from https://www.cnbc.com/ Key Points :

• Harley-Davidson’s electric-motorcycle division will go public through a merger with a blank-check firm in a deal valued at $1.77 billion, the company said on Monday.
• The company launched LiveWire earlier this year, hoping to claw back lost market share as its core baby boomer customer base grows older and interest in motorcycling as a recreational activity fades.
• Harley-Davidson will retain a 74% stake in the company, which is expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LVW.”

Harley-Davidson’s electric-motorcycle division will go public through a merger with a blank-check firm in a deal valued at $1.77 billion, the company said on Monday, as the 118-year old brand bets on younger customers to boost volumes. The company launched LiveWire earlier this year, hoping to claw back lost market share as its core baby boomer customer base grows older and interest in motorcycling as a recreational activity fades. A broader awareness about climate change is also paving the way for automakers to lean towards greener vehicles. Valuations have gained as money managers are also increasingly factoring in ESG policies in their investments. Harley is the latest to cash in on an uptick in valuations of electric-vehicle makers. Last month, Amazon-backed EV maker Rivian shot past $100 billion in valuation in its market debut, surpassing Ford and General Motors. “If anything this underlines what we’ve been saying for a long time. Detroit, wake up! The train has left the station! EVs are inevitable,” Roth Capital analyst Craig Irwin said. “Many traditional OEMs (Original equipment manufacturers) with emerging EV businesses can obviously do similar spinoff transactions,” Irwin added. Harley’s shares rose 11.3% in premarket trading, while those of AEA-Bridges were up 3.4%. Jochen Zeitz, Harley’s chief executive, will be the chairman of LiveWire for up to two years following the completion of the deal. In an investor presentation, LiveWire projected units sales volume of 100,961 electric bikes by 2026. Harley-Davidson will retain a 74% stake in the company, which is expected to list on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “LVW.” ABIC’s shareholders will own about 17%.

The Sturgis Motorcycle Museum is unlike any motorcycle museum on the planet. It’s based around the history of the Sturgis Rally and follows several racing endeavors. But the rally evolved into chopper heaven and so did museum displays with exhibits from many of the great chopper builders of our time, including Arlen Ness, Billy Lane and others.

The Sturgis Rally represents true motorcycling freedom and so does every exhibit in the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

This finely chopped Knucklehead came into the museum over this past rally because the builder Paul Wideman (AKA Bare Knuckle Paul) showed it all around the country, won numerous awards and thought the best home for it would be the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

“We got in contact with Paul through a friend of the museum Darren McKeag,” said Race Garvin, Exhibit Manager. “Darren is a featured artist during the rally and has multiple displays currently housed with us. It was a great match and we’re super excited to exhibit more of Paul’s classic choppers in the future!”

In 2014 Paul Wideman and the crew at Bare Knuckle Choppers Built this beautiful 1940 EL Knucklehead. It has a 74-inch motor with shaved and resized flywheels, large port cylinder heads, as well as Kibblewhite valves.

The frame and tins were completely custom made and the gas tank has an inlay of 1 ¾-thick Coco Bolo wood. This bike has won many shows such as the J&P Cycles, Ultimate Builder Custom Bike Show in Chicago, IL in 2014.

To better understand how this came about, we should look at some background that led up to Biker Lives Matter. I have been riding motorcycles for 69 years and both my life and that of the others who ride has always been important to me. I was taught to ride by a friend at the age of 14 and then continued to improve that by riding with people who had more experience than me, that is just the way it was done years ago. Through the years that I have been riding, I have seen many people injured and I know too many that have died. I personally have had my share of crashes and I even flatlined in the operating room after one of them. I consider myself one of the lucky ones to still be riding at the age of 83 years old.

In the 1970s, I became involved in motorcycle rights and safety. At the time, motorcycle injury and death rate were high so the government and insurance companies began trying to pass laws that they hoped would help protect motorcyclists when crashes happened. They started by passing legislation such as mandatory helmet laws. While I have no issue with wearing helmets, I feel it should be a matter of choice. I (and others) also felt it was typical of the government to put the cart before the horse when a more practical approach would be to lower the crashes and collisions. That is easier said than done since so many motorists who are operating a vehicle are not paying attention to what they are supposed to be doing.

As motorcycle safety advocates, we worked on trying to educate the driving public to share the road with motorcycles, we also knew we needed to come up with a way to better educate the motorcyclists on the operation of the motorcycle.

The American Motorcycle Association put on the first Meeting of The Minds and invited 50 people with various backgrounds in motorcycling to attend. I had the privilege of being one of those people. What was discussed at that meeting eventually led to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation and courses to teach new riders. Our hopes were that defensive riding would help motorcyclists stay alive while we worked on changing laws that would make other vehicle operators be aware of us on the road and penalize those who violated our space and right to be there.

I am sorry to say that we have not been as successful as we should be in that aspect and 50 years later, we are still working on it. In the meantime, motorcyclists were and still are being injured and killed. It is unacceptable and something must be done.

More life threatening are collisions with other vehicles. It is at epidemic stage and motorcyclist are dying at an alarming rate despite all of the things that we have put in place. We have tried for many years to educate the public that motorcyclists have a right to the road the operators of these vehicles continue to drive stupid and without regard for others. They refuse to pay attention to the operation of their vehicle. Yes, recent legislation pertaining to cell phone use has helped but it has not gone far enough. I do not think you will find anyone that will disagree that the largest cause of injury and death to motorcyclist is another vehicle violating its right of way. The most common is making a left turn in front of them.

People in motorcycling rights and safety have been trying to do something about changing the law from minor fines that is the most common sentence for those found guilty of violating the right of way of another motorist for years. There has been limited success in some states but not in others. Since efforts to educate has not worked it is now time to legislate. Yes, I am saying it out loud. I am one who does not care for new laws either and have fought for freedom but in this case, it seems like the only solution. Ignoring where we find ourselves after all these years has not changed a thing. We do know that when the courts increase fines, take away operator’s licenses, and make them attend safety classes it does work as a deterrent for other vehicle violations.

I believe that we have waited way too long and what we have been doing to protect ourselves is not working. Biker Lives Matter believes that increasing the penalties for drivers who violate others right away is long overdue and that those penalties should continue to increase it until violators pay attention. The revenue from increased fines can help pay for also having the offender attend safety courses. Some say it is inconvenient for them to attend safety courses. Well that’s just too bad since it is not as inconvenient as people having to visit family members in the hospital or planning funerals for them.

I think back to the days of Mothers Against Drunk Drivers and what they have done to change things. There are numerous organizations that are promoting increasing penalties for violation of right of way violations, some have had success and others still working on it.

We need to work with motorcycle rights organizations (MROs) to get bills introduced to our state legislators and for all of us to contact those legislators to let them know that if they do not vote to pass laws that we will vote for whoever is running against them in the next state election.

Though I have been always interested in this topic it struck home on September 9, 2018 at 7:49PM when my son Dale was struck by a vehicle making an illegal left turn. He ended up losing his left foot. I and others believe he could have also lost his life if there was not a nurse that just happened to be on the scene and tended to him until more help arrived.

I continue to be thankful for organizations like Accident Scene Management and the Motorcycle Rights Organization that continue to fight to keep us safe and treated fairly concerning our rights.

I am requesting that anyone who can to help us change what is happening on our roadways to our brothers, sister, son, daughters and other family members who ride do so.

Like many things in the past, we can win this war against us. I will continue to do what I can to help that happen. To: https://bikerlivesmatter.com/

Super Soco TCMax 2022

from https://www.rushlane.com/ by Satya Singh

Vmoto Soco had unveiled multiple products at EICMA 2021 including electric scooters, motorcycles and fleet vehicles

Currently focused on European and US markets, Vmoto Soco Group will eventually expand its footprint globally.

The company has set ambitious plans to emerge as one of the leading brands in e-mobility. Towards that end, Vmoto Soco spent some busy days at 2021 EICMA, where a number of new electric vehicles were showcased.

Two of these are Super Soco TS Street Hunter, which seeks inspiration from the naked streetfighter design format. The other one is TCMax retro motorcycle.

2022 Super Soco Electric Motorcycles – styling and features
Vmoto Soco’s TS range currently has TS and TS-X electric motorcycles.

Overall styling of TS Street Hunter looks familiar to these motorcycles.

Some key features include a quirky headlamp face, spear-shaped turn signals, wide handlebar, sculpted fuel tank, prominent side fairing, single-piece seat and trendy tail lamp.

Super Soco TS Street Hunter

It is likely that TS Street Hunter will be borrowing several of its features from existing TS motorcycles. There could be slight variations or tweaks in line with the bike’s sportier profile. Things like an all-LED lighting setup and full-digital instrument console are apparent.

Instrument console used on TS 2021 displays a range of information such as battery status, real-time speed, odometer, full range, air temperature, clock and riding map. The screen has minimalistic black lettering against a light grey background, which should work well in terms of visibility in both bright and dark conditions. Any fancy stuff appears to have been intentionally avoided to save battery power.

Another notable feature is racing-style side wings. These not only work to enhance the bike’s looks, but also ensure better cooling and improved stability at high speed. Like other TS bikes, TS Street Hunter could get ample storage space. This will make it more practical for everyday use.

Super Soco TS Street Hunter powertrain
Powering the bike is a 2500W high-performance wheel hub motor. Applicable torque is 180 Nm. Existing Super Soco TS motorcycle also has a 2500W hub motor, which could be the same as TS Street Hunter. However, things like range and top speed could be different on both bikes. Considering that TS Street Hunter will focus on performance, it will have a relatively higher top speed and lower range.

Super Soco TS has max range of 200km, when used with a dual battery setup at a speed of 25 kmph. Top speed is 75 kmph. Maximum load capacity is 150 kg. The bike utilizes a 60v 32 Ah lithium-ion battery pack. It can be charged from 0 to 100% in around 3 hours 30 minutes.

Charging time will be more in case of dual-battery setup. Battery packs are located at a lower height, which improves the bike’s handling and balance. The battery system comes with features such as battery balancer, temperature protection and short circuit protection. It is likely that Super Soco TS Street Hunter will be equipped with connectivity platform. It could get features such as remote access, keyless start, and anti-theft alarm.

from https://menafn.com/ by MENAFN

Ducati has officially revealed the DesertX adventure motorcycle in the global market.

It gets a new off-road-friendly chassis and a host of electronic riding aids.

The bike has a retro look, dual fuel tanks for fulfilling additional fuel needs, a 5.0-inch TFT screen, and a 937cc engine that comes paired with a 6-speed gearbox.

Here’s our roundup.

Takeaways
The Ducati DesertX concept was showcased at EICMA 2019 and two years later, we have the production model. It has a similar appearance as the concept version and looks like the Ducati motorbikes of Dankar racing from 1990s.

Distinct features such as dual fuel tanks and dual-pod headlight make it a unique offering.

Design
The bike has a generous ground clearance of 250mm.

The front and rear fuel tanks on Ducati DesertX have capacity of 21 liters and 8 liters, respectively.

Ducati DesertX features a muscular front fuel tank, a transparent windshield, a twin-pod LED headlamp, a split-style seat, an upswept exhaust, and an auxiliary fuel tank at the back.

It houses a 5.0-inch TFT display and rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels.

The two-wheeler has a seat height of 875mm, a ground clearance of 250mm, and a kerb weight of 223kg.

Engine & Specs
The Ducati DesertX is powered by a 937cc, Testastretta twin-cylinder motor that churns out 108hp of power at 9,250rpm and 92Nm of peak torque at 6,500rpm. Transmission duties are handled by a 6-speed gearbox.

For the rider’s safety, Ducati DesertX is equipped with disc brakes on both the front and rear wheels, along with cornering ABS, wheelie control, traction control, and engine brake control. It offers six riding modes.

The suspension duties are taken care of by fully-adjustable Kayaba inverted forks on the front and a fully-adjustable mono-shock unit on the rear end.

Pricing and availability
Ducati DesertX will start at $16,795 in the US. It will likely be available in North America starting June 2022.

from https://mb.com.ph by Dhel Nazario

The Philippine Red Cross vowed on Saturday, Dec. 11, to provide a more effective humanitarian response now that it is more equipped after receiving motorcycles donated by Honda Philippines Inc.

PRC Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Sen. Richard Gordon gave this assurance to the public during the ceremonial distribution of Honda motorcycle units to local Red Cross chapters in North Luzon, Central Luzon, South Luzon, Bicol, Visayas, and Mindanao clusters.

Gordon expressed his gratitude to Honda Philippines Inc. President Susumu Mitsuishi for the carmaker’s turnover of 104 motorcycles, complete with insulated top box.

“These motorcycles will level-up the capacity of PRC’s fleet for responding to emergencies. The PRC is now more equipped to provide speedy and effective responses during disasters, public health crises, and other situations that require humanitarian aid,” Gordon said.

Gordon also thanked respected automotive industry parts supplier Eddie Jose as he assured the group of the PRC’s commitment to use the assets to protect the public’s well-being, health, and to save lives.

“Each PRC chapter will use these new motorcycles to ensure faster and easier access to blood, saliva RT-PCR testing, and soon, even first aid assistance. These motorcycles will enable PRC volunteers and staff to quickly reach areas that would be inaccessible to larger vehicles.” Gordon said.

He also reiterated that PRC personnel assigned to use the motorcycles will undergo a series of safety trainings that will enable them to properly handle and operate the units safely especially during high-stress, high-pressure situations.

“The humanitarian situations faced by PRC riders will range from the routine to the extreme. This makes it a priority for us to train volunteers and staff on the safe and proper handling of these vehicles especially during high-stress incidents. We are a staunch advocate of road safety and I want our volunteers and staff to achieve a high level of skill and safety in their use of these motorcycles,” he said.

The initial phase of the training is composed of three hours of classroom lectures and three hours of practical motorcycle handling. Further training will be given as needed to the PRC staff and volunteers.

From Center for Industrial Progress by Alex Epstein

Last week we looked at the need for a process of producing energy that is cheap, plentiful, and reliable—and we saw that solar and wind cannot produce cheap, reliable energy.

How Germany embraced solar and wind and ended up in energy poverty

Let’s take a look at this in practice. Germany is considered by some to be the best success story in the world of effective solar and wind use, and you’ll often hear that they get a large percentage of their energy from solar and wind.

You can see here on this chart how this claim was made and why it’s not accurate.

First of all, this is just a chart of electricity. Solar and wind are only producing electricity and half of Germany’s energy needs also include fuel and heating. So solar and wind never contribute half as much to Germany’s energy needs as this chart would imply.

But that’s not the biggest problem. What you notice here is that there’s certain days and times where there are large spikes, but there are also periods where there’s relatively little. What that means is that you can’t rely on solar and wind ever. You always have to have an infrastructure that can produce all of your electricity independent of the solar and wind because you can always go a long period with very little solar and wind.

So then why are the solar and wind necessary? Well, you could argue that they’re not and that adding them onto the grid will impose a lot of costs.

In Germany, electricity prices have more than doubled since 2000 when solar and wind started receiving massive subsidies and favorable regulations, and their electricity prices are three to four times what we would pay in the U.S. (Because of its low reliability, solar, and wind energy options require an alternative backup—one that’s cheap, plentiful, and reliable—to make it work, thus creating a more expensive and inefficient process.)

Nuclear and hydro

Fossil fuels are not the only reliable sources. There are two others that don’t generate CO2 that are significant and are more limited, but still significant contributors. Those are hydroelectric energy and nuclear energy.

Hydroelectric energy can be quite affordable over time, but it’s limited to locations where you have the right physical situation to produce hydroelectric power.

Nuclear is more interesting because nuclear doesn’t have the problems of hydro but it’s been very restricted throughout history so today in the vast majority of cases it’s considerably more expensive than say electricity from natural gas. This may change in the future and one thing we’ll discuss under policy is how we need to have the right policies so that all energy technologies can grow and flourish, if indeed the creators of those technologies can do it.

The reality of energy poverty: a story

To illustrate just how important it is to have cheap, plentiful, and reliable energy, I want to share a story I came across while doing research for my book, The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels. This is a story about a baby born in the very poor country of Gambia.

The baby was born underweight and premature, but not in such a way that would be a big problem in say, the United States. In the United States, the solution would have been obvious: incubation. This technology would almost certainly bring this baby up to be completely healthy, and if you met the baby later in life you would never know that there had ever been a problem.

Unfortunately, in the Gambia, in this particular hospital, they needed something that billions of people in the world do not have, and that is reliable electricity.

Without reliable electricity, the hospital didn’t even contemplate owning an incubator, the one thing this baby desperately needed to survive.

Without access to this technology, the baby could not survive on her own, and sadly, she died. I think this story reminds us of what it means to have access to cheap, plentiful, and reliable energy, and how having more energy gives us the ability to improve our lives.

To summarize what we discussed, if you can’t afford energy you don’t have energy, and if energy is scarce or unreliable, then you don’t have energy when you need it. It’s not just enough to have energy, the energy and the process to create it has to be cheap, plentiful, and reliable.

Hey,

Did you know motorcycle sales are up 13.7 percent above last year’s numbers. It’s amazing what’s happening in this world.

Most of the motorcycle companies I know of are doing very well.

What could it be? Folks are locked down. Fossil fuels and internal combustion vehicles are under attack.

Let’s hit the news.

— Bandit

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Lon Nordbye Joins Electrify Expo as Business Development and Sponsorship Executive

(Sioux Falls, SD December 9, 2021) Lon Nordbye has joined Electrify Expo, North America’s largest Electric Vehicle Festival to lead Business Development and Sponsorship efforts. A recent recipient of ‘Expo of The Year’ honors at the 2021 IMPACT Conference, Electrify Expo is focused on scaling the experiential platform, and this appointment highlights the commitment to achieve that.

Nordbye brings two decades of leadership experience in business development and integrated marketing to the Electrify Expo executive team. Lon Nordbye most recently served as VP of Strategy & Commercial Development at the Sturgis Buffalo Chip where he played a significant role in developing some of the rally’s most successful promotions, events, and brand partnerships.

“Our team is excited for Lon to join the company and know he will make immediate contributions that will benefit our partners and fans,” said BJ Birtwell, Founder and Executive Producer of Electrify Expo.

In his new role with Electrify Expo, Nordbye will lead development of Electrify’s e-motorcycle, e-bike, e-scooter, e-skate, and e-surf lifestyle categories. He will also oversee larger scale activations with national, non-endemic brands looking to reach the e-mobility consumer.

“BJ, Jeff and their dynamic team have not only pioneered how consumers engage and interact with e-mobility, they’re pushing the industry, culture and lifestyle of electric mobility forward,” said Nordbye. “I couldn’t be more excited to join an enterprising team and get immersed into the day-to-day work to achieve the high expectations we have for Electrify as well as ourselves.”

Electrify Expo is a weekend festival that takes place multiple times per year featuring the world’s leading brands in e-mobility. Consumers get the opportunity to demo and drive the best electric vehicles the industry has to offer as well as engage with interactive brand displays, enjoy live music and more.

2021 took Electrify Expo to Southern California, Miami, and Austin. 2022 will add additional events in hot e-mobility markets.

Companies interested can learn more by visiting: https://www.electrifyexpo.com/exhibits-press#Exhibitors

About Electrify Expo:

Attend North America’s largest Electric Vehicle event! Fun for all ages, Electrify Expo is a weekend festival that gathers the World’s top EV manufacturers all in one place!

Come see your favorite electric car, motorcycle, bike, scooter, skateboard, surfboard, e-foil and other electric mobility brands as they show off their latest products and technology. Visit their interactive displays, talk with EV experts, and BEST OF ALL, take a free test drive on one of our thrilling demo courses. Kids, have fun on the latest stability bikes or play in the Kids Zone!

With over 500,000 square feet of exhibit and festival space, Electrify Expo is a full day of electrified fun mixed with great food, drinks, music and more. Yes, this is an e-mobility party and everyone is invited!

Reimagined Electric Motorcycles Launch the Future of Customization

LOS ANGELES, CA (December 9, 2021) – The customization potential of the LiveWire One™ electric motorcycle was on full display on Saturday, Dec. 4 at Autopia 2099, a new and dedicated EV event held at Optimist Studios in Los Angeles designed to showcase electric cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and other mobility solutions. The event featured more than 80 vehicles, from home-built and conversion EVs to brand new cars and trucks, plus a display of what the event organizers called retrofuturism. Two custom motorcycle builders, SMCO and Earle Motors, presented the first fully customized LiveWire One motorcycles, both of which originated in Los Angeles, a city rapidly becoming LiveWire’s most successful market.

“The custom bikes showcased at Autopia make a big statement on behalf of LiveWire,” said Ryan Morrissey, Chief Electric Vehicle Officer. “Personalization has always been an element of motorcycle culture, and this weekend SMCO and Earle Motors demonstrated the customization potential of LiveWire One. These custom bikes and components are early indicators of our intent to incorporate limited edition builds and accessories into the digital bike builder on LiveWire.com.”

SMCO: LiveWire One Hooligan Racer
Brothers Aaron and Shaun Guardado started racing as young teenagers, first in shifter karts and then in high performance import cars before they turned their attention to motorcycles. They founded SMCO in 2010 to sell branded T-shirts and started building custom competition motorcycles in their Long Beach, Calif., shop to back up the brand and feed their appetite for racing and performance. Now in their mid-30s, the brothers have built serious Harley-Davidson flat trackers and performance bikes for hooligan racing, and even converted a pair of Harley-Davidson® Street Rod® motorcycles into snow bikes for a winter hill climb at the ESPN X Games.

“When we got our hands on the LiveWire One, we immediately wanted to race it,” said Aaron Guardado.

This past July, Shaun and Aaron entered a pair of LiveWire One bikes in the Roland Sands Super Hooligan Championship at the Laguna Seca race course in California. The series is open to almost any motorcycle, and for the event the bikes were stripped of lighting but were otherwise stock.

“The bikes are so fast and so much fun to ride, but we wanted to find ways to improve on that performance,” said Aaron. “We started by reducing rotating mass with a set of carbon fiber wheels from BST. Then we removed all the stock bodywork and used it to make molds for our own lightweight carbon fiber body pieces. We also designed our own rear-set foot controls to put us in a more-aggressive posture for road racing the bike.”

The SMCO race-prepped LiveWire One bikes were displayed this past weekend at Autopia in the unpainted carbon bodywork.

“This project really pushed us into some new technology,” said Aaron. “We learned to use CAD and a 3D printer to create the rear sets, for example.”

All of the carbon bodywork created by the Guardado brothers uses the stock mounting points on a LiveWire One, and if there’s interest from other owners, the parts may show up for sale in the future.

Earle Motors: E/MULHOLLAND CUSTOM
When designer Alex Earle needs to unwind, he often does it on his LiveWire One electric motorcycle.

“I’ve spent a lot of time riding off road, but I discovered the LiveWire One was the perfect stress-relief street ride,” said Earle, who teaches powersports design at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, Calif. “I live near the base of Mulholland Drive, a famous and very curvy road winding from Los Angeles up into the mountains. On weekends it’s nuts with cars and bikes, but on an evening during the week nobody is there. It’s like my private road. Unlike an internal combustion bike, the LiveWire One is quiet, and smooth, and cool. I can make a run up Mulholland, or Decker Canyon Road, stop at Old Place or the Rock Store. It’s a great escape.”

Earle Motors is more of an outlet for Earle’s creativity than it is a business, and he turned that creative design bent on his LiveWire One, in a very dramatic way.

“Initially this bike was intimidating, because it’s electric,” said Earle. “There’s no exhaust, for example, which is always an easy starting point for customization. And no fuel tank. I had two goals in mind – to consolidate the design and adjust the ergonomics for my own comfort. I want it to fit like a tailored suit.”

Earle replaced most of the bodywork with pieces of his own design, created in composite on a 3D printer, except for the “fuel tank” in front of the seat, which covers tightly packed electronics that can’t be reshaped. He removed the rear fender and lighting, and replaced the tail section with one he formed of welded steel.

“I painted the electronics cover, which looks like a fuel tank, in Synthetic Haze, a gray-to-blue fade developed during World War II to help airplanes appear less visible in the sky, which lowers the profile of the entire bike,” said Earle. “I filled in the space below that cover with a new finned piece that wraps around in front of the seat. The fins are the same shape as those on the battery case in the center of the bike.”

The part Earle removed incorporates air scoops to cool electronic components, and to replace that cooling capacity he created hollow galleries within the fins in which coolant might circulate. Two small hoses on the show bike would carry that coolant to a finned heat exchanger located between the forks. To create this part, Earle made detailed drawings, and had the entire motorcycle digitally scanned by Mimic 3D. His drawing and the scan was handed off to PROTOTYP3, a firm founded by two of his former students, who recreated it in CAD and then made the part in one piece with a 3D printer.

“It was amazing that when I got the part the holes lined up perfectly with the mounting points on the bike.” said Earle. “Right now, this is an idea, not a functional feature. I have no way of testing it, but I designed it so that I think it could be functional. The next step would be to 3D print it in aluminum.”

The lower bodywork behind the front wheel is shaped to be an air curtain to smooth flow around the battery case. Its bright orange color is meant to draw the eye down and lower the perceived profile of the bike. Earle removed the stock headlamp and its nacelle to fit three LED lights.

“The new tail section and a custom motard-style seat I designed raise the seat height several inches, which is perfect for my six-foot three-inch frame,” said Earle. “Saddlemen covered the seat in black leather, and it looks great. I also installed a chrome handlebar that’s lower than stock, chrome because it doesn’t get scuffed up when I transport the bike.”

A final custom detail can be found on a logo Earle created for a new charging port cover, which combines the number 23 – which he has always used on his competition-style customs – with an elk antler design that’s also used by the Old Place on Mulholland.

“Some of the inspiration for this project comes from my students, who show up in class with these computers they have built themselves, and they are liquid cooled,” said Earle. “People have been hot rodding motorcycles the same way for 70 years, but how will that happen in the future, when bikes are electric? How will this generation customize a bike? They can 3D print their own parts. They could liquid cool the electronics. I’m hoping this project gets on Instagram and some 17-year-old in Portugal sees it and gets a spark of inspiration. That will be the future of customization.”

###

About LiveWire
More than a motorcycle, LiveWire plans to redefine electric. Drawing on its DNA as an agile disruptor from the lineage of Harley-Davidson, capitalizing on a decade of learnings in the EV sector and the heritage of the most desirable motorcycle brand in the world. With an initial focus on the urban market, LiveWire will pioneer the electric motorcycle space, and beyond. With a dedicated focus on EV, LiveWire plans to develop the technology of the future and to invest in the capabilities needed to lead the transformation of motorcycling. LiveWire expects to benefit from Harley-Davidson’s engineering expertise, manufacturing footprint, supply chain infrastructure, and global logistics capabilities. Innovating by design and attracting industry-leading talent, LiveWire will be headquartered virtually, with initial hubs in Silicon Valley, CA (LiveWire Labs) and Milwaukee, WI.

For LiveWire career opportunities please see LiveWire.com/careers

For more information regarding LiveWire products visit: LiveWire.com