An Un-Sound Future

AN UN-SOUND FUTURE

IGNITION

WANDERING ERE

WHAT WILL ELECTRIC BIKES BRING TO MOTORCYCLING? WHAT WILL THEY LEAVE BEHIND?

PAUL D’ORLÉANS

Motorcyclists, we’ve done it all before. There’s no engine configuration that hasn’t been tried in the deep past of our industry. From double (or triple) overhead cam to desmo, from one cylinder to eight, from two-stroke to diesel, from radial to rotary, some workshop on planet Earth gave it a shot, propelled by adrenalized visions of a world-beater.

Sometimes they worked, but typically the bugbear of cash stopped development. Then as now, the two-wheeled thing is an expensive business, and radical ideas have rarely been successful, even after E. Paul DuPont declared in 1930 (the year he bought Indian) that our industry makes “leisure objects.” Since motorcycles are no longer necessary, one might conclude the field to be wide open for experimentation and novelty because it’s all about fun, right?

But, no, bikers are a surprisingly conservative demographic, which is easily confirmed by a trip to any bike week. Amidst these celebrations of “individuality and freedom” hovers a set of unspoken rules regarding fashion, bike brands, visual cues (tattoos, graphics), and general behavior. Such constraints on subcultural identity were called out way back in 1963 by Tom Wolfe in his essay “The Kandy-Kolored TangerineFlake Streamline Baby.” He noted: “The kids are absolutely maniacal about form. They are practically religious about it.” Which is partly why inefficient, noisy pushrod V-twins are still popular and why things like flat singles aren’t.

Then again, certain motorcycle designs have hit a perfect note and become icons. These are signature shapes for a brand, to be riffed on endlessly, in the same way (self-identified) guys dress like Steve McQueen. Thus being “Indian” requires deep-skirted fenders, just like Triumph needs a Bonneville, Norton a Commando, Brough Superior an SS100, and HarleyDavidson something that looks like a Knucklehead—perhaps the most-repeated design pattern in motorcycle history.

Radical two-wheelers can be icons too, but a hub-center-steered bike, or an electric bike, has yet to become a classic. Divining that secret—how to make an iconic design—is an alchemical formula that’s never been cracked.

The growing electric horde may have found its first iconic design in the Alta.

It’s a thing of beauty, fit for purpose, and does what the maker promises, as a highly competent 250-class competition dirt bike. A true gem has yet to emerge from the electric sporting/commuter category, as the “actual” manufacturers are playing it safe with conventional silhouettes. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire, while not yet in production looks related to the V-Rod. If produced, the LiveWire would find its fans, regardless that it lacks The Motor Company’s treasured potato-potato signature. It couldn’t be a Harley without some kind of noise though, so a jet-like gear whine has been engineered into the driveline. Do loud gears save lives?

Lack of sound from electric bikes is perhaps the biggest turn-off for traditional motorcyclists. We dinosaur-burners enjoy our sound and fury, for while it signifies nothing (according to Shakespeare), it sure adds to the symphony of sensations while riding. Taking engine noise out of the equation feels like a loss. Then again, during a 10-mile-long engines-off glide down Nevada’s Kingsbury Grade on a pair of vintage Brough Superiors, Revival Cycles’ Alan Stulberg commented (he didn’t have to yell) how much he loved the quiet while rolling motorless. As we glided, we both mused on the certainty of an electric future, and at that moment, it didn’t seem bad at all.

BY THE NUMBERS

1998 HARLEY-DAVIDSON ATTEMPTED TO PATENT ITS SIGNATURE SOUND

23 TRADEMARKS PROTECTING A SOUND, OF THE 730,000 ACTIVE TRADEMARKS IN 1998

2040 PROPOSED FINAL YEAR FOR GASOLINE-AND DIESEL-POWERED VEHICLE SALES IN THE UK