Bicycles

Harley-Davidson spin-off Serial 1 debuts first production ebikes

Harley-Davidson spin-off Serial 1 debuts first production ebikes
All four Serial 1 ebikes, including the MOSH/CTY model shown, come with a 250-W mid-mounted motor for pedal assist riding
All four Serial 1 ebikes, including the MOSH/CTY model shown, come with a 250-W mid-mounted motor for pedal assist riding
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The shield and headlight to the front of Serial 1 CTY ebikes provide after-dark illumination
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The shield and headlight to the front of Serial 1 CTY ebikes provide after-dark illumination
All four Serial 1 ebikes, including the MOSH/CTY model shown, come with a 250-W mid-mounted motor for pedal assist riding
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All four Serial 1 ebikes, including the MOSH/CTY model shown, come with a 250-W mid-mounted motor for pedal assist riding
The Step-Thru model comes with cargo racks front and rear
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The Step-Thru model comes with cargo racks front and rear
Per charge range from the Step-Thru model's removable Li-ion battery is reported to be between 30 and 90 miles, depending on ride mode and terrain
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Per charge range from the Step-Thru model's removable Li-ion battery is reported to be between 30 and 90 miles, depending on ride mode and terrain
The Serial 1 ebikes offer walking assist, for between-ride ease
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The Serial 1 ebikes offer walking assist, for between-ride ease
The Serial 1 ebikes, including the RUSH/CTY models shown, have been designed for urban commuters and recreational riders
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The Serial 1 ebikes, including the RUSH/CTY models shown, have been designed for urban commuters and recreational riders
The RUSH/CTY Speed model can provide motor assist up to 28 mph
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The RUSH/CTY Speed model can provide motor assist up to 28 mph
The RUSH/CTY Speed's removable battery should be good for between 25 and 115 miles of per charge range, depending on mode and terrain
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The RUSH/CTY Speed's removable battery should be good for between 25 and 115 miles of per charge range, depending on mode and terrain
The four models in the CTY range will be available in early (northern) spring, in the US and Germany initially
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The four models in the CTY range will be available in early (northern) spring, in the US and Germany initially
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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 shield and headlight to the front of Serial 1 CTY ebikes provide after-dark illumination
The shield and headlight to the front of Serial 1 CTY ebikes provide after-dark illumination

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.

The Step-Thru model comes with cargo racks front and rear
The Step-Thru model comes with cargo racks front and rear

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.

The Serial 1 ebikes, including the RUSH/CTY models shown, have been designed for urban commuters and recreational riders
The Serial 1 ebikes, including the RUSH/CTY models shown, have been designed for urban commuters and recreational riders

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 RUSH/CTY Speed model can provide motor assist up to 28 mph
The RUSH/CTY Speed model can provide motor assist up to 28 mph

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.

Introducing RUSH/CTY SPEED from Serial 1, Powered by Harley-Davidson.

Product pages: MOSH/CTY, RUSH/CTY Step-Thru, RUSH/CTY, RUSH/CTY Speed

View gallery - 9 images
6 comments
6 comments
TomWatson
NEVER. Where's the BLAH! BLAH! VROOM! sound of a Bad-Ass bike? Reminds me when the Japs first came out with bikes in the US with the Bzzzz Sound like a hindred Bumble Bees. Fag Bikes. No Soul or Intensity of sound. They may be fast but sound like shit. Get a HOG.
Signguy
Waayyyyy too expensive.
Nelson Hyde Chick
And we'll pay twice as much for this electric bicycle versus a comparable one because of the Harley Davidson badge?
Daniel Micklethwaite
Its really sad that at this price they couldn't maintain the finishing details of the concept that made it look so appealing, especially when there was nothing difficult about maintaining the colour scheme, the ubiquitous brooks saddle and grips, the extra bar under the top tube etc. and I'm pretty sure the white tires (some schwalbe big apples?) even once dirty would still look better than what they've opted for.. hell tan wall tires would look better. Thank god they at least maintained the mid mount motor, but why the toyota level whitegoods finishing? this is supposed to be a Harley spinoff? the execution is now a complete fail when it comes to differentiating the product and its desirability from any current off the shelf e-bike brands .
David V
Was looking at the original Serial 1 concept eBike the other day. Where has it gone ? These bikes are nothing like it. Having said that, they look good and very practical. I like the front and rear racks that are pretty discrete. The Enviolo hub will be fantastic to use. Belt drive - well it's sort of a Harley so that's OK. The engine isn't very powerful though. I would have expected at least 500W. Assisted up to 25kmh is not much.
And then we get to the price. I'm sure there will be buyers just for the brand but if I've got 4k$ to put in an eBike, I think I'll put it with a tried and tested manufacturer. I think that will be their main problem.
For 2k$ you can get a Van Moof. Tried and tested. And with integrated anti-theft.
And for @TomWatson these are bicycles - not motorbikes.
Gernot Kramper
The Motor is as big and bulky as a Bosch Generation I Motor - that was 10 years ago.