LIVEWIRE ON SALE AT LAST
New electric Harley has groundbreaking tech and a hefty pricetag
Harley-Davidson used the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas to reveal yet more details of their LiveWire as the machine was finally made available to order. Harley have been working with Panasonic and say one of the big selling points of the bike will be its huge array of connectivity features (see tech special on page 10). But first: back to basics: what will it be like to ride?
The LiveWire is powered by Harley’s Revelation electric motor, which combines with their Rechargable Energy Storage System (a battery to you and me) to propel the bike from 0-60 in under 3.5 seconds and give a range of 110 miles. Connect it up to a fast charger and it will refill from 0-80% in 40 minutes. To encourage those new to biking, the LiveWire is twist-and-go. They have even manufactured in some noise so it sounds a bit like a Harley. Despite having one gear the LiveWire will whine its way to a respectable 110mph top speed. But where things get really exciting is when you whip your phone out. Paired with HarleyDavidson’s Connect app using the Telematic Control Unit, the full-colour TFT screen has all sorts of functions to enhance the experience. As well as the usual music, calls and turn-by-turn directions it will also update you on the status of the bike; be that current charge level, range and time to completion. Using the onboard GPS it will also issue tamper alerts if anyone tries to mess with it while parked up, followed by full tracking with a call centre so that police can get involved. There are other neat in-app features, too, including suspension setup calculator and personalised service notifications. It will even remind you if you’ve forgotten to plug in as well as tell you when to top-up to help maintain battery health.
The LiveWire costs $29,799 (about £23,500, but we’d expect it to be close to £30,000 by the time it reaches UK shores) and is currently only available from selected dealers. That price puts it in direct competition with the Energica Eva. Delivery is expected in the autumn. As well as the LiveWire, Harley also unveiled two concepts: a big e-bike and a small scooter as their vision for urban mobility. Harley hopes they will help them to reach a new audience.