(^2019) STYLE DESIGN
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BEN McGINLEY
Design Manager,
Electric Vehicles,
Harley-Davidson
on my first day in 2010, and somebody
put a battery pack in front of me,” says
McGinley, a longtime gearhead who has
a garage full of vintage bikes—only two
of which turn over. “Nobody at that time
was thinking Harley-Davidson would be
considering something like that.”
The result of McGinley and his team’s
work arrives this month: LiveWire. It’s
a high-tech, emission-free hellion that
hits 60 miles per hour in less than three
seconds—just a tick behind a Ducati.
The biggest challenge, McGinley says,
was making sure a bike that was such
a departure for Harley didn’t look like it.
This took countless design iterations
and piles of sketches on the cutting-
room floor—all part of the “explora-
tion,” he says. Eventually, the team
realized that “it’s not really Harley’s
style to hide what makes a motorcycle
move.” So they celebrate the electric
powertrain rather than mask it: An
aluminum frame shows off the long,
three-phase induction electric motor,
holding it like a jewel in a setting. Yet
there are still callbacks to Harley’s
history: The top cover references the
1970s-era XR 750 dirt track racing
bike’s fuel tank, used here to hide
some of the tech—electronic chassis
controls, a touchscreen, and the port
to recharge its battery, which lasts 140
miles of city driving and juices up in an
hour with a DC Fast Charger.
And that famous rumble? Replaced
by an electrical whir. “There’s nothing
fake in there—what you hear are all
powertrain noises,” says McGinley. But
really, the designer can’t wait for rid-
ers to feel it. “You have total control of
the power, and all the torque is right
there. It’s intoxicating.” From $29,799;
harley-davidson.com
STRIPPED-DOWN GAMING
Software maker Panic crafts
immersive role-playing
games like Firewatch for Xbox
and PlayStation. But its
Playdate is the Post-it–size
portable antidote to overly
immersive entertainment. The
old-school Game Boy–like
setup includes a working
hand crank you’ll use in some
contests, along with a simple
black-and-white screen. Even
simpler? The basic but
challenging games upload
weekly over Wi-Fi starting
next year. $149; play.date
The Stay-Put Shades
The microscopic hairs that give geckos their grip inspired
the compound used on the pads of the Roka Barton. That
means they stay put on runs, rides, or climbs but still
look good for an afternoon stroll. $125; roka.com
A PORTABLE BIG SCREEN
Folded, the rechargeable SPUD is about the size of
a thick book, but unfurl it like an umbrella and it
becomes a 24-inch, high-definition screen powered
by a projector. Use an HDMI cable to connect your
phone, laptop, or ChromeCast, and watch up to eight
hours of your content on the go. $400; arovia.com
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