A ‘Livewire’ motorcycle from Harley-Davidson, Inc. at the EICMA show in Milan, on November 7, 2018. … [+]
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A little while back, I opined that Harley-Davidson, in order to differentiate, separate and help initiate an expansion of the company in light of the introduction of their LiveWire electric motorcycle, should rebrand their e-machines under a new name. My genius idea? Call them HDE Motorcycles, for Harley-Davidson Electric. Has a nice ring to it, it rhymes somewhat and I was even penciling out a cool logo.
I’m glad they took my advice.
Harley-Davidson has indeed announced that future electric hawgs will be sold under their own brand, LiveWire, which I guess is better than “HDE,” and they even cooked up a cool logo that changes shape if you take a deep breath, cross your eyes and look at it for a few seconds, like when you’re trying to see Stonehenge in one of those wacky autostereogram 3D images. Here it is:
It has an L. And a wacky W. And handlebars. But no Stonehenge.
Harley-Davidson/LiveWire
OK, it’s unlikely new Harley-Davidson CEO Jochen Zeitz had an A-ha moment after reading the post of an obscure Forbes.com plinker and decided one way to right the ship at The Motor Company was to start shearing off segments and giving them new names. But hey, if so, send me a cool hat. Or a Heritage Classic.
To be clear: Gas-powered Harley-Davidson motorcycles will still (and likely always will) be Harleys. However, it’s also clear that what was one is now about to be three as LiveWire will be the electric motorcycle brand and Serial 1 will be the roof over the electric bicycles the company will produce in partnership with more specialized electric bicycle builders (and not Specialized – as far as I know).
But, why?
Harley-Davidson is a heavyweight international motorcycle brand in more ways than one, with both a colorful history and almost cult-like, hard-core devotion among its core fan base.
People who buy Harley-Davidson motorcycles, whether they be lawyers, teachers, biker club members or whatever, know that the brand comes with a bit of psychological and cultural baggage. And after some sliding market share and slipping sales quarters, it’s clear that Zeitz thinks that product diversification – and the rebranding of some of those products – is going to help lessen the weight of the Bar and Shield brand for prospective buyers who want an electric motorcycle or ebike without the rebellious connotations that come with the hallowed name.
The move away from the central brand also means Zeitz has also given H-D’s engineers even more license to push boundaries already expanded by the initial LiveWire, Pan America and Serial 1 introductions. It’s also freedom to create a new type of dealership dedicated to electric motorvation, as the company has seen resistance from some staffers to promote and sell certain products outside the core line of bikes. In a press release, Harley-Davidson said LiveWire will have a presence in Silicon Valley as well as in the mothership in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where Harley has been headquartered since its inception nearly 120 years ago.
One clear signal from the decision is that Zeitz and the Motor Company will continue to push into the electric motorcycle market, and possibly with a new machine to be unveiled on July 8 of this year. It could be a re-badge of the current Livewire with a few tweaks for good measure, or it could be a completely new bike with a price tag well below the $29,799 of the current (and only) LiveWire model.
Along with the recent launch of the well-received Pan America dual-sport bike – which is wearing very minimal Harley badging – this latest move to separate the LiveWire bikes from the core cruisers looks like another bold move by turnaround specialist Zeitz, who brought sneaker and clothing brand Puma back from near-death some years back. But motorcycles aren’t shoes, so it remains unclear if, down the long highway Harley-Davidson must travel, there will be a Sturgis-level celebration of ebikes and electrics that may or may not be assembled in the United States, something that has been a point of contention for Harley’s often ultra-patriotic core supporters.
Will creating these new brands also give H-D easier access to cheaper labor at facilities in India and elsewhere? That remains to be seen and the motorcycle industry will no doubt be watching closely to see who makes what and where as the brands move to the outer orbits of Harley’s bright sun in Milwaukee. Zeitz has pushed open a door to Harley-Davidson’s future. It’s will be interesting to see if the rest of the company and customers are willing to walk through it.
