Is Harley-Davidson going electric?

The bike builder, more famed for its retro designs than for innovation, is teasing a new model that could be doing away with its famous V-twin in favor of an electric motor.

Earlier this week, Visor Down spotted what appeared to be an electrically powered Harley-Davidson on the set of the new 'Avengers' film, which is currently shooting in Seoul, South Korea. And the bike in question looked too good and too road legal to simply be a prop.

And now, as if to confirm the rumors, Harley has posted a 16-second teaser video on its official YouTube account which shows a bike whizzing down Route 66 in almost complete silence. The company is promising to reveal more on June 19 but the tiny teaser and the images from the movie set have already been enough to get Harley fans charged up, as the comments below the line show.

Although the number of electrically powered motorbikes on sale is growing, very few 'traditional' manufacturers have so far been brave enough to step into the Market. BMW offers electric scooters and Yamaha is hard at work trying to implement electric drivetrains into motorbike chassis, but on the whole the big builders have been very quiet on the subject (just like the electric motors themselves). If Harley really is going to make a bold step into the future of personal mobility it, better than any other motorcycle brand, will be able to give the technology a sense of cool and desirability.