2020 Harley-Davidson LivewireHarley-Davidson PORTLAND, Ore. Methinks theres more than a little hypocrisy surrounding the seemingly ample criticism directed at Harley-Davidsons new Livewire. Most of said criticism centres on the electric Harleys reported range, which at its worst 113 kilometres (70 miles) at 113 kilometres an hour (70 mph) barely qualifies as miniscule. Thus do the critics journalists and consumers alike decry the Livewire as just another Harley trailer queen.The problem with said criticism is twofold. The first is that Milwaukee is not, in any way, shape or form, claiming that the Livewire is a full-boat long distance touring motorcycle. Oh, they dont dare describe their new $37,250 battery-powered gem as a trailer queen. Theyd much prefer that I use their public relations-friendly halo vehicle designation that theyre hoping as in repeatedly stressing it at every turn in their media presentation will catch on. But the end result amounts to the same thing. Their new Livewire is, they plainly admit, the electron-powered equivalent of something like the companys own CVO Breakout; intensely pretty to look at, surprisingly powerful, not to mention exquisitely constructed and detailed. But ultimately, theyre both best suited to close-quarter work. The second part of said hypocrisy and, to my mind, by far the more egregious is that I think that Harley is being unfairly singled out. In fact, Milwaukees main crime seems to be to admit their electric motorcycle is fairly useless on the unbridled open road again 113 kilometres at a steady 113 km/h. In actual use, most e-bikes would struggle to exceed Harleys cruising range and precious few are the motorcycles powered by lithium ions that can belt out more than 160 klicks on the open road. And even those that can squeak out 100 miles or so from their batteries are basically useless for sustained rides. You ride for an hour maybe an hour and a half and then, if youre lucky enough to have access to a Level 3 DC charger, you wait an hour or so for it recharge. In other words, whether the Livewire is the worst or best of the breed matters not a wit; all e-bikes are pretty much useless when the destination is much more than 200 kilometres from your home base. That said, on friendly turf on city streets where stop-and-go traffic helps regen extra battery range Harley says the Livewires 70-cell, 15.5 kilowatt-hour battery is good for some 235 kilometres. So, when it comes to the dreaded range anxiety on long distance trips, all of the current crop of electrified motorcycles are in the same lets-not-go-there boat.All that said, the most impressive part and by quite some margin of the new Livewire is its electric powertrain. Though its specs are impressive 105 horsepower and 86 pound-feet of torque are fairly noteworthy whether powered by electrons or fossil fuel they pale compared with its comportment. Plainly stated, the Livewires permanent magnet motor and its attendant controllers and modulators are amongst the most sophisticated electrics Ive ever tested, two-wheeled or four. For one thing, the throttle response is incredibly linear. Typically, EVs have a great lump of torque down low and then quickly run out of puff as speeds get serious. Harleys 15,000-rpm Revelation engine, by contrast, starts out fairly meaty those 86 pound-feet of torque are available at zero rpm and continues to thrill at well over 150 km/h. Harley says that it will spring to 100 kilometres an hour in about three seconds. Sounds impressive enough for those comparing it to sporting automobiles, but in the bike world unlike the four-wheeled sphere zero to 100 is a pretty meaningless measure as few manufacturers actually post, or even measure, their times. So, for those looking for some actual context as to the Livewires real performance, here is a comparison: The electrified Harley jumps off the line something like a Suzuki GSX1000S and, even above 100 km/h, still accelerates like a 600-cc four. By EV standards, thats pretty impressive.Still more impressive is how the Livewire handles its regenerative braking (when you let off the gas or apply the brakes, the electric motor reverses polarity and the resultant engine braking pumps electrons back into the battery). Again, in many EVs especially first attempts like the Livewire the modulation can get pretty lumpy, often feeling artificial in its mimicking of traditional engine braking.Not the Harley. In its lesser modes, it pretty much freewheels like a two-stroke off the gas. In Sport mode, on the other hand, the regen retardation fairly emulates that of a big-inch V-twin sport bike, say a Ducati. Indeed, while prowling the twisties surrounding Portland, we hardly touched the Livewires big four-pot Brembos so effective was chopping the gas at slowing the 249 kilogram e-motorcycle for hairpins. Credit the nine or so years the Livewire project actually started as a skunk works project in
Origin: First Ride: 2020 Harley-Davidson Livewire