Late last month, a new e-mobility company was formed from a skunkworks project at Harley-Davidson and showed off a striking one-off prototype. Now Serial 1 has officially announced its first four production models.
The concept prototype was created in tribute to Harley-Davidson's oldest known motorcycle, the Serial Number One. Very little information on the upcoming ebikes accompanied the company launch, other than that the first production model was due to be released in March, 2021.
Now we know that the first Serial 1 ebikes will be released in the US and Germany, the four models are destined for urban commuters and casual recreational cyclists, and they've gone up for pre-order. And, as expected, they're not cheap.
"From the agile MOSH/CTY, the ultimate urban playbike, to our fully capable RUSH/CTY models, which deliver three tiers of premium features, Serial 1 brings Harley-Davidson's world-class product development capabilities to modern commuters and recreational cyclists," said Serial 1 Brand Director, Aaron Frank.
The least expensive model is the MOSH/CTY, which is priced at US$3,399. It comes with a 250-W mid-mount Brose S-Mag motor and electronic torque sensor, offers 90 Nm (66 lb.ft) of torque and up to 20 mph (or 25 km/h in the EU) of pedal assist, with thumb and forefinger controls on the handlebar activating the ebike, changing ride modes, powering on the headlight and engaging the walk-assist function.
The removable 529-Wh Li-ion battery should be good for between 35 and 105 miles (56 - 168 km) of per charge range, and spare batteries will be available from Serial 1 at extra cost so you don't have to put all of the effort in if you're caught short while out and about.
The ebike benefits from a Gates Carbon Drive belt and an Enviolo Automatiq auto-shifting hub, a stepless transmission that's based on the NuVinci CVT gear system and uses "a set of rotating and tilting balls positioned between the input and output discs of a transmission. Tilting the balls changes their contact diameters and varies the speed ratio."
There's a hydroformed aluminum frame with internal cable routing that's available in four frame sizes, with the smallest and lightest tipping the scales at 46.7 lb (21.18 kg). It rides on 27.5-inch wheels wrapped in Schwalbe Super Moto tires, stopping power comes from two-piston-caliper hydraulic disc brakes with 203-mm rotors, the shield up front illuminates, and there's also a BAF LED headlight and an integrated taillight with braking feature.
Next up is the RUSH/CTY Step-Thru for $4,399. It comes with the same motor and battery as the MOSH/CTY, but the per charge range goes down to between 30 and 90 miles (48 - 144 km), depending on mode and terrain. This model also rocks the Enviolo hub and Gates belt drive, but the aluminum frame is a step-through rather than a step-over flavor, is available in three sizes, and there are front/rear cargo racks and fenders included.
A 1.5-inch 240 x 240-pixel TFT display has been included, which offers ride mode info, current speed, odometer, charge level and headlight on/off status, and a secondary display option will be made available through a mobile app in the future. The Step-Thru flavor features Tektro hydraulic four-piston-caliper disc brakes, and sports a 206 x 43 x 70-mm (8.1 x 1.7 x 2.75-in) storage compartment.
Third in line is the $4.499 RUSH/CTY model, which boasts the same key specs as the Step-Thru. The press materials say that this ebike offers assist up to 20 mph in the US or 25 km/h in the EU, but the product page gives those figures as 28 mph and 45 km/h, respectively. We suspect that the product page is incorrect.
It's got a bigger removable battery, at 706 Wh for between 35 and 115 miles (56 - 185 km) per charge, three frame sizes are available, and racks, fenders and storage compartment are included.
The top of the range is the RUSH/CTY Speed for $4,999, which again shares many of its features with the RUSH/CTY model. Motor assist is provided up to 28 mph (US) or 45 km/h (EU) though, the 706-Wh removable battery is reckoned good for between 25 and 115 miles (40 - 185 km) per charge, and it's available in four frame sizes.
The CTY ebikes are up for pre-order at the Serial 1 website, and will also be available at select Harley-Davidson motorcycle dealerships. The RUSH/CTY Speed is introduced in the video below.
Product pages: MOSH/CTY, RUSH/CTY Step-Thru, RUSH/CTY, RUSH/CTY Speed
