Bikes You Should Know: Harley-Davidson Livewire

My first eleven installments of Bikes You Should Know featured motorcycles introduced at least twenty years ago. But it’s not my intention for this column to focus exclusively on classic bikes. This is a spectacular age for production motorcycles, and there are plenty of new and notable motorcycles a self-proclaimed gear-head should be familiar with. And they don’t come any newer or more notable than Harley-Davidson’s new electric motorcycle, the Livewire.

THE BACKSTORY

Harley-Davidson has been riding a (mostly) very successful wave of image and nostalgia since…well, for a while now. But critics have been foretelling the company’s demise once the Baby Boomers who are so in love with chrome, open pipes, Brando-esqe leathers and burned petroleum get too old to ride. The guys at Harley are not stupid, and they’ve had some inkling that the current business model might not be sustainable forever. So they are trying to do something about it. Designing and building new, smaller, water-cooled “world bikes” in India is one approach to diversify their market. The other is trying to really get out in front of other manufacturers in one of the newest, bleeding-edge markets: building an electric bike.

[youtube width=”640″ height=”360″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkYfFAPREbc[/youtube]

Debuting just a couple of months ago, the Livewire came out of left field for Harley enthusiasts, but was equally surprising to the e-bike market. There are already production motorcycles out there, from Brammo and Zero. They are more versatile than the Livewire’s somewhat limited 50-mile range, but none is significantly quicker than the Livewire’s 4-second 0-60 time. Livewire is also perhaps the most polished, image-conscious, elegantly designed electric bike to come down the pike. It looks like nothing else, and the appearance has been nearly universally praised. It might not look much like past Harleys, but it’s a design that makes typical riders say, “I could see myself on that.”

WHAT HAS HAPPENED (SO FAR)

The Livewire’s story is largely unwritten at this point. It is not a production bike. In fact, Harley has not announced firm plans to produce any more than the few dozen that have already been produced. The Motley Fool thinks it’s a publicity stunt. But average riders around the world are being invited to test ride the Livewire. It’s a real motorcycle that can stand up to the demands of lots of miles in the hands of inexperienced riders. As one anonymous source close to the company told me, the bikes’ components have all been developed to mass-production levels of fit and finish. “They can’t not produce this. There’s just been too much attention to development and tooling for them to walk away now.” There’s also the PR side of how such a decision would look: “They can’t claim to be going so big and then wimp out.”

WHY IT’S SIGNIFICANT

The Livewire has landed like a sucker-punch left hook. Harley did exactly the last thing anyone expected from The Motor Company. That makes it a significant Harley. When it comes to performance on the road, my anonymous source—a long-time, experienced motorcyclist—had a chance to take an extended VIP ride the Livewire, and says it blew him away. “Easily the most significant motorcycling experience I’ve had in at least fifteen or twenty years,” he said. That makes it a significant motorcycle, regardless of brand. Image Credits: Lede image by freelance photographer Neilson Barnard, Peterson Manufacturing Co, Harley-Davidson Motor Company.