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Harley Davidson is embarking on a complete overhaul of its motorcycle line-up – the most dramatic in the company's history.

The firm plans to develop 100 new models over the coming decade. Electric bikes will be included in the range, according to Drive.

The fact that electric bikes are part of the company's long-term plan was made public by Bill Davidson, the vice president of the Harley-Davidson Museum in Milwaukee – and the great grandson of Harley’s founder, William A Davidson. He was speaking to Drive while in Sydney celebrating the company's centenary in Australia.

The brand's new electric bikes will not, of course, have the signature exhaust with its unique noise. But the motorcycle maker intends to make its new electric bikes as exciting to hear as its petrol-driven counterparts.

In fact, Mr Davidson says, its new electric bike will sound like a jet fighter.

"Our typical sound is unique; it is that potato-potato-potato... and we know that because of our uniqueness with the V-twins we want to make something equally as unique with the electric [bike]," said Davidson.

"And so we've actually created a unique sound through various technologies. We have studied our competitors and we understand what they are up to and we did not want a normal-sounding electric motorcycle. We wanted something that plays into that look and sound formula. It is something really cool. I often refer to it as sounding like a jet fighter."

The electric bike currently in development, the Livewire, has only appeared as a single model. It boasts a 7kWh battery pack hitched to a liquid-cooled electric motor generating 55kW of power and 70Nm of torque.

Those impressive stats put it in the same league as Harley's petrol 883 Sportster range.

Davidson also said he believes motorcycles will become even more popular in the future, due in part to the over-automation of transportation – and of life in general.

"Society has become driven by so many factors and we are all now in touch 24/7 as we're surrounded by electronics, and I think riding a motorcycle lets you break free of that and enjoy nature and have fun," explained Mr Davidson.