The LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s lean-forward entry in the battery-electric motorcycle market, hits the dealers in 2019.
The introduction of an electric Harley-Davidson will be a shock to some, but it’s no surprise to hardcore Harley watchers. A battery-powered R&D program called Project LiveWire was revealed in 2014, and the launch of a consumer version was forecast in the More Roads to Harley-Davidson program announced in July 2018, mapping out the manufacturer’s future products through 2022. And now, just as the world’s oldest motorcycle maker promised all along, here it is: the production LiveWire, to be sold through selected H-D dealers starting next year.
If previously released info holds true, the LiveWire will be propelled by a permanent magnet, three-phase motor rated at 55 kW (or 74 hp if you prefer). There are two lithium-ion battery packs on board: a 12-volt system of the lamps and accessories, and a main propulsion battery of so-far undisclosed capacity.
We still await word on the bike’s actual range, but the company has made it known that speed is electronically limited to 95 mph, and the 0-60 mph times will be less than four seconds. There is no transmission, but the bevel gearset that couples the motor to the traditional Harley kevlar belt drive has been specially tuned to produce an authoritative growl that varies with road speed.
Without the signature 45-degree V-Twin heartbeat and potato-potato exhaust note, only the catlike purr of an electric motor and gear drive, the LiveWire stands to be a remarkably different experience for traditional Harley riders. “The loudest sound you hear will be your heart racing,” the H-D marketing folks cleverly note. For maximum touring pleasure, the company included Showa adjustable suspension front and rear on the trick cast-aluminum frame, along with mammoth Brembo brakes.
Production has been slotted in at the York, Pennsylvania H-D assembly plant, and the company declares that the LiveWire is only the first in what it intends to be an entire series of electric motorcycles. The price is yet to be announced, but we presume that info and more will be available when Harley starts taking orders in January of 2019.
Didn’t Puch start producing motorcycles in 1899???? Indian in 1901 ???
I guess it’s bound to happen sooner or later. Somewhere someone is going to expect to ride an electric motorcycle, and Harley should be there to satisfy that market. No doubt it’s done its homework and the proposed machine will do what’s expected. Myself, I’ll not be likely to be joining that force anytime soon, first because I tend to enjoy hearing the powerplant and all its machinery (I don’t care to straddle something that sounds like an Electrolux), and second, I live in an area that’s way too spread out to make an EV practical; most of us would be spending our time waiting for batteries to charge. But there will be those who embrace the EV and that’s just fine with me…