Harley-Davidson, the Milwaukee-based motorcycle company, has halted production and deliveries of its new electric motorcycle that it revealed last year.
The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Harley-Davidson is pumping the breaks on its LiveWire electric motorcycle after discovering a problem with its charging mechanism. Now Harley-Davidson says it is doing additional testing and analysis to fix the problem.
For customers and dealers that already have the bikes, the company suggests only using a professional-grade charger, like those at dealerships, rather than standard electrical outlets. Harley-Davidson also said it is still safe to ride the bikes.
The 116-year-old company launched its e-motorcycle model as a way to entice a new generation of riders and buyers, and combat lagging sales. But last week, Reuters reported that Harley-Davidson was having a hard time selling the LiveWire, which has been available for pre-order in the U.S. since January.
The bike costs $29,799, which is about the price of a Tesla Model 3, and most of the orders have been placed by existing and older riders, according to Reuters. The bike takes 10 hours to charge and can drive for about 140 miles on a full battery.
Before halting the production and delivery of LiveWire, the bike was sold at dealerships across Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, California, Nevada, New Jersey and New York.
Harley-Davidson’s shares were up 3.18 percent to $36.33 on Tuesday.
