...Because we embraced the shortcomings of today’s all-electric vehicles, we explored without aim, ate slowly, laughed deeply, and learned how to make pottery and Neapolitan pizzas. Yel and I came away from our trip as alacritous advocates for the age of EVs, and she enjoyed riding electric motorcycles so much that less than a month after our trip she put down a deposit on a 2020 KTM Freeride E-XC, an all-electric dirt bike. She says, “The once all-important clutch now seems like a flaw in the original design of motorcycling. All of a sudden, I have a strong urge to try riding every road that I have even ridden, but on an electric.” The 2020 Harley-Davidson Livewire and 2020 Zero SR/F are catalysts for what’s to come, beacons for a more sustainable form of motorcycling, and together they sing a poignant dirge too soft to be heard in the booming of our oily world. Many people will resist the change ahead, cling to what they know, and throw raged fits of rosy nostalgia, but eventually all of us will be well acquainted with the acceleration that no traditional motorcycle can mimic and the eerie-but-peaceful quiet that recasts the entire riding experience.
Words by Chris Nelson
Photography by Sandon Voelker
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