Photo: Tanner Van De Veer
The Harley-Davidson LiveWire, the first fully-electric offering from the iconic brand, has been at the receiving end of many glowing reviews but that doesn’t change the fact that customer interest has been underwhelming so far.
Priced at $30,000, the LiveWire, which was seen as one way of solving Harley's generational woes, is simply too expensive for the younger generations. That, combined with the fact that the Harley image is still associated with the bad boy biker image, and the perception that all its bikes are large, loud and expensive, has contributed to what one designer calls an accessibility problem.
In short, millennials and Gen Zers won’t touch a Harley with a ten-foot pole, even if they could afford it.
Industrial designer Tanner Van De Veer and DAAPworks set out to deliver a motorcycle that could probably solve Harley’s problems in this regard. The concept is named the Harley-Davidson Revival and is seen as an all-electric, minimalist and futurist creation that takes inspiration from the early Harley designs to deliver a bike that even youngsters would ride.
As per the project’s description, Revival is minimalist and functional, but still muscular and iconic-looking. On paper at least, it would also be cheaper, though it would still use premium materials.
With a low center of gravity but higher ride height, it stands out with features like adjustable footpegs, real leather handlebars and other leather accents, a minimalist instrument cluster, and sleek LED lights. It is smaller and more compact than current Harley offerings. To save time and cut down costs, instead of a rechargeable battery, it would come with a hot-swappable battery pack.
At the same time, while heavily modified, Revival would be an instantly recognizable Harley, the designer says. Aside from the frame, the headlight is meant to resemble the Harley-Davidson logo, which, Van De Veer theorizes, would make the bike instantly recognizable “a mile away.”
In short, millennials and Gen Zers won’t touch a Harley with a ten-foot pole, even if they could afford it.
Industrial designer Tanner Van De Veer and DAAPworks set out to deliver a motorcycle that could probably solve Harley’s problems in this regard. The concept is named the Harley-Davidson Revival and is seen as an all-electric, minimalist and futurist creation that takes inspiration from the early Harley designs to deliver a bike that even youngsters would ride.
As per the project’s description, Revival is minimalist and functional, but still muscular and iconic-looking. On paper at least, it would also be cheaper, though it would still use premium materials.
With a low center of gravity but higher ride height, it stands out with features like adjustable footpegs, real leather handlebars and other leather accents, a minimalist instrument cluster, and sleek LED lights. It is smaller and more compact than current Harley offerings. To save time and cut down costs, instead of a rechargeable battery, it would come with a hot-swappable battery pack.
At the same time, while heavily modified, Revival would be an instantly recognizable Harley, the designer says. Aside from the frame, the headlight is meant to resemble the Harley-Davidson logo, which, Van De Veer theorizes, would make the bike instantly recognizable “a mile away.”
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