Harley Davidson Reveals the Pricing and Specs of Its "Livewire" Electric Motorcycles

cageymaru

cageymaru

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Harley Davidson has revealed the specifications, pricing and release date for its new "Livewire" lineup of electric motorcycles. The 115 year old American company says the Livewire will have a 110 mile range with a 0 to 60 time of under 3.5 seconds when it releases in August 2019 with a $29,799 starting price. The vehicle will not have a clutch or gears and can charge overnight at home or at any public Level 3 DC Fast Charge station. The permanent magnet electric motor can produce 100% of its torque instantaneously and is located below the battery to lower the center of gravity for easier handling. The bike features a cast aluminum frame, touchscreen and a fully adjustable suspension. It is app controlled and monitored so users can check the charge status of their Harley Davidson, find where they last parked it or track a stolen bike from anywhere in the USA. Harley Davidson also announced two new concepts; an electric mountain bike and an electric scooter.

It's one of our fastest production bikes ever. We're also announcing H-D Connect, which allows riders to monitor battery charge status remotely via their smartphone and enables features like a GPS enabled anti-theft system," Harley Davidson's Media Relations Manager Jen Hoyer told TechCrunch.

Will H-D Connect be used to gather vehicle data? Vehicle usage data (anonymized where required) will be collected to improve overall vehicle quality and the rider's experience. Riders will be able to opt out of the service. Detailed data collection and privacy information will be available at the time of service launch.
 
my only gripe with E-motorcycles is the noise they make there must be a way to make bikes make a sound similar to gas based bikes rather than the " wurring" of motors
 
longblock454 said:
The number of moronic drivers attempting to merge into my lane and kill me dropped drastically the day I installed drag pipes. E.D. or not, loud pipes can be easily heard when one is texting.

Edit, and for the record I ride an Indian.
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Nothing says get off my ass like a breast pocket filled with 1/2” steel bearings. I worked with a guy who kept a few for poping over his shoulder at people riding him too close and a golf ball or 2 for people trying to merge ontop of him.
 
Lakados said:
Nothing says get off my ass like a breast pocket filled with 1/2” steel bearings. I worked with a guy who kept a few for poping over his shoulder at people riding him too close and a golf ball or 2 for people trying to merge ontop of him.
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I do the same thing! I use old pinball machine balls for attention getters
 
Literally the only thing I hate about motorcycles is the noise. It's like 90% of these people WANT MOAR NOISE, though. The fuckers.

Electric vehicles can't conquer the world soon enough. Fuck your vroom and broom, really.

Been watching F1 for 30 years. Still, fuck the noise.
 
Seems a tad expensive for a bike.
Also really not sure about the look of it. Thought it would look...more sleek or something
 
Wouldn't an "electric mountain bike" basically be a dirt bike? I mean the whole point of a mountain bike is that you have to pedal it manually......
 
Lakados said:
Nothing says get off my ass like a breast pocket filled with 1/2” steel bearings. I worked with a guy who kept a few for poping over his shoulder at people riding him too close and a golf ball or 2 for people trying to merge ontop of him.
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Sounds like a colossal douchebag, probably the type of dumbass that has "had to lay it down" at least once. Been riding for the better part of 3 decades and more miles than I can count, from major metro areas to the backwoods to the race track. If you can't trivially handle yourself around cars without feeling like you need weapons and what amounts to a siren, you either need to learn how to ride or get off the bike. Yes, cars will sometimes merge into your lane, or tailgate, or do other stupid shit. BFD. You've got a throttle and brakes that will dust 90%+ of cars on the road, easy 360 vision, and need 1/10th the pavement space that a car needs. Pay even a little bit of attention, don't act like a moron, and you're good - if you actually know how to ride, anyway.
 
Hey, if everyone was in an electric vehicle, then the Harley only needs to make a slightly, but a noticeable degree of noise more than that.

Which ought to be easy, since electric cars are very aerodynamic, where as upright motorcycles have poor aerodynamics and lots of buffeting noises they make :ninja:
 
Lakados said:
Nothing says get off my ass like a breast pocket filled with 1/2” steel bearings. I worked with a guy who kept a few for poping over his shoulder at people riding him too close and a golf ball or 2 for people trying to merge ontop of him.
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Good way to get run over or shot when you do this to the wrong person.

Plus, that bearing will end up bouncing or get kicked up by other cars and hitting other innocent drivers. :mad:
 
Armenius said:
The Zero SR is cheaper, faster and better looking.
https://www.zeromotorcycles.com/zero-s/
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I like this
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but I am not sure it would translate well into electric design. Removing the pipe would ruin it. They could put a some kind of electron guzzler in it to make it useful
 
I know about <--> that much about motorcycles... How much does this weigh compared to a typical motorcycle?
 
Boy, expensive and probably requires twice the maintenance of other electric mototcycles. Kind of like how it is with their V-twins.
 
carlbme said:
I've been excited since they first announced it.

BUT.....my greatest fear about this has come true. Pricing. Just too far out of my price range. No way can I afford to toss down 30K for a motorcycle.
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$30K is the starting price. I own a Harley and can tell you that $30K won't get you much. $30k will be the bottom of the line bike and won't go 100 miles on a charge. The fully loaded Live wire will be closer to $40k.

I have a 2013 VRod and just to get it out the door was over $25K and that is with no features (no alarm) nothing. I decided to buy a used one and save $10k
 
Dead Parrot said:
A $30,000 commuter bike with no briefcase carry rack or saddle bags. Innovative.
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That would add $10K to the price. I laughed at some friend who purchased Harley's. They would add the exhaust slip on's for 5K, then the side bars 3k, Bluetooth 1K, chrome package 8K. By the time they got the bike home they were 40 to 50K deep and the bike looked just like every other Harley.

I like Harley's but their price is insane for 2 wheel.
 
I'd be curious as to the cost of the sound module by itself. I need to find a solution for the wife's motorcycle, it is damn near silent to a pedestrian, and even topped out you can't hear it in a helmet on the thing.
 
#1 Harley Davidson quality... No thanks.
#2 It's freakin' ugly
#3 Priced like that because they think with the Harley Name, they can screw everyone, and they'll like it.

Rather Honda or a reliable brand come out with a proper looking / modern electric bike.
 
Not my cup of tea...but Harley better get this "privacy" angle just right as I can't imagine many Harley riders too eager to embrace anything that might be perceived at tracking them and/or their activities. Even if it is just rolling down to Starbucks.

"Vehicle usage data (anonymized where required) will be collected to improve overall vehicle quality and the rider's experience."
 
alxlwson said:
Loud pipes have saved my ass at least twice from idiot four wheelers that don't pay the fuck attention to the road.
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I consider this bike a death trap. A noiseless motorcycle on todays texting everywhere on phones while changing lanes roads. This is not going to end well.
 
Harley is a case study in brand loyalty. I am not a Harley guy. I prefer my bikes to start/stop/retain oil. There is a market for the right guys that want that experience. However, pretty much all of the Harley market is aging out. It'll be gone within my generation. Young people don't crave the same kind of freedom. Their adventures are different.
 
My wife bought a Zero S over the summer with some additional accessories including a wind visor, lay down bars, and a helmet case on the back of the bike for under 15K. I thought it was crazy expensive for a bike that has a 90 mile range to it. Seems I owe her an apology after seeing Harley's 30k 110 mile range electric. Ouch!
 
Rajincajun said:
$30K is the starting price. I own a Harley and can tell you that $30K won't get you much. $30k will be the bottom of the line bike and won't go 100 miles on a charge. The fully loaded Live wire will be closer to $40k.

I have a 2013 VRod and just to get it out the door was over $25K and that is with no features (no alarm) nothing. I decided to buy a used one and save $10k
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I bought a New Electraglide Ultra Classic, loaded, for 25K a couple years ago, you don't have to spend 40K for one.

That being said, I traded it for a BMW F800GT less than one year later after riding it 500 miles, a 450lb quick agile cheaper bike vs a 900lb, slow, unmaneuverable pig of a bike. I lost money on the trade but am much happier. If HD can't reduce costs and engage younger riders, it is done. Their is only so many people willing to drop 25K to 30K on a motorcycle. $30K electrics are not how it's going to do it. Half that price is a stretch for most new riders.
 
carlbme said:
I've been excited since they first announced it.

BUT.....my greatest fear about this has come true. Pricing. Just too far out of my price range. No way can I afford to toss down 30K for a motorcycle.
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How do you spell DOA.
 
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