Harley-Davidson — model of The red, white, and blue colors fit somewhere between baseball and apple pie in American icons — starting with the attachment of motors to bicycles in 1903. Their first model was the Serial Model One. . So when it creates a new brand dedicated to e-bikes, what else can that bike be called other than Serial 1?
I was looking forward to an ebike with Harley’s swagger. I think it will be a muscular, mighty cruiser, or maybe an ultralight performance bike. After all, Harley has made a number of motorsports — namely Sports athlete and Buell-in the past. But instead of a fun, playful bike, Harley created a reasonably lightweight SUV instead. Instead of a cruiser, the Serial 1 is the Harley version of the Honda CR-V.
It’s time to work
The riding position is upright and all business. This bike is a sensible grocer, not a sport corner bike. But you can tell from the included fenders and the front and rear cargo racks. The side racks are small, but they’re still usable for bags, and the fenders did a good job of protecting me from road sprays.
There’s an LED headlight in the vertical tube under the handlebars, which is a nice touch but increasingly standard, though Not every ebike comes with a. There are also two taillights integrated into the tailpipes on the rear frame. They look cool but sit too low to the ground. Bicycle rear lights should be high so that they can be seen more easily by road users. Down there, it’s easy for drivers and other cyclists to miss the two tiny LED lights.
Other standard features include hydraulic disc brakes and a small storage compartment in the downpipe built to hold the Abus Bordo folding lock. It’s a nice touch, even though the folding padlock is mine least favorite type of bike lock.
Freespinning
My review unit is the Rush/Corporate model, one 2nd class ebike no throttle and has an electric motor that shuts off at 20 mph. It uses Gates’ Carbon belt drive system. Rubber straps have more advantages than traditional metal chains. For one, they are smoother and quieter. Less squeaks and shocks travel through the pedals to your feet, and they’re less likely to pop out during a ride. Plus, you don’t have to lubricate the rubber straps, so you’re less likely to get grease and grime on your trouser legs than you would with a leash.
