38 / American Iron / Issue #379 AIMag.com
distance out of a battery charge.
Rain Mode restrains acceleration and limits re-gen for
riding in the wet. It has higher levels of intervention to give
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As mentioned earlier, you can turn off the Traction Con-
trol System (TCS) when the motorcycle is stopped in Sport,
Road, or Range Mode. But TCS is a default in Rain Mode,
and will always be active when in Rain Mode. The Anti-
lock Braking System (ABS) is always active and may not be
turned off by the rider.
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the motorcycle off. They are shown as A, B, and C on the
touch screen and allow the rider to select his own preference
of Power, Re-gen, Throttle Response, and Traction Control
levels. The rider can create a custom
mode tailored to personal preference or
for use in special circumstances, such as
track days.
This entire suite of techno-goodness
is easy to access and tune and works
seamlessly. It’s ironic that the LiveWire
has all this technology, yet no factory tire
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the lack of that to be ridiculous in any
motorcycle at any price point!
Back to the nuts and bolts of the bike,
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SHOWA BFRC (Balanced Free Rear
Cushion-lite) mono-shock rear suspension
that is fully adjustable (manually) and
designed to deliver a comfortable ride and
precise handling. Up front is SHOWA
SFF-BP (Separate Function front Fork-
Big Piston) front upsidedown forks with
easy-to-get-to adjustment screws on the
right-fork top cap. The powertrain is
a stressed member and the lightweight
aluminum frame sections bolt together to
increase rigidity. The underseat trellis sup-
port is also made from aluminum.
Since the LiveWire accelerates so
quickly, it’s nice to see premium quality
Brembo brakes come as standard. The
fronts are Monoblock calipers gripping
dual 300mm-diameter discs, and the rear
caliper is Brembo as well. Grippy Har-
ley/Michelin co-branded Scorcher tires
(180mm rear/120mm front) are stock.
The bike handles sharp and quick, and
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changes entering a corner. Just roll hard
on the throttle when exiting a corner.
The LiveWire’s naked-standard styl-
ing is right up my alley, from the tiny
sporty headlight nacelle housing a Day-
maker LED headlight to the rear fender
hugger. The rider footpegs are slightly
back from a mid-set control placement,
which give the LiveWire rider an ag-
gressive, yet comfortable, posture. The
bike’s bodywork, utilizing advanced
paint technology to give the look of
anodized metal, comes in three versions
of orange, yellow, or gloss black. You’ll recognize the basic
architecture of the handlebar control switches, which look
typically Harley, with separate left and right signal switches.
As mentioned, there is no key-operated ignition switch, but
there is a key-operated seat lock and steering head lock. But
one oddity that caught my attention is the lack of any way to
hold the bike in place when parked. The LiveWire can roll
when “off” because there is nothing to put “in-gear.” The sid-
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placed on the sidestand.
My short time aboard the LiveWire was a blast! And
I’ve already petitioned Harley for a loaner to test on my
home turf. Getting used to the lack of clutch lever was
quick; I caught myself “fanning” for a clutch lever that
wasn’t there only once. On our last
photo pass of the day a motorist pulled
alongside and surprised me when
he yelled out his car window, “Hey,
man! Is that electric?” I nodded yes.
And his response was a drawn-out
“COOOOL!” as he drove away.
People are balking at the LiveWire’s
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a premium product, like a CVO, and
Harley can get away with charging ex-
tra for it. This bike was developed from
a clean slate. I’m sure Harley had to
source a whole new crop of vendors for
the components. And that’s what you’re
paying for. It’s a different animal. Dif-
ferent from the traditional Harley. You
can’t get a Corvette for the price of a
Chevette. Some argue you can buy an
electric car like a Prius for less. But I
propose, nobody has ever pulled up
next to a Prius and shouted, “Hey,
man! Is that electric? Cooool!”
Paying the premium price for the
LiveWire buys you a bunch. It buys
you a real fast, fun, naked standard
bike that won’t be like every other bike
you meet on the road. It buys you the
quickest accelerating Harley street-
bike produced. The LiveWire is a true
contender in the high-performance
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yourself an early adopter, even though
you might have another bike with
kickstarter back home in the garage.
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success, at offering multiple riding
modes. It buys you high quality, just
like the guys who buy CVOs. And, for
two years it buys you free charges at
Harley authorized dealers (it’s like get-
ting free gas). Production numbers and
pre-order numbers are not released by
Harley Corporate. But just the fact that
there have been pre-orders indicates
that early adopters do exist. The Motor
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And the LiveWire has earned its keep
in my book. $,0Length 84.1" (2135mm)
Seat height 30.7" (780mm),
Ground clearance 5.1" (130mm)
Rake 24.5 degrees
Trail 4.3" (108mm)
Wheelbase 58.7" (1490mm)
Motor Water-cooled Permanent Magnet
Synchronous Electric Motor
Power system Lithium Ion 15.5kWh RESS
Transmission Single-speed
Front tire Michelin Scorcher Sport Radial,
120/70R17"
Rear tire Michelin Scorcher Sport Radial,
180/55R17"
Power capacity 15.5kWh
Oil capacity 0.34 quarts (0.32 L)
(output gear)
Coolant capacity 0.8 quart (0.72L)
Dry weight 549 lbs (249kg)
GVWR 949 lbs. (430 kg)
Front brake Four-piston calipers; dual 300mm
rotor; standard ABS
Rear brake Two-piston caliper; 260mm rotor;
standard ABS
Exhaust system None
Front fork 43 mm, inverted, fully adjustable
Rear shock Single-shock fully adjustable
Front suspension 4.5" (115mm)
Rear suspension 4.5" (115 mm)
Front wheel Cast aluminum 3.5" x 17"
Rear wheel Cast aluminum 5.5" x 17"
Colors Black, Orange Fuse, Yellow Fuse
MSRP $29,7992020 Harley-Davidson
ELW LiveWire