Electric Revolution: The World’s First All Electric Motorcycle Exhibition

With a shift in EV technology, a prestigious Los Angeles automotive museum marks the pivotal transition with the first-ever exhibition of its kind

Around a-century-ago, an up-and-coming invention called the “motorcycle” gave rise to a massive influx in manufacturers, with an entire industry popping up almost over night. Literally hundreds of firms sprang up, though the vast majority of them would go under. As the industry grew and developed, so too did the technology, becoming increasingly advanced, making starting a new company from scratch an incredibly tall order.

A Shift In The Industry

The recent advancements in electric vehicle powertrain technology however has sparked yet another massive influx of moto startups, though this time, of the electric variety. And just like a century ago, we’re seeing dozens and dozens of new outfits emerge on a monthly basis. With electric powertrains beginning to surpass traditional internal combustion engines in almost every metric, it’s not hard to see that we’re on the precipice of what can justifiably be described as a genuine “Electric Revolution”.

To Celebrate and document this exciting and profound shift in the industry, The Petersen Auto Museum has partnered with the Motorcycle Arts Foundation to create the world’s very first all electric motorcycle exhibition. The new display just opened on April 4^th, with the entire event being curated by CycleWorld Custom&Style Editor, The Vintagent founder, co-founder of the Motorcycle Arts Foundation, author of several moto books, and walking human motorcycle encyclopedia, Paul D’Orleans.

Expertly Curated

D’Orleans gathered a diverse selection of electric two-wheelers, ranging from electric bicycles and mopeds, to electric superbikes and landspeed racers, to electric flat trackers and a bevy of other one-off electrics. As the primary sponsor of the event, Harley-Davidson lent the exhibition a new Livewire specimen to be displayed, along with a pair of prototype electrics that the MoCo first revealed back in late July of 2018.

More than 20 unique ebikes lined the hall of the prestigious auto museum’s Richard Varner Family Gallery, all boasting idiosyncratic styles and powertrains. The assemblage of battery-powered bikes made it abundantly clear that electric motorcycle technology is no longer a gimmick. It no longer comes at the sacrifice of range or power, and is no longer limited to any one particular type of riding. The writing is on the wall; electric motorcycles are the future, and they’re here to stay.

Discussing A Revolution

While walking through the exhibition is admittedly a veritable feast for the eyes, there’s more significance here than just a collection of electric motorcycles. It’s about an undeniable trend. It’s history repeating itself, and few people have a better grasp on the big picture in all this than the event’s curator (and our buddy), Paul D’Orleans. The dapper moto expert took some time out of his schedule to chat with us about the so-called “Electric Revolution”.

“As a historian, I can't help but see parallels to the early 1900s at the dawn of the motorcycle industry,” explains D’Orleans. “Around the turn of the Century, over 300 small manufacturers sprang up in the USA, as the barrier to entry in the motorcycle market was extremely low: make or buy an engine, attach it to a bicycle, and you're a motorcycle manufacturer.”

“Of course, it was the most innovative and best-financed companies that made it, and just like the electric industry today, there were a lot of worthy small manufacturers that fell by the wayside, whose names we remember mostly because they did well in racing - Cyclone, Flying Merkel, Thor, etc. In the same way, we've already seen Alta and Brammo and others flame out. We'll see a lot more come and go in the coming decade I'm sure.”

“The Japanese Invasion”

Though it may not have seen the triple digit numbers like around the turn of the century, but D’Orleans feels the current increasing electric trend can also be compared to another pivotal moment in motorcycling; what’s often referred to as the “Japanese Invasion” of the early ‘60s. The results of which weren’t just about advancing motorcycle mechanics, but bringing scores of new riders into the fold.

“Regarding the introduction of Japanese bikes in the 1960s, I see the EV industry breaking into the motorcycle scene by attracting non-motorcyclists, because e-Bikes are super easy to ride and a whole lot of fun,” states the author and journalist. “The small and mid-size machines have a very low intimidation factor, and they're the machines that have already become the #1 selling EV of any type in the world — mostly in China, where 3 million scooters are whizzing around already. It will be small electric bikes that make the greatest inroads."

“I also think, looking forward, that self-driving cars could be the best thing that ever happened to motorcycles, because the range of safety factors and inter-communication between vehicles means the #1 cause of motorcycle fatalities will disappear, which will change the public's perception of motorcycles for sure. What if bikes were just fun and not fatal?”

SmartBikes and SmartPhones

As something of a modern-day renaissance man, D’Orleans couldn’t help but draw one final “historical point of comparison” before our conversation came to an end. “The photography industry,” begins D’Orleans. “It's very possible we'll see some big names in the motorcycle industry become the next Kodak and Polaroid because of how tech changes.”

“I think Harley-Davidson saw that possibility, and is aggressively pushing against it with its new range of prototypes. Other factories, not so much. While the political situation in the US isn't favorable towards legislation limiting internal-combustion motors, that could change - it did in China, and it's starting to happen in Europe. People think 'it can't change that fast', but look how long we've had iPhones, and how integral they've become in our world already: technology can be adopted incredibly rapidly if its easy and fun, which are two words I'd use to describe electric bikes.”

With electric powertrains surpassing gas-powered mounts, it’s no longer a matter of if electric motorcycles will takeover the motorcycling landscape; it’s now only a matter of when. The Electric Revolution has begun.

Want more? Checkout last year’s D’Orleans-currated exhibition at the Petersen, “Custom Revolution”, or you can read about our favorite electric models from the most recent EICMA. Or for more info on the new exhibit, or to buy tickets, you can checkout the Electric Revolution page on the Petersen site.