(19 Jun 2014) FOR CLEAN VERSION SEE STORY NUMBER: apus012406
VOICE-OVER:
STARTING UP A HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORYCLE HAS NEVER BEEN SO �. QUIET.
THE COMPANY IS UNVEILING LIVEWIRE, ITS FIRST ELECTRIC MOTORYCLE.
SOUNDBITE: Mark-Hans Richer, chief marketing officer.
"This has never been about an electric car, for us. It's been about an electric guitar, expressive, emotional, fun, with feeling, that's what electric guitar's became but at one point in time there weren't electric guitars either."
AND LIVEWIRE HAS A SOUND OF ITS OWN ONCE IT GETS GOING.
NOT QUITE THE RUMBLE OF A TRADITIONAL HARLEY.
SOUNDBITE: Jeff Richlen, lead engineer at Harley-Davidson:
"If you hear it in a true pass by it will sound like, I would equate it to, a fighter jet flying by. "
SOUNDBITE: Jeff Richlen, lead engineer at Harley-Davidson:
"It is a natural resultant of the design and architecture we've chosen."
EVERYTHING HAS BEEN REDONE FOR THIS BIKE. THAT INCLUDES THE WHEELS, THE ALUMINUM CAST FRAME, THE ELECTRONICS AND THE MOTOR.
IT WON'T BE ON SALE FOR AWHILE. OVER THE NEXT TWO YEARS THE COMPANY IS LETTING PEOPLE IN THE U.S. AND THEN EUROPE TRY THEM OUT AT SPECIAL EVENTS TO GET FEEDBACK SO THEY CAN MAKE TWEAKS.
SOUNDBITE: Matt Levatich, President Harley-Davidson:
"They are unbelievably responsive. The torque and the feeling of riding it is unlike anything people have ever been on before."
BUT HOW WILL RIDERS RESPOND? THE BIGGEST MARKET FOR ELECTRIC SCOOTERS AND MOTORCYCLES IS IN EUROPE AND ASIA.
SOUNDBITE: Gary Gauthier, Business and Technology Adviser, NextEnergy:
"I think it's going to be a long, long, long time before electric-styled small transportation becomes a significant impact in regard to transportation in North America."
SOMETHING HARLEY RECOGNIZES.
SOUNDBITE: Mark-Hans Richer, chief marketing officer.
"The current market is not all that great for electronic motorcycles. But we don't think a really great electronic motorcycle has yet been built. And this is our effort to take that next step towards to what we think that potential can be while still having it feel very much like a Harley."
THE BIKE DEBUTS IN NEW YORK NEXT WEEK.
CARRIE ANTLFINGER, ASSOCIATED PRESS
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