R I D E R E V I E W
P112
2020 HARLEY-DAVIDSON
country and go from zero to 80 percent
in 40 minutes, or 100 percent in an
hour. A bonus is all 150 of the licensed
LiveWire dealers in the U.S. will have a
DC Fast Charge station at their shop.
LiveWire owners will get free charg-
ing for the first two years at their local
dealer.
Harley-Davidson has also developed the H-D
Connect app, which gives the rider information
about the available range, how far to the nearest
charging stations, and a security system that will
tell you if someone has moved your bike. Given
that this is an electric motorcycle that's con-
nected to the cloud, stealing it and trying to make
it work would be a frugal exercise.
On the hardware side of the LiveWire, the cast
aluminum chassis has a rather rangy wheelbase
of 58.7 inches, making it delightfully stable on
freeways in that traditional H-D style. However,
it's not as cumbersome as you would
expect in the twisties.
Showa handles the suspension with
the fully adjustable 43mm Inverted Sep-
arate Function Forks - Big Piston (SFF-
BP) fork and fully adjustable Balance
Free Rear Cushion Lite (BFRC-lite)
shock. The shock is bolted directly to
the swingarm with no linkage, giving a very direct
if somewhat harsh feeling over sharp bumps.
Brembo four-piston monobloc calipers haul the
549-pound LiveWire up. They're mated to an anti-
lock brake system that has a cornering mode built
in as part of the Reflex Defensive Rider System.
It also features switchable traction control, rear-
wheel lift mitigation and drag torque slip control.
The latter of which is essentially an electronic
slipper clutch for when the regen is cranked right
up and you get off the gas, potentially locking the
rear wheel.
Despite the weight,
it's surprising
how hard you can
hustle the LiveWire.
Certainly harder than
any other bike in
Harley's lineup.
