Table of contents:

We tested the Harley-Davidson LiveWire: Milwaukee's electric motorcycle is as amazing as it is devastating
We tested the Harley-Davidson LiveWire: Milwaukee's electric motorcycle is as amazing as it is devastating

Video: We tested the Harley-Davidson LiveWire: Milwaukee's electric motorcycle is as amazing as it is devastating

Video: We tested the Harley-Davidson LiveWire: Milwaukee's electric motorcycle is as amazing as it is devastating
Video: Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric Motorcycle Test Ride 2024, March
Anonim

It's been a long, long time since Harley-Davidson He felt the world of electric motorcycles with the Project LiveWire. The first functional prototype dates from 2014 and since then we have been wondering if it would really be the American brand that would hit first in the electric motorcycle segment with something that had little to do with its usual offer, and it has been.

Now the day has come. The Harley-Davidson LiveWire It is already a reality available to consumers for a price of 33,700 euros and we have been able to test it to discover a new world. And if electric motorcycles have to arrive in the future, if they look like LiveWire, it will not be a boring future.

Harley-Davidson LiveWire: electrifying

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 009
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 009

The Harley-Davidson LiveWire is one of those bikes that we don't really know how to feel about in person. This model is a breakdown in the motorcycle market and it is wrapped in a kind of mystical halo for all that it implies with respect to the traditional past of a brand that has been manufacturing combustion motorcycles since 1903 and with regard to the way they plan to face the future.

LiveWire has absolutely nothing to do with everything we know about the Milwaukee brand. It does not look like any other model and at the same time it is one of the American family. The Harley-Davidsons thought about it a lot before bringing this first electric motorcycle to market, and just look at the fact that Project LiveWire was born almost a decade ago. A strategy that in principle should be very well planned.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 005
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 005

Looking at her with other of her sisters, the LiveWire is a considerably smaller bike. The compactness stands out with a set that is extremely narrow, with a middle zone in which the Revelation engine is located in the lower part, the battery pack in the middle zone and the electronics and the recharging system enclosed in the concise false tank. higher. The outlet is housed under a cover that simulates the filler cap.

In terms of design, common elements have been used that make the family DNA recognizable, such as a round LED headlight wrapped in a rather sophisticated mask, the lines of the tank or the color schemes. Otherwise few similar we can find.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 015
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 015

Looking a little more at the cycle part we find a steel frame that embraces the electrical equipment, using the 5 kWh battery as a structural element and supporting a cycle part that is much more prepared than in any other Harley-Davidson, with a set of Showa suspensions (BPF inverted fork and BPRF monoshock, both fully adjustable) and a powerful Brembo brake system with double disc and Four-piston calipers with radial attachment. Sports equipment.

Once the ice is broken, we put our foot on the electric beast and we put ourselves at its controls. The seat is brief but correct and the controls are advanced by one quite sporty position, along with the raised footpegs. Ahead of us the novel 100% digital display of your dashboard, color and touch.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 007
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 007

This screen can be controlled both while stopped by tapping on it and with the buttons for handling it. It is very intuitive, has connectivity with a Smartphone and allows us to control music, GPS instructions or calls. But the most important thing is yet to come and that is practically everything on this LiveWire is configurable.

Apart from the many types of information it can provide (battery level, range, engine or battery temperature, clock or bar tachometer, partials …), the LiveWire has up to seven driving modesFour are preset at the factory and another three can be configured on demand. Each mode can vary throttle response, maximum power, deceleration regeneration ability, and traction control intervention.

Relearning to ride a motorcycle

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 003
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 003

We start with the calm of facing something unknown with two points that attract us a lot of attention. There is no doubt that we are on a motorcycle, it feels like a real motorcycle, but it makes practically no noise. On the other hand, we lack more things that we are used to such as clutch lever and shift pedal, because there are no gears. As the first section of the route would run on wet roads, we left in the rainy mode and we got to know each other by the way.

With the electronics capping the engine's performance, we performed the first few meters focusing on how LiveWire is perceived and the truth is that with our eyes closed we could not identify it as a Harley-Davidson. No vibrations of any kind (obviously) and it feels agile once we hit the road. When stopped, you can see the almost 250 kg that the unit weighs in running order.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 005
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 005

We soon hit open roads packed with twisting curves and with better asphalt, so we quickly switched to Sport mode, which unleashes the full potential of the engine and lowers traction control to a minimum. In the first clear section that we find, we open the gas fully and boom! The power delivery of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire is simply devastating.

The electric drive of this motorcycle develops a maximum power of 105 hp and a torque of 116 Nm. No, they are not huge numbers, but they are absolutely immediate. The right grip is connected directly to the rear wheel, functioning as a potentiometer that as we open it catapults us into the next corner with overwhelming resilience.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 006
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 006

The acceleration from 0 to 100 km / h completes it in just over 3 seconds, but what is really surprising is the recovery, being able to go from 96 to 128 km / h in 1, 9 seconds!. Seriously, the feeling of acceleration is simply brutal, having all the torque available from zero revolutions per minute on demand. The double level of the seat is appreciated to make butt with the rear.

With a delivery of such magnitude it is easy to find moments in which the rear wheel loses grip. Luckily the traction control It will cover our backs quite effectively, but we are missing slightly softer tires than the Michelin Scorchers that are standard on the model. For a sporty cut motorcycle they fall a bit short.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 004
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 004

The guys from Milwaukee have done a very good job with the chassis, and it's not easy to make a bike of this size feel light. The center of gravity has been grouped to the maximum and hence the extremely low position of the engine, but it is also because of the suspensions it behaves in a very interesting way.

The LiveWire is a stable bike that comes close to being stiff, but it moves well. When changing direction, it is allowed to bend once we break the point of verticality, but its high weight forces us to pull hard on the handlebar inwards so that it maintains the line. In return, he rewards us with excellent precision.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 004
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 004

The suspensions have a marked sporty character with very good containment of movements when passing over irregularities and supporting strong in the turns. The front fork stands out and the precision it brings to the steering, while the rear shock is hard and dry as it lacks rods. We even detected a sharp blow when opening strong gas on very curly asphalt.

By motor and by part cycle, the LiveWire is capable of going very fast to the next corner, which requires a good brake system. The deceleration is entrusted to a Brembo set that is very solvent, with good bite, power and dosage, although with a touch that could be improved with a pump also from the Italian brand and that, incidentally, included an adjustable handle. The braking system is complemented by an accentuated regenerative engine brake that holds the bike well into the curve.

Less noise, more emotions

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 003
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 003

In short, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire is the opening to a new world of sensations. Riding at a fast pace with a motorcycle of this size with the perception of carrying a whole Milwaukee motorcycle is like relearning how to ride a motorcycle. The funny thing is that although we perceive engine noise as something positive because it gives us information about the revolutions, the condition of the motorcycle or the gear engaged, its absence allows us to focus more effectively on driving. We don't miss it as much as we thought.

At the level of use it is also a turning point in the world of motorcycles, and that is that its autonomy ranges from 225 km in the city to 142 km on road. From now on we will have to look at electric motorcycles as well as smartphones, which we connect to recharge at work or at home. In any case, we still have a lot to improve in terms of autonomy.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 017
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 017

And speaking of recharges, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire has a recharge time of 11 hours for a full charge in a domestic socket or you can lower this figure to 40 minutes for a 0-80% recharge at a fast charge point (60 minutes for 0-100%), supporting recharging powers of up to 25 kW.

The truth is that the Harley-Davidson LiveWire is a difficult motorcycle to nail in any segment. Right now it is a motorcycle that is alone against a bare competition of electric motorcycles that hardly exists, so in relation to its combustion rivals its 33,700 euros (in black, 250 euros more in yellow or orange) they seem high. Now, they are not so much if we put them in perspective that Harley-Davidson is pioneering with this model.

Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 002
Harley Davidson Livewire 2019 Test 002

Going back to the competition, the closest thing we could find right now on the market would be the Zero SR / F, which in its most basic variant and without any of the extras (not even the power adapter for Europe) starts at 21,140 euros.

But in any case, if electric motorcycles promise sensations like the ones we were able to have in this first contact with the Harley-Davidson LiveWire, they will be mechanics welcome. From the heart

Harley-Davidson LiveWire 2019 - Rating

7.1

Motor 8 Vibrations 9 Change N / A Stability 8 Agility 7 Front suspension 7 Rear suspension 6 Front brake 7 Back brake 6 Pilot comfort 7 Passenger comfort N / A Consumption 6 Finishes 8 Esthetic 7

In favor

  • Crushing engine response
  • Modern Harley-Davidson aesthetics
  • Absence of vibrations
  • Dynamic behavior

Against

  • Low autonomy
  • High price
  • Dry rear suspension
  • Non-adjustable front brake
  • Harley-Davidson LiveWire 2019 - Data Sheet

    Share We tested the Harley-Davidson LiveWire: Milwaukee's electric motorcycle is as surprising as it is devastating

    • Flipboard
    • E-mail

    Topics

    • Naked
    • Testing area
    • Harley davidson
    • Motorcycle news 2019
    • Harley-Davidson Livewire

Recommended: