The battery-powered bike market remains a difficult place to do business. But Harley-Davidson’s electric offshoot, LiveWire, is expanding its remit and has taken over an existing electric dirt bike maker. Dust Moto was a US-based startup firm aimed at developing machinery for off-road fans. LiveWire says the acquisition will boost its on-road bike tech, as well as open up new areas in the dirt world. LiveWire will continue to push Dust’s electric dirt bike platform toward production, while “leveraging its engineering capabilities, manufacturing scale, and global marketing, sales, and service network to accelerate development and go to market execution.”
“LiveWire pioneered the on-road electric motorcycle market, and this acquisition allows us to build on that leadership as we expand into off-road, continuing the journey that began with STACYC 10 years ago,” said Karim Donnez, CEO of LiveWire Group. “Dust Moto is a strong strategic fit and an accelerator of our vision, bringing proven off-road insight that will contribute meaningfully to LiveWire’s leadership position in electric powersports.”
“Joining LiveWire marks an exciting next chapter in our journey,” said Colin Godby, CEO of Dust Moto. “LiveWire shares our fundamental DNA as an American brand focused on performance, innovation and putting riders first. With LiveWire’s scale, resources and global reach, we can bring our electric off-road bike to market with a worldwide audience and deliver an unmatched off-road experience.”
According to its press release, the acquisition “reflects LiveWire’s continued focus on expanding its product portfolio and addressable market while reinforcing its commitment to innovation across electric powersports”. LiveWire says it will share more information on the launch of the product later this year.