventure to a brand new target audience, while paying homage to Harley-Davidson’s past. “You can have that same spirit of adventure in the confines of your city on an electric bike. You don’t have to take two weeks and ride a motorcycle across the country. You can take two hours and discover new parts of your city that are only accessible on an e-bicycle,” Aaron stated.

The Rush City is the top tier version, an urban commuter that just might be the escape hatch Harley-Davidson needs to outgrow its own brand strength. [Serial 1]

 

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