Harley-Davidson LiveWire

After the longest public gestation of a motorcycle in the history of history, Harley have finally released the technical specifications of their new LiveWire.

Show me the numbers!

• Weight – 249 kilograms (549 lb.)
• Torque – 117 Nm (86 ft-lb)
• Power – 105 hp (78 kW)
• How fast – 0-100 km/h in three-seconds
• City Range – 235 km (146 miles)
• Highway range at 110 km/h – 113 km (70 miles)
• Combined Range – 152 km (95 miles)
• WMTC Range (euro standardised test) – 158 km (98 miles)
• Normal power outlet charge time – 12.5 hours to full

• Fast outlet charge time – 1 hour
• Batteries – Lithium Ion, 12.8V, 24 Wh, 120
• Five year warranty on the RESS battery system

Other points of note…

• Harley call this motor the ‘Revelation’
• It is water-cooled
• From a normal 240-volt power outlet you get about 18km of range per hour charged
• It still has oil! The single ratio gearbox runs in an oil bath
• Battery is a 15.5kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery
• Battery cells are housed in a finned aluminium housing acting as a heat-sink
• The motor recoups power under braking
• The rider can select how much ‘engine braking’ they want

• A charge cable for a normal 240-volt power outlet is stored on the motorcycle
• Traction control sensitive to lean angle
• ABS has lean angle worked into its algorithms
• Wheelie control, on a Harley! Yep, the LiveWire has it
• Rider Modes – Sport, Road, Range, Rain and Custom
• Showa provides the suspension (BFRC and SFF-BP)
• Brembo Monobloc stoppers
• Rear tyre is a 180/55, front is a 120/70

Trev’s take on the LiveWire

You know what, I am a bit of a fan of this bike and I hope it is a real success.

Of course the real barrier to sales success will come from the price of entry.  My educated guesstimate, after looking at comparative pricing overseas ($29,799 in the USA), is that the Live Wire will command a sticker price of somewhere around $45,000 in Australia.

In the current economic climate that is a lot of coin. But plenty of people are paying more than 35k for a Breakout and the Live Wire is a much smarter, faster motorcycle that represents the future, rather than the past… Will that be an alluring enough proposition for customers?

Only time will tell, but if based purely on performance then there is no comparison. The Live Wire is not only so much faster in a straight line, but with 45-degrees of available lean angle, and decent spec’ Showa suspension, it also promises cornering performance light years ahead of the likes of the Breakout.

But then people generally don’t buy Harleys for their performance now do they…?  It is the vibration, the sound, the smell, the history, the sensory experience…

Does the Live Wire invade the senses and stir up any emotional appeal?  I have only briefly sampled an early prototype some years ago in Malaysia and I was impressed. It seemed Harley had done some clever work in the drivetrain with straight-cut gears to produce a whine reminiscent of an old rootes style supercharger, or a hot-rod / muscle car with a purposefully noisy set of timing gears. It sounded alright to my ears, and that whine was accompanied by a level of thrust very much stronger than a conventional Big Twin Harley. It was a glimpse into the future for me, and now that future is nearly here… Well for Americans it is, here in Australia it looks as though we still have another 12 months to wait, our first shipment at this stage does not look likely until August, 2020.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire Specifications

Harley-Davidson LiveWire Images