Jason Momoa turns 100-year-old Harley-Davidson bikes into a hybrid motorcycle
Forget electric superbikes. Jason Momoa is electrifying motorcycles built before most riders' grandparents were born.
Hollywood superstar and motorcycle enthusiast Jason Momoa has unveiled perhaps the most unusual electrification project we've seen in a while, with three vintage Harley-Davidsons transformed into hybrid and electric machines by a British conversion specialist.
The bikes, created by Electrogenic, feature in the latest season of Momoa's documentary series, On The Roam. They include a pair of Harley-Davidson Model JDs from 1924 and 1927, plus a 1921 Model FD. And while electrifying classic motorcycles is nothing new, what Electrogenic has done here is considerably more ambitious.
Rather than removing the original engines altogether, the two Model JDs retain their 74cu in V-twin petrol engines while gaining a fully integrated electric drive system. The result is a plug-in hybrid motorcycle capable of running on petrol power, electric power, or a combination of both.
For Momoa, that means the choice between the familiar soundtrack and character of a 1920s Harley or near-silent electric cruising at the flick of a switch.
The system uses an 11kW hub motor developed by British electric motorcycle manufacturer Maeving, producing a claimed 260Nm of torque through the rear wheel. Two removable battery packs are housed discreetly inside period-style panniers, giving an electric-only range of more than 50 miles before the petrol motor needs to take over.
Electrogenic says the setup dramatically improves usability too, with the electric motor capable of starting the original engine. That eliminates the need to wrestle with a century-old kickstart, while a modern rear disc brake replaces the original band brake to improve stopping performance.
The third bike in the collection, a 1921 Harley-Davidson Model FD, takes things a step further. Its original engine had seized beyond repair, so Electrogenic converted it into a fully electric motorcycle, allowing the machine to return to the road without fully replacing its historic powerplant.
Speaking about the project, Momoa described the riding experience as unlike anything he'd experienced before.
“If I want to hear the sound, I can, and if not I can just flip it over to electric ... I can have a full conversation with my friend, just going through the mountains, cruising on this old 1920s bike.”
Interestingly, Electrogenic says the Harley project has evolved beyond a one-off celebrity build. The company is now offering the hybrid system as a production conversion kit, allowing owners of vintage Harleys to retrofit the same technology to their own bikes.
While the motorcycles are undoubtedly, for us at least, the headline act, they weren't the only machines receiving the EV treatment. Electrogenic also converted two of Momoa's rare Land Rovers – a 1949 Series I and a highly collectible 1961 Series IIA Dormobile camper. Both have not been converted to fully electric power, while also fitting his expedition trailer with a massive battery storage system designed to support extended off-grid adventures.
The bikes, cars and conversion process all feature in the fourth episode of On The Roam Season 2, titled Off The Grid, which is available to stream now.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
