This 100-year-old Harley-Davidson F-Head V-twin has undergone a meticulous modern motor transplant, now featuring a hybrid powertrain that integrates an electric motor and batteries from British firm Maeving with the original petrol engine.
The bike is one of three pre-war Harleys which Hollywood star Jason Momoa has had re-engineered with modern electric assistance. The hybrid setup allows him to ride the elderly bikes around town on clean, silent, cool battery power, while keeping the 1200cc inlet-over-exhaust V-twin F-head engines for longer runs and highway use.
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The firm behind the work is Oxfordshire-based Electrogenic, who specialise in drop-in electric conversion kits for classic cars, and helped Game of Thrones star Momoa out with an electric drive for his fleet of Land Rovers. They also took on the Harley project and are now offering the kit for sale, with prices starting at £14,500.
The basic setup is fairly cunning: Electrogenic takes the 15bhp hub motor from Maeving’s excellent 125cc-equivalent RM1S urban commuter and builds it into the Harley’s standard spoked rear wheel.
The original chain drive to the engine remains in place, so petrol power can still be used, and some clever electronics let the rider switch between the hub motor, the big V-twin, or both. The Maeving motor can also start the petrol engine, meaning no more breathless kick-starting.
All the electronics and the battery packs are neatly hidden inside period-styled panniers, and since the original bike only made about 20bhp, the 15bhp Maeving motor is a very sensible upgrade.
You can see Momoa’s bikes in action in his new HBO documentary series On the Roam . Visit the Electrogenic website for more.
MCN Photojournalist and road tester - Over 30 years experience, having ridden most bikes from a Honda V5 MotoGP bike to electric commuters, and everything in between. Known to spin a spanner from time to time as well, he currently has a turbo charged Kawasaki ZRX1100 with full Öhlins shock and carbon wheels on the bench.
A 30-year veteran freelancer who started writing about motorbikes on the MCN news desk back in 1997