CNET:
Fully adjustable Showa suspension, Brembo monoblock brake calipers, seven riding modes, a single-speed transmission and, most importantly, an all-electric powerplant. These depictions don’t exactly characterize a traditional Harley-Davidson motorcycle. However it will soon be as Harley-Davidson starts a new chapter of its history with the introduction of its all-electric motorcycle, the LiveWire.
I’ve been following Harley’s development of the LiveWire since the prototype was first unvelied in 2014. I’ve sat on the bike and revved the engine. I’ve ridden other electric bikes. It’s a fascinating project but maybe not for the reasons Harley wants it to be. I know there are readers of The Loop who are riders and I want to post this to ask the question – do you think this will be a success for Harley-Davidson?
HD has said publicly and privately they are targeting a “younger crowd”. Problem is, does that demographic want a Harley-Davidson? Surveys have said not really. Will that demographic pay the HD premium? HD’s lowest price bike is the 2018 Street 750, priced roughly $8k. So the LiveWire will cost more than that. The “equivalent” Zero electric bike is about $10K. I’m betting the LiveWire will come in around $15K, if not more ($20K?). Will the “younger crowd” pay that much for a bike from a company they traditionally don’t show much interest in?
I’m betting no. And the “traditional” Harley-Davidson buyer has made a lot of noise (see what I did there?) about having little to no interest in an electric Harley.
The range of this bike, based on other electric bikes, is likely to be around 225 miles in perfect conditions. For some, that might be a weekend ride. For me, that’s barely getting started (I regularly ride 400+miles/day). So I think this bike is caught between a rock and a hard place for Harley-Davidson.
I’ve ridden a couple of the Zero bikes, and had one of them for a full week as part of their (pretty good) media campaign.
The Zero bikes are good, both that I tried are excellent, BUT, they dont have range.
As a commuter bike in a round-trip range of say 100 miles, I would absolutely have one. They say the range is “up to” 200 miles. In reality its closer to 160 miles.
As a unit to rely on, its only good for 100 miles or so.
Everything you want; acceleration, torque and speed is there, and it’s instantaneous.
But you can’t re-fill it 100 miles later.
For a Harley, which is a distance tourer market bike, its worthless.
In Europe only ponces ride HD’s for touring, they are not suited for the roads or distances we do. An electric harley will just not cut the mustard.
Plus, that thing is unbelievably ugly. Holy cow… it looks so unbalanced, which is out of character for a Harley.
Here’s hoping they can iterate well.
I’ve ridden a Zero too. Fun bike but not my style. Range just isn’t there either.
And while there’s ZERO chance I’d ride this Harley, it will be interesting to see how it fares in the marketplace once they announce pricing and specs. Personally, I think it will go over like a lead balloon.
I rode the Victory (Brammo) electric when it came out, and I gotta say I loved the power and the quiet of it. It was really fun to ride. But I burnt through 15% of the battery on a 10 mile test ride. Lame.
f they really do get a solid 150-200 miles, and the cost is reasonable, this could be a good day-trip thrill ride kind of bike. But knowing HD, the fit and finish will be great, but it will cost a fortune and will underperform.
“…and the cost is reasonable…” You know we’re talking about *Harley-Davidson* here, right? 🙂
touring and day riding and commuting are different use cases.
They will sell millions to the take out delivery guys in NYC. There’s your target market 😀
You think the NYC takeout guys will spend $20,000 on a motorcycle? 🙂
Lol, no! I could just imagine one of those things barreling down on me on the sidewalk!