Harley-Davidson's LiveWire is the sporty electric streetbike we need
Now finally going into production after four years of promises, we were eager to see if the LiveWire lives up to the hype.
Kyle Hyatt
Harley's LiveWire electric motorcycle is a moonshot for the brand.
It shows the company reaching farther than it has in decades to create something unique.
The end result is a shockingly competent sporting motorcycle with a fully electric powertrain.
The bike's biggest weakness is its lofty $30,000 price tag.
But with excellent build quality, good materials and excellent components, the price isn't so crazy.
From a riding standpoint, the LiveWire is a near-perfect around-town runabout.
Take things to the freeway and the biggest weakness of electric motorcycle tech becomes apparent.
The LiveWire can only manage around 70 miles per charge at 70 miles per hour on the freeway.
Thankfully in town that number jumps up to 147 miles, which is much more reasonable.
Now, if we could just convince Harley to get rid of its weird hand controls, we'd really have something special.
Keep going for more pictures of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire.
The 2019 LiveWire is the long-awaited production version of the Project: LiveWire concept from 2014.
The LiveWire is designed to be a fast, fun street motorcycle.
The LiveWire abandons many of Harley's now-famous traits.
It has midmounted foot controls rather than feet-forward units.
It features wide, upright handlebars for comfort and easier steering.
The LiveWire's aggressive styling hints at its sporting nature.
The LiveWire also comes with serious Brembo monoblock brake calipers and 300mm front rotors.
Showa provides the LiveWire's fully adjustable suspension.
The LiveWire comes with an onboard Level 1 charger and is capable of supporting Level 2 and DC fast charging with the proper adapters.
LiveWire 2018. Spain
LiveWire 2018. Milwaukee
2018 Harley-Davidson 115th Anniversary Celebration.