A
s the epitome of iron, we wouldn’t
have picked Harley-Davidson to be
the first out of the gate with a fully
electric motorcycle. While the idea of Harley
producing an electric vehicle (EV) may be a
bolt from the blue for some, Harley’s electric
motorcycle – the LiveWire – can actually trace
its development back to 2010 and the start of
Harley’s Project LiveWire.
We rode that concept bike in early 2015
around the ring roads of the Sepang Grand
Prix circuit and on the streets of Los Angeles,
and were thoroughly impressed by the
prototype.
Back then Harley promised that a production
version would arrive in roughly five years,
and not only did they make good on that
promise, but they’ve also beaten the other
major motorcycle manufacturers to the
punch as well. That is a seriously big surprise.
For some time the Bar and Shield has been
We rode that concept bike in early
2015 and were thoroughly impressed
by the prototype
38 KIWI RIDER
working to distance itself from its old image
as the brand that always looks backward,
LiveWire proves that the company can not
only look into the future, it can nail the tricky
task of developing a bike for the newest
segment in the marketplace with its first try.
TRICKY JOURNEY
As my first flight of many to reach Portland,
and the global launch of the LiveWire, has
just abandoned its first landing attempt…
I catch myself thinking, “what the hell am I
doing here?”
Why I got the nod for the trip in the first
place I suspect relates to my past luck in
getting to experience the 2020 LiveWire’s
precursor – the 2014 Project LiveWire – which
blew me away while riding around the ring
roads of the Sepang GP track in early 2015.