UTSUNOMIYA--High Field, a company in Utsunomiya, specializes in customizing large motorcycles and has clients throughout Japan.

But as a business, High Field has had its own problems.

Motorcycles with monster engines like a Harley Davidson, spew greenhouse gases like nobody’s business. Achieving “carbon neutrality,” or zero emissions, is something the company has spent ages working on.

A Harley is known as a hog by its diehard fan base.

And Harley riders in their spare time like nothing better than to tinker with their engines and make sure that every piece of chrome gleams in the sun.

If environmental regulations are strengthened, the petrol heads may not be able to show off their beloved motorcycles, which boast a distinctive pop, pop, pause engine rumble.

For this reason, High Field turned its attention to converting large motorcycles to EVs by replacing the engine with a motor.

It partnered with Oz Motors, a Yokohama-based automotive technology company that is a pioneer in the field, with the aim of establishing the technology for motorcycles.

The challenge was where to place the battery, the source of power. Compared to a car, which has a trunk, the frame of a two-wheeled vehicle has only a limited space to work with.

Appearance was another challenge as the engine, exhaust pipes and tank are themselves key elements of motorcycle design.

When it came to deciding on the placement of the batteries, which for reasons of size could not fit within the frame of the engine section, they were placed on both sides of the vehicle body in the form of side boxes.

This enabled the motorcycle to travel 160 to 220 kilometers on a single charge.

The muffler was removed, but the motor was covered like a car engine to keep the illusion of raw power alive.

The clutch, now no longer needed, was left in place to allow the rider to enjoy a sense of operating the motorcycle.

The central government, recognizing the social significance of the project, helped with the development costs by providing a subsidy of approximately 10 million yen ($63,350).

In the future, the shop hopes to prepare kits for different types of motorcycles and aims to offer them for between 500,000 yen and 1,000,000 yen.

Yuko Ueno, who runs Team High Field Co., the parent company of High Field, said, “Motorcycles are attractive because of the sound and vibration produced by the engine, but there is no way to change the trend toward carbon neutrality.”

She said the company wants to popularize EVs “as an option for motorcycle customization.”

It was Ueno’s husband, Makoto, who came up with the idea of converting Harleys to EVs.

He honed his skills at a motorcycle shop in Tochigi Prefecture.

In 2003, he became independent and went on to establish Team High Field.

In 2009, the company won the main prize at the largest Harley custom show in Japan.

In early 2018, Makoto declared that the business would work on converting gasoline-powered hogs to EVs without compromising on the look of the vehicles.

His staff were puzzled. One was heard saying, “Harleys are only as good as their engines.”

However, Makoto clung to the belief that conversion was bound to happen sooner rather than later.

He began consulting with Oz Motors about a technical tie-up.

However, in spring 2021, Makoto was diagnosed with stomach cancer and was continuously in and out of the hospital.

He faced financial difficulties, too, but did not give up on the EV project.

In 2022, just after he had submitted an application for a government subsidy project to start the project in earnest, his health suddenly deteriorated.

Makoto died in November of that year, aged 43.

Immediately after his death, the shop received word that the project had been selected for a government grant.

Ueno took over the project along with the chief engineer and others.

Since Makoto did not leave behind any details of the design, Ueno and the staff finished the project based on their memories of past chats.

The first unit was completed in May 2024.

What was important was to achieve both “good looks” and “safety,” Ueno said.

Many custom motorcycles are not easy to drive because of their appearance, but Makoto focused on making sure that the Harleys run and stop properly.

The motto of looks and safety remained unchanged in the EV conversion, and they made sure that the bikes were easy to handle for riders.

After the motorcycle was completed, Ueno said, “I want to tell my husband, ‘We have created a motorcycle that will keep its cool style and create new fans, just like you said.’”