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Harley Davidson: The Road Only Goes Downhill

Harley-Davidson delays its first $30,000 electric motorcycle after unexpected findings during final quality checks The company delayed the motorcycle after ‘non-standard conditions’ were discvoered during final quality checks Dealers had begun selling pre-orders of the bike in January Harley-Davidson had forecast shipping 1,600 bikes Harley-Davidson has delayed production on its first electric motorcycle, called LiveWire. In an email sent to dealers last week, the company announced it had found a ‘non-standard condition’ in its final quality checks but didn’t elaborate further. The LiveWire was officially announced for commercial release last fall with a planned price of $29,799. ‘We recently discovered a non-standard condition during a final quality check; stopped production and deliveries; and began additional testing and analysis, which is progressing well,’ the company said in a statement. The Wall Street Journal reported that the decision came after a problem with the vehicle’s battery charging was discovered. The manufacturer did not say when they planned to resume production. The company had already begun delivering models of LiveWire to dealers in September. The company had expected to ship around 1,600 bikes, or an estimated 1 percent of the company’s total big shipments. The LiveWire is said to go from 0-60 mph in three seconds and reach top speeds of 110 mph. Harley-Davidson recommends users go to dealers to charge the vehicle rather than trying to use standard electrical outlets in their homes. It is powered by a 15.5 kWh battery and has a 105 horsepower magnetic engine and a range of 146 miles city driving on a single charge. Harley-Davidson had told potential customers to charge the bike only at registered dealers and not in their homes. The bike was first shown in The Avengers: Age of Ultron as a sleek prototype ridden by Scarlett Johansson’s Black Widow character. The LiveWire […]

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To Beat Slump, Enfield Looks Beyond the Thump

Co to launch a more affordable bike in the 250cc segment, open 350 small outlets in hinterland Royal Enfield, the cult-bike brand from Eicher Motors, is considering a new 250 cc variant to arrest a slide in volumes and market share, and as part of a broader push to make it more accessible to buyers. The Royal Enfield brand had gone off the radar of aspiring youth looking for an upgrade, as enthusiasm dampened somewhat due to an increase in prices of about 8-10% over the last couple of years on account of a transition to BS IV emission norms, a spike in insurance cost and the introduction of a mandatory anti-lock braking system. A slowing economy and about a dozen product launches in the 1 lakh to 1.5 lakh price band also added to the company’s woes. From strong double-digit growth over the last five to six years, Royal Enfield has slipped into a double-digit decline in the last four months. Under new CEO Vinod Dasari, however, the bike maker has rolled out a plan to set up 350 small outlets in the hinterland, apart from considering a new 250 cc bike variant. The 250 cc study is being carried out by the Indian R&D centre, even as the UK Technical Centre moots new, bigger displacement bikes for the global markets. RE is also planning to debut a no-frills bike for all its brands, giving a prospective buyer the choice of personalisation and accessorisation. RE will be able to address the value and premium segment, giving power to prospective buyers, according to the idea pushed by Dasari. If a prospective buyer does not require all the bells and whistles, he/she can buy a no-frills version, and if the customer wants to spruce up the motorcycle, he/she has the option

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