Will Harley’s Electric Bike Drive the Brand Back to the Top?
What does the LiveWire need to truly capture the spirit of Harley-Davidson and not just the name?
Like it or not, an all-electric Harley-Davidson motorcycle is coming as soon as next year. With the inherent lack of vibration and noise that comes with electric power, there is going to be little that ties the electric bike to the rest of the Harley line, except the wind in your hair. The track record for innovative new products, or even bikes slightly outside their traditional wheelhouse, is not good at Harley. And yet the future of the company may be riding on the production version of the electric LiveWire bike.
The LiveWire certainly seemed awesome enough with Scarlett Johansson riding it in The Avengers: Age of Ultron, but how much of that was Hollywood special effects and Black Widow? When you put your average biker on an electric bike, even one with the bar and shield logo, how cool can it possibly be? Is the Alta electric dirt bike, from a company now literally owned by Harley-Davidson, really just an electric Harley in spirit?
Before we jump the gun, we need to look at the stats of the LiveWire and its H-D Revelation motor to determine exactly what Harley will be producing. Is it enough to hang with the gas-fueled Harley lineup, or will it be standing in the shadows of greater, more kickass motorcycles?
Power
One thing we don’t have to worry about in an electric Harley is power. Because of the nature of electric motors, any electric bike is going to have maximum torque from zero rpm. If you think a tuned Dyna can take off quick from a dead stop, get ready to be amazed. For reference, the LiveWire prototype was supposed to hit 60 mph in four seconds, while a stock Breakout with a twin cam is nearly a second slower.
The power of a next-gen LiveWire ought to work fine for the stoplight drag strip, weekend canyon cruising, or commuting to work. Top speed isn’t what Harley is about, but it does need to be able to cross that magical triple digit barrier.
Range
The LiveWire prototype was limited in top speed and range. However, in the nearly five years since it was built battery technology has improved, and may be even better by 2020. Harley riders generally fall into two camps: Serious touring riders with iron butts who rack up hundreds of miles a day, day after day; and the more casual commuters and point-to-point riders.
An electric bike is only going to appeal to one of these groups. With current technology there is no chance of an electric touring bike any time soon, but how much range do we need? One of the top companies currently making electric bikes, Zero Motorcycles, currently sells bikes with nearly 200 miles of city cruising, and 100 miles of freeway flying. For most weekend and weekday riders, those range numbers are probably going to be plenty, especially if you can charge it up at work.
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