I’m as surprised as anyone
that Harley managed to pull off
the feat of bringing a mass-
production electric motorcycle
to market before any other
manufacturer
Maybe Harley-Davidson wanted my opinion
on the changes they’ve made to the bike
since then... or something.
Anyway, nearly five years on, I’m as surprised
as anyone that Harley managed to pull
off the feat of bringing a mass-production
electric motorcycle to market before any
other manufacturer.
Sure, BMW has some electric scooters
floating about Europe, and electric outfit Zero
has had success in a few markets, but neither
has officially brought anything running on
electrons to Aotearoa and here Harley has
them beat.
A few things have changed between
the prototype stage of the bike and the
production version we’re being delivered. The
most obvious being the new bodywork and
the move to conventional mirrors. It’s a good
thing too as the mirrors on Project LiveWire
gave me a great view of my knees, but not
much else.
CONVENTIONAL
In general, LiveWire is quite a conventionally
handsome motorcycle in the Roadster vein.
With this being an electric bike it comes
with a few pros and a few cons in its corner.
The most obvious pro being that, for now,
electricity is much cheaper than petrol. There
is a con on the flip-side though and that is
the range and time needed to recharge the
battery. Select H-D dealers will be offering
free fast charging stations that promise a 40
minute 80% charge, but it’s a 12.5hr charge
from empty to full on the AC wall charger
at home. The bike has a maximum range
of 235km around town and 113km at a
sustained 112km/h, which will be a hard sell
for those riders who love to ride the length
of the country just for laughs. Fast charge
stations are available in a growing number
of NZ locations to support the electric car
market. Buyers will just need to see it as a
chance for a coffee break if they’re out on a
long run – and check there’s a fast charger on
route - and hope there isn’t a queue.
In reality though, Harley isn’t pitching this
bike at those riders. This bike is pitched as an
KIWI RIDER 41