Harley-Davidson LiveWire Gets Special Michelin Tires

Michelin’s new Scorcher Sport tire pairs cutting-edge technology with a familiar face.

Tires are, arguably, the most important parts of your motorcycle. They’re the only part of your bike that touches the ground when you’re underway, and their tread pattern and rubber compound make a huge difference when it comes to acceleration, handling, and braking.

The new LiveWire is a very different bike for Harley-Davidson. Compared to the heavyweight cruisers the brand is best known for, this bike is designed to be a high-performance handler.

For Harley-Davidson, that meant a new tire that could handle whatever the LiveWire is capable of. Enter Michelin, widely considered to be one of the world’s premier tire brands – regardless of how many wheels are touching the road.

According to Upstate Business Journal, Michelin spends over $770 million per year on research and development. Michelin spent two years working with Harley-Davidson, developing a specialized tire for the LiveWire.

The end result is called the Michelin Scorcher Sport. The Michelin Scorcher tire has been around for a while, and is used on lots of different Harley-Davidson models. However, the Scorcher Sport is a completely different animal.

The Scorcher Sport is the first tire in the Michelin Scorcher lineup to utilize state of the art Dual Compound Technology. That means that the Scorcher Sport is designed to offer superior handling and performance without sacrificing ride quality. It also means prodigious grip in both wet and dry conditions.

The dual compound also means increased wear resistance in the center of the tread. Hopefully this will result in less frequent tire replacement intervals, one of the largest maintenance expenses any motorcyclist will experience regularly.

The shoulder of the tire, on the other hand, is designed to be grippier for maximum cornering performance. Most riders have to choose between a soft, sticky compound that wears quickly, or a harder compound that lasts longer. That’s not the case with the Michelin Scorcher Sport.

Since the tire was developed by Michelin in conjunction with Harley-Davidson, the sidewall will carry both Michelin and Harley-Davidson branding. In addition, the Scorcher Sport carries the same trademark tread pattern seen on the Michelin Scorcher tires that Harley-Davidson fans know and love.

Photos: Harley-Davidson; Upstate Business Journal

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Cameron Vanderhorst

Cam VanDerHorst has been a contributor to Internet Brands' Auto Group sites for over three years, with his byline appearing on Ford Truck Enthusiasts, Corvette Forum, JK Forum, and Harley-Davidson Forums, among others. In that time, he's also contributed to Autoweek, The Drive, and Scale Auto Magazine.

He bought his first car at age 14 -- a 1978 Ford Mustang II -- and since then he’s amassed an impressive and diverse collection of cars, trucks, and motorcycles, including a 1996 Ford Mustang SVT Mystic Cobra (#683) and a classic air-cooled Porsche 911.

In addition to writing about cars and wrenching on them in his spare time, he enjoys playing music (drums and ukulele), building model cars, and tending to his chickens.

You can follow Cam, his cars, his bikes, and his chickens at @camvanderhorst on Instagram.

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