Support our non-partisan non-profit newsroom 💜 Donate now

Without the range and the rumble, Harley-Davidson finds e-motorcycles a hard sell

Feb 3, 2023
The company's global shipments were up 18% in the fourth quarter. But revenue at LiveWire, its electric motorcycle business, was down 28%.
True Harley lovers find the LiveWire too quiet. "They want it to make that noise when they’re coming down the road,” says Casey Harrold, marketing manager at the Tobacco Road Harley-Davidson dealership in Raleigh, North Carolina.
David McNew/AFP via Getty Images

Paris will charge for motorcycle parking, stirring protest from the biker community

Aug 29, 2022
The cost of street parking for a motorcycle will be about $40 a day. Officials would like to see greater use of public transportation.
Opinion polls show Parisians like the city's efforts to reduce car driving, and many support the new fees for motorbikes.
Christophe Archambault/AFP via Getty Images

Millennial women are fired up about motorcycles

Nov 18, 2019
As baby boomers hang up their leathers for good, younger women are saddling up.
Hayley Bell in Colorado for the Women Riders World Relay.
Courtesy Women Riders World Relay

Will Harley-Davidson's electric motorcycle expand the brand's appeal?

Jul 23, 2019
Harley's new LiveWire will go up to 146 miles on a charge, but cost almost $30,000.
Harley-Davidson's new LiveWire all-electric motorcycle.
Harley-Davidson

Can Harley-Davidson woo younger riders?

Oct 24, 2018
Motorcycle sales dropped 13 percent from a year ago.
Rob Schmitz/Marketplace

Can Harley-Davidson woo younger riders?

Oct 24, 2018
Motorcycle sales dropped 13 percent from a year ago.
Rob Schmitz/Marketplace

What's the trick to getting young people to ride motorcycles?

Aug 21, 2017
Getting "more butts on seats,” is the goal, but student debt and stagnant wages are a big roadblock.
Motorcycle enthusiasts find a space for their prized possessions outside a cafe in 1960.
Keystone Features/Getty Images

For public good, not for profit.

Electric cars have arrived. But what about electric motorcycles?

Mar 17, 2017
They're fast enough to keep up with gas-powered bikes. But can the charging infrastructure meet demand?
Kai Ryssdal, right, talks with Harlan Flagg, left, of Hollywood Electrics. Flagg says the store is No. 1 dealer of electric motorcycles.
Robert Garrova / Marketplace