Harley-Davidson rides into the e-bike segment with Serial 1 subbrand

By Ronan Glon Published July 12, 2023

Harley-Davidson signaled its intention to electrify its range when it introduced the Livewire, its first battery-powered motorcycle. Additional electric models are in the pipeline, and some of them will be at least partially powered by your legs. It formed a subbrand named Serial 1 to reach new buyers by entering the electric bicycle segment.

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Serial 1 is named after Serial Number One, which is the oldest known Harley-Davidson motorcycle. It was built in 1903. 117 years later, the brand’s first e-bike will borrow a handful of styling cues from its distant relative, including white tires, a black frame with gold lettering, and a brown seat propped up by a pair of polished springs.

It looks like engineers integrated the battery pack into the frame and stuffed the motor between the pedals, but technical specifications haven’t been announced yet. Images released by the brand show disc brakes on both wheels, and, surprisingly, a belt instead of a chain. It spins a single fixed gear. Full details about the model will be released in November 2020, and we assume some of Serial 1’s later models will offer riders more gears for increased versatility.

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Serial 1 e-bike — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Serial 1 e-bike — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Serial 1 e-bike — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Serial 1 e-bike — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Serial 1 aims to start delivering its e-bikes in the spring of 2021, though we don’t know how they will be distributed yet, or which markets they’ll be available in. America is presumably near the top of the company’s list. Similarly, pricing information hasn’t been announced, but Serial 1 pointed out it will position its bicycles on the premium end of the scale, a term which all but confirms they won’t be cheap. We expect pricing will start in the four-digit range.

Harley-Davidson has been associated with leather jackets and copious amounts of chrome for decades, but riding into the decidedly humbler e-bike segment is wiser than it might seem. It pointed out the sector was worth over $15 billion in 2019, and analysts predict it will grow by 6% annually between 2020 and 2025. Meanwhile, the motorcycle market has developed a misfire that no one seems to know how to fix. Harley-Davidson’s retail sales in the United States haven’t grown in six years, according to Autoblog, and they fell by 10% in the third quarter of 2019.

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Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

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Juiced Bikes sold at auction for $1.2 million, report says

The Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 adds more power, upgraded tires, and an improved battery to the popular moped style e-bike.

Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes, has been sold on an auction website for $1,225,000, according to a report from Electrek.Digital Trends recently reported how the company was showing signs of being on the brink of bankruptcy. The company and its executives had remained silent, while customer inquiries went unanswered and its website showed all products were out of stock. In addition, there were numerous reports of layoffs at the company.Yet, the most convincing sign was that the company’s assets appeared as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.Now, it appears that Juiced Bikes’ assets, including a dozen patents, multiple URLs, and the company’s inventory in both the U.S. and China, have been sold at auction, according to the report. It is likely that the buyer, who remains unknown, can capitalize on the brand and the overall value of the 15-year old company. Founded in 2009 by Tora Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.
The company had quickly built a reputation for the versatility of its e-bikes and the durability of their batteries. Over the years, the popularity of models such as the CrossCurrent, HyperScrambler, and RipCurrent only bolstered the brand’s status.Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.Juiced Bikes’ getting sold quickly might be a sign of what consulting firm Houlihan Lokey says is a recovery in the North American e-bike market.
The industry has had a roller-coaster ride during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: A huge spike in demand for e-bikes had combined with disrupted supply chains to create a supply/demand mismatch of “historic proportions," Houlihan Lokey said.

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Juiced Bikes offers 20% off on all e-bikes amid signs of bankruptcy

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A “20% off sitewide” banner on top of a company’s website should normally be cause for glee among customers. Except if you’re a fan of that company’s products and its executives remain silent amid mounting signs that said company might be on the brink of bankruptcy.That’s what’s happening with Juiced Bikes, the San Diego-based maker of e-bikes.According to numerous customer reports, Juiced Bikes has completely stopped responding to customer inquiries for some time, while its website is out of stock on all products. There are also numerous testimonies of layoffs at the company.Even more worrying signs are also piling up: The company’s assets, including its existing inventory of products, is appearing as listed for sale on an auction website used by companies that go out of business.In addition, a court case has been filed in New York against parent company Juiced Inc. and Juiced Bike founder Tora Harris, according to Trellis, a state trial court legal research platform.Founded in 2009 by Harris, a U.S. high-jump Olympian, Juiced Bikes was one of the early pioneers of the direct-to-consumer e-bike brands in the U.S. market.The company’s e-bikes developed a loyal fandom through the years. Last year, Digital Trends named the Juiced Bikes Scorpion X2 as the best moped-style e-bike for 2023, citing its versatility, rich feature set, and performance.The company has so far stayed silent amid all the reports. But should its bankruptcy be confirmed, it could legitimately be attributed to the post-pandemic whiplash experienced by the e-bike industry over the past few years. The Covid-19 pandemic had led to a huge spike in demand for e-bikes just as supply chains became heavily constrained. This led to a ramp-up of e-bike production to match the high demand. But when consumer demand dropped after the pandemic, e-bike makers were left with large stock surpluses.The good news is that the downturn phase might soon be over just as the industry is experiencing a wave of mergers and acquisitions, according to a report by Houlihan Lokey.This may mean that even if Juiced Bikes is indeed going under, the brand and its products might find a buyer and show up again on streets and trails.

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Folding e-bikes are amazing, if you can deal with these caveats

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Riding e-bikes can be a wonderful way to exercise, or to simply spend time relaxing time outdoors. But bulky e-bikes can be a hassle for taking on the go or fitting in smaller spaces. Folding e-bikes can fit in trunk of your car and save space in tiny apartments, but they come with their own drawbacks. Are they the right fit for your life? We've broken down the pros and cons.

Of course, there are a wide variety of folding e-bikes that range from budget to premium, so this generalized list of pros and cons may not apply to absolutely every model on the market. We recommend you do your own research when you begin shopping for a new folding e-bike to be certain it meets your personal needs safely and effectively.
Pro: They save space
The most obvious benefit of a folding e-bike is that they, well, fold! Most e-bikes are very simple to collapse, allowing you to nearly halve their total size by folding them at the center. Many models even let you fold in their pedals and collapse the handlebars.