VOLUME 57 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 25, 2020 P95
As such, judgement was
reserved until I got hold of one a
year later (can't believe it's already
been that long), for a three-week
sojourn in SoCal. Would the range
be up to LA-style riding, what with
its masses of freeways that are a
must to get anywhere? Would I be
so enamored with the LiveWire
that I'd consider throwing down
$30K for one? Read on.
At $29,799, the LiveWire is the
sixth most expensive motorcycle
in its range of street bikes/cruis-
ers (not including trikes, because,
you know, they ain't real
bikes). For that money, you
get far and away the sportiest
machine in the Harley's line-
up. And when you consider the
electric propulsion, that makes
the LiveWire ironic in the extreme.
Electric motorcycle manufacturers love to
pipe on about how all the torque is available
from zero rpm. That means you get all the
go, all the time, and believe me, there's lots
of go with the LiveWire.
20-60 mph roll-ons provide such ac-
celeration it's genuinely hard to believe
it's Harley-Davidson giving you
this experience, not Yamaha,
Ducati or Aprilia. Pin the throttle
even from a standstill and you're
fired toward the horizon faster
than most supercars, but it's
when you're already moving that
the acceleration really shines. It's
not just fast for a Harley, it's fast,
full stop.
My absolute favorite part of the
LiveWire is the throttle response.
Harley has done exceptionally
well on this front, mapping a con-
nection between the rider and
the twist grip that's the best I've
ever experienced on an electric
motorcycle and one of the best on
any gasoline motorcycle, for that
matter. The importance of such
a feat needs to be emphasized,
because, unlike its petrol-powered
brethren, the LiveWire has no emissions
laws to adhere to, which is the enemy of a
nice throttle response in terms of the fuel-in-
jection mapping required to pass said laws.
The throttle is delightfully deft, allowing
the rider to dial in as much go as they like
so fluidly, it's almost telepathic. Wind it on
(Left) The side of
the tire behavior
is quite good
on the LiveWire.
Harley-Davidson
has done well to
keep the center
of gravity nice
and low. (Bottom
left) There's
86-lb-ft of torque
available from the
electric motor,
and it'll propel
you into your near
future extremely
rapidly. (Bottom
right) Brembo
radial mounted
calipers have
plenty of stopping
power, but the
LiveWire lacks
feel at the lever.
