Rush/CTY Is One of the Four Horsemen of Harley-Davidson’s e-Bike Apocalypse

So far, we’ve seen a couple of the new models Harley has summoned, the Mosh/CTY and Rush/CTY Step-Thru, with the latter targeting women riders - frankly, I'd rock it just as hard as the rest. Now it's time we showed you the third one to hit our streets from spring 2021: the Rush/CTY.

Even though it's technically in the same category as the Step-Thru, it does come in at an extra $100 for a total of $4,499. But for the price of a rusty used car, this minion would better be able to dish out the goods. In my opinion, it does.

Now, when you design an e-bike, it’s a whole different story than with a regular bike as the classic frame styles seem to buckle under the stress of hefty components like a battery pack and motor. Knowing this, the team sought out to use hydroformed aluminum tubes with a welded construction and internal cable routing. This gives the Rush the necessary strength and weight to outperform most, if not all, available e-bikes.

That performance is also provided by the components powering the electric drive system for this e-bike. The first component to come for questioning is the motor. We are given a Brose S Mag brushless mid-drive mounted motor with a 250W continuous power. Only 250W? Apparently, it’s all that’s needed.

This motor has enough capability to crank out 90 Nm (66 lb-ft) of torque and will propel you and the bike to speeds of 20 mph (32 kph) for the U.S. versions, and 25 kph (15 mph) for EU models. Seeing as this is a speed cap set about through software, it wouldn't it be a shame if someone tampered with that software, would it?

As for the battery providing energy to this tiny powerhouse, we find a 705Wh integrated pack that can be removed for easy and accessible charging. It enables a range of 35-115 miles (56-185 km), depending on which assist mode you choose. I don’t know about you, but I see e-bikes every day, and very few offer that sort of range and power at the same time. The only downside is a full recharge takes a little over six and a half hours, though a 75% charge only takes three and a half hours.

For the drivetrain, we find an Enviolo Automatiq auto-shifting hub. This and the motor are then held together by the Usain Bolt of e-bike chains, a Gates Carbon Drive.

Harley then slammed on a pair of 27.5 wheels with Schwalbe Super Moto tires. Helping you control all of this funky stuff are Tektro four-piston hydraulic brakes with 203mm x 2.3mm rotors on both the front and rear tires. Interestingly, these are even bigger than what some e-MTB use. Throw in a Brose controller for easy mode selection and diagnostics, and your rockin' a Harley.

Now, even though you did just buy yourself a Harley like this one, please don’t make the same mistake I did and show it off to die-hard Harley-Davidson fans. I literally got laughed at and was told to get the heck out of there.