I'm glad to see some intelligent discussion here! Most of the talk about the LiveWire, both on the internet and by "writers" is hung up on comparisons to current standards and expectations for internal combustion motorcycles... and their riders. Most of those people would complain about the lack of tires and higher cost than a Hyundai while looking over a UFO!

My personal take on it has little (if anything) to do with being competitive with bikes currently or soon to be available. Moreover, it is the first major brand e-bike. It says, "we take this seriously." I don't think anyone at corporate has any fantasy about salvaging sales numbers with this entry. ...this year or next. In your travels though, keep an eye out for these signs. They're popping up in more and more places every week. Most public (State, city, etc.) parking facilities include at least one. I think you'll soon find them (required by Milwaukee) at all H-D dealers, just like car dealerships for brands with an e-vehicle. Even WalMart is installing them!

Whether or not it is the best choice, it IS where the auto industry is going. I've never read a review by someone who has actually rode one, saying much of anything bad about the LiveWire. As someone else said, it's an acceleration monster! It seems to have good handling as well. That would be expected from a 100+ year-old MOTORCYCLE company. Some start-up that began with a motor and built their first bike around it, well, who knows? $30,000 is a lot of money, but as the first in the next generation of the motorcycle saga, they'll sell em. As long as they sell enough to break even, shoot not even that many, it's better than pouring money into R&D for a future product that's not paying any dividends yet! ...and make no mistake, R&D for a future product will be necessary.

This is nothing the vast majority view it as. This is the next 1903 H-D.

 

 

Or the V-Rod

 

I've said it a thousand times, NOBODY bad mouths H-D as much as the H-D faithful. I guess it's like a family, we have the highest expectations for those closest to us and the greatest disappointment when they don't do what WE think they should. ...but we still love em.

What I don't get is that while Harley riders beat up on every non-slim, fat, bob, boy, glide the MoCo tries to make, we do it while bemoaning their failure to attract new business.

Can you name one other company who holds the most recognizable trademark in THE WORLD and has been in continuing business for closing in on 120 years, who is as dumb about running a company as we keep insinuating Harley-Davidson is?

 

Now you've done it...

 

All this talk about monster torque is sort of a laugh. Maybe people, not in the industry don't understand electric motors. ALL electric motors make MAX torque at zero RPM unlike there gas counter parts. So in an electric vehicle you need to turn the torque down at low RPM to make them derivable and this is done with the electronics, HD has had nothing to do with that, it's just the way it works. They (HD) have two partners to develop this bike and both have gone bust before it has ever got to the market! So how good or bad this does is going to be based on how it measures up to the rest of the world of E-bikes.

Also for the record Victory had a E-bike division as well, before Polaris shut down Victory. I'm sure they are sitting back and looking at the market of E-bikes and most likely are stay up on where it is at today. so the statement that's been made here "Moreover, it is the first major brand e-bike." is dead wrong.

 

Polaris bought Brammo/ Empulse in 2015, and promptly closed it down. This IS the first e-bike developed and launched by a major motorcycle manufacturer. Crediting Polaris with building Empulse is like those (and there are plenty of them) who think because Polaris BOUGHT the rights to the trademarks, today's Indian motorcycle company is somehow connected to Hendee Manufacturing.

I'm quite sure this has not been a total in-house project. We live in a global market where the "just on time" supply chain is king. ALL manufacturers use parts developed and made by other specialty companies. Is there a point other than simply bashing?

 

If you think HD developed this bike so be it, but your sadly mistaken. They went to E-bike manufactures to get it done and drove two of them down the tubes. Polaris bought Brammo, they own it outright and it was a division of Victory which they shut down. The difference is what?

So my point is simple, you have not got your facts correct.

 

This is all very interesting.
The ebikes have been running at the Isle of Mann for a few years now. I am sure the lessons learned at the track trickle down to the everyday ebikes. I think getting more miles per charge is coming very soon, but will it be enough?