AIMag.comIssue #379 / American Iron / 35
is estimated at a realistic 146 urban, 95 mile combined. Of
course, how hard you twist the throttle will have a direct
effect on battery life. The day of my ride we did not attain
the higher number, but then again, we were not gentle on the
throttle, and I just had to see if the LiveWire would attain the
advertised 110 mph max speed. It did. Repeatedly.
The bike has a built-in Level 1 charger under the faux
tank cover that plugs into a standard household 120-volt
(or 240-volt) outlet and uses a power cord that is stored
under the motorcycle seat. Level 1 RPH (range per hour) of
charging time is 13 miles for each hour of charging, so you
can get a full charge overnight. Charging the LiveWire will
become second nature, like charging your cellphone over-
night. Come home, plug it in, it’s getting ready for your next
outing. DC fast charge is quicker, like topping off your tank.
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“gas” cap. And since the charging port will be interacted
with by the owner on a daily basis, lots of detail went into
the “tank” top mounted-charging port.
Power regeneration (re-gen) is accomplished through the
drivetrain when the LiveWire is coasting “off-throttle,” as
the motor becomes a generator putting charge back into the
RESS. The rider will feel the re-gen as an engine-braking
effect. The amount of re-gen varies in each of the four Ride
Modes, and the re-gen setting can also be adjusted by the rider
in the three custom ride modes. An optional round meter on
the dash displays percentage of throttle (shown in red), and
how much re-gen (shown in green) is occurring.
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and engineers estimate a 10-year life span. U.S. LiveWire
customers will receive free charging on Harley ChargePoint
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years. Additionally, Harley-Davidson will provide U.S.
LiveWire owners with 500 kW of free charging service at
Electrify America DCFC charging stations (think of this as
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that brand of charging station is available in your area.
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marketing plan for the LiveWire when I asked about “cost
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commodities vary in price seasonally and widely across the
nation. But still, at least I would have thought they could
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dealer, Bergen County Harley-Davidson of New Jersey and
inquired about charging fees. They stated that currently, if
not for the two years of free charging, the cost would be a