First it was electric cars; Now, the time has come for electric motorcycles.

At least that’s the message being sent by Harley Davidson with the unveiling of the company’s first-ever electricity powered motorcycle. According to a report published by the USA Today, the new motorcycle has not yet been put into production. However, Harley Davidson has a number of handmade prototype “demonstration models” that it will be showing off to the public during an invitation-only event next week.

Once industry heavyweights and press have gotten a look at the models on the show floor, Harley will start allowing riders to test drive them in hopes of getting suggestions for improvements and changes. The company will use the feedback to perfect the prototype models and develop a reliable electric motorcycle fit for mass production.

Still, “mass production” might be a few years away for Harley’s electric motorbike, especially if the feedback from riders is not entirely positive. The USA Today described the bike as “sleek” and “futuristic,” so it is not likely that Harley will have to make many aesthetic changes to appease riders. However, the article also said the motorcycle “sounds like a jet airplane taking off,” which might mean Harley has to go back to the drawing board to make sure they are not wrecking the eardrums of their customers. The noise is at least partially due to the speed and high-octane performance of the bike, which can supposedly travel from 0 to 60 miles per hour in “less than four seconds.”

The bike – called the “LiveWire” – will be one of the first full-sized electric motorcycles on the market. Electric bikes do exist, but they mostly fall into the smaller scooter subset of the marketplace. For Harley to court die-hard motorcycle users with electricity, it will need to perfect every element of the design and performance, which is another reason that it will likely be a few years before the LiveWire is available for purchase.

Photo credit: Harley Davidson