whichhavebeenseenonsomanyothermodelsandtendtodetractfromthe
uniquenessofthismodel’sdesign.
Butwhatlurksunderneaththose(mostly)goodlooks?Well,let’sstart
withtheheartor,inthiscase,theelectricpacemaker.the15.5-kWhigh-
voltagebatteryis matedtoa permanent-magnetelectricmotoranda single-
speedbelt-driventransmission,thelatterbringinginat leastoneaspectof
thattraditionalh-dmechanicalmake-up.thelithium-ioncellstackis
housedina blacked-outcastaluminiumframeandsportstraditionalcooling
finsthatactuallyhelpkeeptemperaturelevelsdown.this,inconjunction
withtheshinymotorsuspendedonanaluminiumcastframewitha swing-
armconsistingofthesamemetalcomposition,lendstheliveWireits
unique,futuristicaesthetic.themotorchurnsout 105 hpand 114 nmof
torque,bothofwhichareavailableinfullcapacityfromjustover0 rpm—
typicalofanevmachine—andthemillrevsallthewayto15,000rpm.in
termsofperformance,thattranslatesintoa claimed0-60mph(96.6km/h)
timeofjustthreesecondsanda topspeedof 177 km/h.
theShowasuspensionset-upusesbeefy43-mminverted front forks and a
monoshockofthesamemakeat therear,bothofwhicharefullyadjustable.
Brakingcomesfroma radial-mounted300-mmBrembodualfour-piston
set-upupfrontanda 220-mmdual-pistonset-upat therear.h-dalsooffer
theirreflexdefensiveriderSystems(rdrS)asstandardonthisbike.this
includescorneringaBS,a cornering-enhancedtractioncontrolsystem,front
wheelliftmitigation,anddrag-torqueSlipControlSystem(dSCS)which
preventsrear-wheellockduringregenerativebraking.
theliveWirealsooffersa claimedrangeof 235 kminthecityand 152 km
withsomeblisteringhighwayridingtossedintothemix.thisrangeis aided
andabettedbythebattery’srechargeableenergyStorageSystemorreSS.
reSSallowsforpowerregenerationduringdeceleration, with the added
benefitofofferinganeffectakintoengine-brakingwhen you get off the
throttleandbegintocoast.
Youcantracktheavailablerange,chooseridingmodes,
monitortemperatures,anda wholelotmorethroughthe
aforementioned4.3-inchtFtdisplayand toggle through seven
ridingmodestochoosefrom,throughthe accompanying
switchgearset-up.Youcanchangetraction control (three levels)
orturnit offcompletely,adjustthethrottle response to suit your
needs,andevensetuptheregentowhateverlevelyoudeem
appropriate.Sportmodeoffersmaxperformanceandregenwith
lowtractioncontrolinvolvement,roadmodeoffersa more
temperedapproachintermsoftheseparameters,rangemode,
asthenamesuggests,is setuptohelpekeoutthemostmiles
fromthebike,andrainmodekeepsperformanceandregenin
checkforthoseslipperysurfaces.thereare also three custom
modesavailablewherebyyoucanhavedifferent set-ups dialled
inasperyourwhimsandfancies.Above:Thefloatingtail
lampunitisa sweettouch
http://www.bikeindia.in August 2019 Bike India 49
harley-davidson Livewire