36 / American Iron / Issue #379 AIMag.com
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ate, but that’s a rough estimate for current costs. If you do
city riding and are gentle with the throttle application, you
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worth of fossil fuel wouldn’t even get me 2 gallons, which is
less than 80 miles of travel on my bike.
The LiveWire is loaded with tech. Maybe more than you
can imagine. Director of Digital Growth Ken Osterman
told me about H-D Connect, which pairs motorcycle riders
with their bikes through the latest version of the Harley-Da-
vidson Mobile App. The LiveWire has a cell telematic unit
that talks to the cloud and to the H-D app. It’s like having a
pocket-sized dashboard on your phone. Data is sent to the
rider’s smartphone about motorcycle status, including bat-
tery charge status and available range. This allows the rider
to remotely check the charge status including charge level
and time to completion. Riders will also be able to locate a
charging station with ease thanks to an integrated location
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There’s also tamper alerts and vehicle location which can
tell you if the bike is jostled or moved. GPS-enabled stolen-
tracking provides peace of mind. About all the LiveWire
needs is a camera and speaker so you can identify the thieves
and yell at them to leave your bike alone. Also, service
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The H-D app is available in the iOS and Android app
stores and core functions (turn-by-turn directions, ride
planning, dealer and event locations) of the app are includ-
ed with the free download. The H-D Connect service will
be offered for a one-year free trial period and available with
a subscription charge following the initial free period. Price
is to be determined.
To keep tabs on all this tech there’s a 4.3" color touch
screen Thin Film Transistor (TFT) dash display, which offers
the rider a wide range of information on a screen that’s bright
and easy to read. The display unit is tilt-adjustable by the
rider and the screen brightness adjusts automatically. There's
a USBC port behind the dash as well. The TFT screen also
allows the rider to access the interface for Bluetooth connec-
tivity, navigation, music, and more.
The touchscreen feature only functions when the mo-
torcycle is not moving but many of the display options can
be changed using the hand control joysticks while riding.
The touchscreen is not glove-friendly, unless your gloves are
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and high-voltage battery status (percent remaining) are always
displayed. The screen display can be customized with several
rider-selectable “widgets” like a meter that indicates how much
power is being used as the motorcycle is being ridden, Ride
Mode indicator, Charging status, and tell-tale warning lights
(turn signals, ABS active, Traction Control active, Check
Engine/Battery Overheat, etc.). The dash was clear and easy
to read with large fonts, but I was disappointed by the wasted