Welp; the Dickster can now cross one more of the ol' bucket list; only thing left now is a night of passion with Flo & a flight on the Concorde; both of which are highly unlikely to happen.
OK; was killing time in my dealership yesterday when I casually mentioned that I hope Biketoberfest ain't cancelled, 'cause I missed Bike Week 'cause of this stupid virus & I was dying to ride the Livewire. The salesman said "How 'bout a test ride right now"? Didn't hafta twist my arm.
After filling out the required paperwork, we went out to the bikes. Needless to say, I ain't a fan of the looks; too ricey, OR the riding position (too high). But off we went. The first thing that gets you is lack of a clutch,gearshift, and...sound! we pulled onto the main road, and OMG...
Now...I have heard this thing was quick. I have owned some hifalutin' fast sleds (Honda V65,Kawi Z-1,) and ridden some rocketships (Boss Hoss, V-Max) But, nothing coulda prepared me for the kind of acceleration & power delivery that THIS thing is capable of. Yes; a V-Max is quick, but there is still some lag when you shift; even if you power-shift. A Boss Hoss is automatic, constant-velocity tranny, but there is lag due to the nature of the IC motor. The Livewire has INSTANT, UNLIMITED torque. Cannot be described; has to be felt. IOW, you cannot hold the throttle open for more than a second if you don't expect to leave the ground. There is ZERO limit to the instant-ness & amount of torque available. There isn't a bike made on the planet that will NOT be embarassed in a 1/4 mile or roll-on contest. In fact I'm thinking this bike will seriously change the face of drag racing. Then, during the last mile or so of the test ride, I discovered the "Sport-mode" switch & tried that...HOLY CRAP...basically unusable on the street,only good for the dragstrip, and even then...you may need a pilot's license. The suspension was typically Harley...IE crap. The riding position was typical sportbike; uncomfortable for someone who rides a RoadKing. But, this ain't meant to be a long hauler, it's meant to be a commuter bike, since it takes 8 hours with the on-board charger to give you 120 miles range. The handling was beyond superb; made anything else I have ever ridden seem like a dump truck by comparison. The lack of gearshift & clutch seemed weird at first, but it was the lack of any sound that really made the experience different. That, and the ridiculous power delivery. The one thing I really liked about the bike, other than the torque, was the engine braking. Closing the throttle has the same effect as getting on both brakes; in fact I did almost the entire test ride using engine braking only; this bike does NOT coast; close the throttle & you come right to a stop. I would think this is a good safety feature. Also, there is enough play in the throttle that little bumps don't cause a jerky ride; this bike will not "get away from you" unless you want it to; throttle response is smooth & predictable from a stop; it is very easy to cruise around at a relaxed slow speed. But when you want that power; it is there instantly, no lag or wait. Fit & finish was typical Harley...ie 2nd to none. My test vehicle was the orange denim. I am thinking they'd prolly sell a lot better if Harley made them look like a Harley; say a traditional Dyna.
All in all...I was very impressed with the technology. Were I to win the lottery, I would buy one (and prolly kill myself on the way home from taking delivery) This is NOT you father's Hyabusa or V-Max. No vehicle I have ever ridden or driven has this instant-torque power delivery; which is a helluva lot more addicting than sheer cubic inch or supercharged IC power delivery. This bike will take a LOT of self-control from the rider; it would be very easy to get in over your head with this sled. I can count on 1 hand the number of bikes I have ridden that scared hell outta me; this one is at the top of the list. I was almost glad when the test ride was over, as we went longer than expected. My biggest criticism is that the bike seems physically too small for it's ridiculous power; that motor would be great in a touring sled.

The only bad thing about the test ride...It made my RoadKing seem to me an overweight, underpowered antique dinosaur. I hate to say it, but I have been converted to believe that electric is the wave of the future. Oh, not in my lifetime; they hafta come up with the technology to get a lot more range & quicker charging times. (Livewire 8 hours charge time for 120 miles) And, they gotta make it look good. But...it's gonna happen.

 

Plus the 30 thousand price tag is way to high on the bike......for that kind of money I'll stick with gas powered!

 

Good post,might have to check it out now too.

 

Wow I have rode some very fast bikes in my day. Other than a turbo gsxr A modded v-max is wicked fast. If this bike is faster she will be hand full for most riders. The cost will be the yahoo's away.

 

If depreciation on electric cars is any indication, you should be able to pick up a used Livewire for 50% less in 2 years.

 

My local HD dealer has a couple on display. May ask for a test ride.

 

The torque is there with an electric vehicle that is for sure. Same thing with the Tesla. How fast do you truly need to get to the posted speed limit? :-)... You are probably right Dickey, many people would probably kill themselves on something with that much torque. Many people do on sport bikes due to not being able to handle the power. Good write up. I still have zero interest in EV.

 

Good eval. I think that bike does the quarter mile in about 11.2 with pro rider
The Zero would be another electric. As a matter of fact Zero offers all types of bikes in electric for less cash.

 

Yeah, 30K no thanks. There is nothing in an electric motor, controller or battery that is worth even half of that. Cheap to produce too.

 

Dickey surprised you would have taken it for a test ride. I thought you would never get off the RK for anything. Glad it was an enjoyable experience for you.
Now that Flo knows your up for a hookup you never know when she will call.