Back to the start: Harley-Davidson Serial 1 e-bikes channel 117-year-old heritage

Long before Harley-Davidson made V-twins that go potato-potato, they built lightweight singles that were pretty much beefed-up bicycles.

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In fact, William Harley was working at a bicycle factory when he came up with the idea of sticking an engine in a bicycle frame, so that his good pal Arthur Davidson could go fishing and “take the hard work out of pedaling”.

So it is that H-D have come nearly full circle with a new subsidiary that takes the hard work out of cycling.

The spin-off is named Serial 1, after their first ever motorcycle, and makes a few different models. They’ve been around in the States for a while but have only just made their way over to the UK.

We took a spin on the peculiarly named MOSH/CTY, designed as a run-around for people who wouldn’t normally give a bicycle a second look.

Straight away you can see Harley DNA – it’s got a maintenance free belt drive for a start, while all the various bits and pieces are neatly tucked away. The front and rear lights are built into the handlebars and frame respectively, while all the controls for the motor are just a thumb press away on the left-hand side of the bars.

The Brose S Mag motor has six different settings, delivering up to 250w of power and 66lb.ft of torque if you turn it to the max. Range varies from 35-105 miles depending on the mode and terrain, while a full charge takes less than five hours.

The motor helps sing it up to speed easily, without any risk of breaking a sweat, although thanks to licensing laws, the assistance cuts out at a hair over 15mph. It’s shod with almost 2.8in wide tyres which prove excellent at soaking up the bumps, while TRP hydraulic brakes do a sterling job of shedding speed.

For non-cyclists the MOSH/CTY makes a convincing argument as an alternative to firing up your Hog for a ten-minute trip to the shops and it’s expected to be reasonably priced compared to a lot of the e-bike competition – especially when backed by a well-known brand. Serial 1s will be arriving in Harley dealers soon, with prices to be confirmed shortly.

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