The first thing you think of when you think “Harley-Davidson” isn’t a highly technical, zero-emissions, completely silent motorcycle. The faithful just won’t stand for it, right? When the Motor Company launched the V-Rod in 2001, the people who traditionally bought the brand nearly revolted. A water-cooled H-D with an engine designed by PORSCHE?! So it was a bit of a surprise to get the call to ride a new electric motorcycle when the company calling built not a whole lot more than bikes from the 1960s. But if they produce it? This thing is a game changer.

Right out of the gate, I’m not a Harley guy. I ride sportbikes, dual sports, vintage Japanese and European bikes, and Vespa scooters. Basically anything that ISN’T a Harley, in other words. I like my bikes to not have a riding position that mimics a gynecological exam. I like them to turn and stop and not weigh 800 pounds. As of yesterday, Harley-Davidson had one bike I was interested in: the XR1200R, of which they’ve sold about 12. Now they have two bikes I want, if they ever decide to sell it on the open market.

The specifics: Project LiveWire is a fully electric motorcycle based around what’s come to be known as a naked sportbike, meaning it’s got a fairly sporty riding position, but it’s also got a tubular handlebar mounted atop the triple-tree, rather than clip-ons that have you leaning on the fuel tank. Your feet are under your body with knees bent, as the Good Lord Almighty intended motorcyclists to ride, and you’re riding alone because the seat only accommodates the rider.

Harley says Project LiveWire will fully charge in about three hours with a 220-volt charging setup. The bike is equipped with two modes: ECO, which maximizes mileage to about 53 miles, and a SPORT mode — which I used exclusively — that trims mileage to about 35 miles.

It’s got an electric power plant with a single battery which spools up a horsepower equivalent of about 75, with 54-pound feet of torque, which is ok for a middle of the road standard, but nothing to write home about for a sportbike. It tops out at  a limited 92 mph, which is at less than half what even a lousy sportbike will deliver. It tips the scales at around 460 pounds without the rider.

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So it certainly has some disadvantages when compared with other sportbikes. The major advantage is, it doesn’t run on petrochemicals, it emits almost no noise, and it gets t0 60 in 4.3 seconds without shifting or pulling in a clutch lever.

The start sequence is unique. Instead of thumbing a button and hearing a massive V-Twin roar to live, you hit the start button and nothing much happens other than the screen lighting up to let you know that the bike is ready to roll.

All the bike’s regenerative action happens when you let off the throttle. It’s very similar to letting the compression of the engine slow you down on an internal combustion machine. It’s a little tricky to grab the front brake when you’re trying to let off the throttle when you don’t have a clutch to pull in, but there’s enough engine braking there to get you started slowing down before you really have to grab the brake. The rear brake helps, too. It’s just something that takes a little getting used to.

I was very skeptical at first, but within a mile, I really, really enjoyed riding it. Unfortunately, the Boston leg of Harley-Davidson’s tour with this thing was at the dealership in Everett, Massachusetts, just outside of Boston, which might possibly be the single worst place on the planet to test ride a bike on a Friday afternoon in the summer, but be that as it may, I had a blast re-learning how to ride a motorcycle that simply took off when you turned the throttle.

And I wasn’t the only one. I did my test ride with four other guys that had HOG Chapter vests with tassels and conchos and  ROAD CAPTAIN patches, who only seemed to wear helmets under great duress, and at the first stoplight, all four had wide grins and plenty of great things to say about the power, the handling and the experience.

It’s a bizarre experience to be rocketed up to highway speed with hardly a sound. I’ll say this about riding this bike around Everett and Revere, Massachusetts: I’ve never been in the “Loud Pipes Save Lives” camp, but in heavy traffic, with SUVs loaded with blind spots inches from your left leg, it’s kind of disconcerting to not have some kind of sound letting them know you’re there. You don’t want to be spending any time at all in anybody’s blind spot, and you want to get yourself real familiar with the location of the horn button.

Is it for sale? Not yet. Will it be for sale? Who knows. The reaction to this thing has been almost hostile at first, but judging by the grins on the guys I rode with, if the Motor Company does intend to sell it, they need to get people on them as early and often as possible. x