Harley-Davidson LiveWire review, test ride

Tomorrow's Harley today - we've just ridden the American bike-making giant's take on electric motorcycles.

Published on Feb 28, 2015 11:00:00 AM

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Harley-Davidson LiveWire review, test ride

This electric motorcycle comes with a longitudinally mounted, electric powered, oil-cooled motor, and lithium-ion batteries. The claimed power output is about the equivalent of 75bhp, with roughly 7kgm of torque offered. Harley claims 100kph is only 4 seconds away from a standing start, and claims apart, it feels properly there in terms of seat-of-the-pants feel, with a top speed limited in the region of 150kph. We took it to an indicated 140kph-plus, effortlessly achieved.

Belt final drive is the norm on LiveWire, very Harley like and keeping the bike quiet and smooth, and otherwise there's no levers for a clutch, or to shift gears. Instead, simply roll open the volts and hold on tight as this Harley surges forward. The rear tyre struggles for traction as it squeals in protest, the LiveWire propelling violently forward with an angry, jet engine-like whine.

Throttle response is really really smooth, surprisingly so for an electric, and nice and progressive, and the company tells us these test LiveWire bikes have a range of approximately 85km between charges, which is only for test purposes, and sure to improve if and when it sees production.

Close the throttle and you're immediately rewarded with the reassuring feel of strong engine braking, smartly built into this clever electric bike to keep us feeling safe and at home on a LiveWire. I found my left foot tapping thin air, searching for the gear lever at the first corner we ran into, but there ends the confusion. You find yourself comfy with the gearless convenience of this electric bike very soon, a credit to Harley engineers, and it's down mainly to the so very thoughtfully dialled-in engine braking feature that kicks in the instant you roll off the throttle.