Harley Davidson Invites Riders to Help Shape its First Electric Motorcycle

In one-of-its kind initiative, Harley Davidson has announced to invite riders around the world to help shape its first electric motorcycle - the Project LiveWire. It will be done under the company's Project LiveWire Experience tour that will cover different parts of the world.

The company says that select consumers in Asia, Europe, Canada, and the United States will get an opportunity to ride and provide feedback on the bike. The company will start the tour this week with events at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit.

"Project LiveWire has reset expectations about what a Harley-Davidson motorcycle can be," said Harley-Davidson Chief Marketing Officer Mark-Hans Richer. "The first phase of the Project LiveWire Experience tour provided valuable feedback about the features and experience riders expect from an electric Harley-Davidson motorcycle. This year we're expanding that experience to a global audience to gain even deeper insights from riders to help us shape the future direction of this exciting technology."

The Project LiveWire Motorcycle was designed to know riders expectations of an electric Harley-Davidson Motorcycle, though it was not developed for selling. Last year, over 15,000 customers provided feedback on Project LiveWire, out of which 6,800 took demo rides, as a part of a 30-stop tour across the United States and a special consumer event for Latin American customers in Miami.

Feedback from riders during the Project Livewire Experience tour will decide if the bike will go on sale or not.

Highlights of the 2015 tour, which encompasses events in eight countries on three continents, include:

- Media and invitation-only consumer rides at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit from Feb. 25 to March 4.

- A contest for riders throughout Europe to enter for a chance to be one of the first 1,000 people to ride Project LiveWire at one of five locations in the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and the Netherlands from May to August.

- A 13-stop tour in the United States and Canada visiting select Harley-Davidson dealerships and consumer events beginning in April.

"We are led by what our customers tell us matters most," said Richer. "Because electric vehicle technology is evolving rapidly, we are excited to learn more from riders through the Project LiveWire Experience to fully understand the definition of success in this market as the technology continues to evolve."