The Harley-Davidson LiveWire is an electric motorcycle by Harley-Davidson, their first electric vehicle. Harley-Davidson says the maximum speed is with claimed motor. The LiveWire, released in 2019, targets a different type of customer than their classic V-twin powered motorcycles.
History
The LiveWire was first displayed to the media in June 2014. Prototypes were made available for public test rides at US Harley-Davidson dealerships later in 2014, then Europe and Canada in 2015. The LiveWire was inspired by the "Mission R" electric superbike, and the powertrains for the prototypes were developed in collaboration with its manufacturer, the electric motorcycle and electric powertrain technology company Mission Motors. As the prototype was unveiled in 2014, the motor was to be mounted longitudinally, under the frame. A bevel gear was planned to change the direction of rotation 90° to drive a gilmer belt to turn the rear wheel. In the prototypes, the bevel gear gave the drivetrain a unique whirring sound, compared to the sound of a jet turbine, or as a writer for The Verge said, "like an oversized vacuum". According to Wired magazine in 2014, Mission Motors provided technical assistance on the motor controller. In January 2018, Harley-Davidson announced that the motorcycle was entering production and would hit the market in 18 months. Preorders were planned for January 2019. The first deliveries were made in September 2019 but were temporarily halted due to an unspecified charging issue which Harley-Davidson resolved as of October 2019. In March 2020, Michel von Tell set a world record for distance covered in 24 hours on an electric motorcycle, using the LiveWire. He drove over, beating the previous record of. von Tell started in Zurich, Switzerland, and then traveled to Stuttgart, Germany. After recharging the bike, he drove to Singen, Germany. He repeated the Stuttgart-Singen route six times, before heading to Ruggell, Lichetenstein to end the trip. The trip attracted international attention.
Reactions
When the electric motorcycle concept was unveiled in 2014, it was called "the most radical departure in the 111-year history of the brand" by a Fox Sports commentator. Other industry observers see the development of the LiveWire, and the potential development of an electric product or product line, as part of a shift towards "people who might not ordinarily be drawn to Harley's traditional loud, heavy, expensive motorcycles" and "the product of a painful corporate revolution long in the making" as Harley-Davidson uses new technology and markets to a wider customer base. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel compared the LiveWire's styling to that of former Harley-Davidson sport bike subsidiary Buell. The Hollywood Reporter noted that an electric Harley-Davidson could become a status symbol like the Tesla Model S, and that the new Harley-Davidson had been placed in . Road & Track posted spy shots from the set in 2014, and reported that Harley-Davidson would gauge the reception by the film's audience as a sort of global market test of the product concept. Powersports Business said that initial customer reactions to test rides in New York in June 2014 were "overwhelmingly positive" but also noted some negative reactions to the tuning of the regenerative braking system. Jalopnik said the LiveWire, at over $29,000, is "far too expensive" given the performance, range and charge specifications.
