LiveWire, the all-electric motorbike model spun out of Harley-Davidson, is shaping itself right into a pressure to be reckoned with within the still-evolving electrical motorbike trade. The corporate brings an fascinating mixture of high-tech startup power and a lumbering century-old motorbike legacy that leads to each a powerful (and rising) vary of electrical bikes but in addition a collection of rising pains. And I received to expertise all of it because the proud new proprietor of a shiny indigo LiveWire S2 Del Mar Launch Version electrical motorbike.
To correctly inform the story although, we’ve received to briefly again up a number of years. Truly, a couple of decade. It was the early 2010s and nearly nobody exterior of Zero Bikes was placing actual thought into electrical bikes – least of which the legacy motorbike producers. However in some way, and in opposition to all odds, the stereotypically old school motorbike behemoth Harley-Davidson had already realized that electrical was the long run, even when it was a distant one. And so the corporate began Challenge LiveWire. It could take almost 5 years from the primary prototype rolling out in 2014 till the bike started deliveries in 2019, however the ensuing Harley-Davidson LiveWire was broadly thought to be a powerful and high-performance electrical motorbike. It additionally carried an equally excessive price ticket of almost $30k.
However simply because the massive wigs at H-D acknowledged that electrical bikes would ultimately turn out to be the norm and that it was higher to get in early, H-D riders didn’t fairly get the memo. The excessive price ticket mixed with the Harley branding meant that the market was restricted primarily to rich, older model loyalists, and so they weren’t precisely shopping for it by the 1000’s. The bike actually nonetheless introduced in newcomers, however not the wave of younger city riders that H-D had hoped for.
So the corporate referred to as an audible, and in a transfer that’s doubtless nonetheless too current to be successfully judged via the lens of hindsight, Harley spun out all of its electrical motorbike growth and gross sales into a brand new model referred to as LiveWire. The unique motorbike was relaunched because the LiveWire One, additionally shaving round $7,000 off the value tag to underneath $23k. Nonetheless costly, however in step with loads of high-end bikes from all the main gamers within the trade.
However the true electrical treasure was but to come back: a brand new mannequin on a completely novel platform: the LiveWire S2 Del Mar. Priced at round $15k and sporting a extra urban-friendly design, this was the bike that might actually hope to snag that new wave of riders – and it labored on me.
In reality, I used to be one of many first individuals exterior of the corporate to check journey the bike, giving an S2 Del Mar manufacturing prototype its first press journey, cruising New York and New Jersey flanked by two LiveWire group members on equally spectacular LiveWire Ones.
In some ways I used to be precisely the goal market, a youthful and extra city rider that was drawn not by the model as a lot as by the bike itself. The final time I used to be on a Harley was the day I handed my motorbike license examination in a Harley dealership parking zone. And even then it was a Road 500 – principally an entry-level child Harley by just about anybody’s requirements. I’ve been nearly completely electrical ever since, exterior of occasional jaunts on borrowed fuel bikes that has inadvertently jogged my memory every time why I went electrical within the first place. I’m not touring throughout the nation – I’m using via the town and infrequently the countryside, not often greater than 40-50 miles from {an electrical} outlet. There are long-range e-motos on the market if I ever wished to tour (and loads of individuals have performed cross-country rides on LiveWire Ones), however I’m the quintessential younger city rider simply trying to have the kind of enjoyable that doesn’t require 300 miles in a day.
And in order quickly as I completed my first-ever check journey on that LiveWire S2 Del Mar manufacturing prototype in late 2022, I just about knew I’d need to purchase it. It took some time – as many new EVs do – however it lastly launched and I managed to snag a Launch Version of the bike, of which solely 100 had been constructed for North America. And that’s the place issues received actually fascinating.
To be honest, I made issues much more difficult as a result of I don’t reside in North America. I’m within the US a lot of the 12 months, and was shopping for this bike as my native wheels within the nation, however I needed to buy it from 6,000 miles away. Happily, LiveWire operates like a younger and agile startup, which means shopping for one on-line wasn’t that a lot more durable than procuring on Amazon.
The precise arduous half, I might quickly study, could be the supply. And that’s the place issues received actually fascinating. LiveWire’s picture of a hungry younger motorbike startup is so completely contrasted by Harley-Davidson’s legacy standing as a lumbering, slow-to-change behemoth of the trade that you simply couldn’t write a greater divergence if you happen to tried. And as a lot as LiveWire’s advertising division tries to distance itself from its boomer mother and father, its logistics division nonetheless form of must reside at dwelling, so to talk.
LiveWire does have its personal shops, and I as soon as visited the LiveWire Expertise Middle in Malibu to seek out one thing that appears like a bike store meets an Apple Retailer, with a little bit of City Outfitters thrown in for good measure. However there are a whole lot extra H-D sellers, every of which might function a possible ahead working base for LiveWire (a serious benefit over each different electrical motorbike firm). And I found this primary hand after I confirmed up for my supply appointment at “LiveWire Dawn” in Dawn, Florida, earlier this week, solely to find that it was truly a Harley-Davidson Dealership that occurred to have a half-dozen LiveWire bikes.
“Okay, that’s advantageous” I assumed as I walked within the entrance doorways. In reality, it’s form of good. H-D dealerships have giant service facilities and loads of elements availability. All the higher for me. However issues quickly received bizarre. I launched myself to the great lady manning the entrance desk. “Hello, I’m Micah. I’m right here for my LiveWire pickup appointment,” I excitedly defined. “Cool,” got here the response. “You’re right here for what?”
Apparently, I had stunned them. Regardless of that I had paid LiveWire for the bike a pair months in the past and by all accounts LiveWire had despatched my new bike to the dealership six weeks in the past. I received handed round first to the service space, then to the enterprise space, every particular person making an attempt to determine who I used to be and why I used to be there. They had been all exceedingly pleasant, however none of us knew the place my bike was or that I had even purchased one. And I used to be apparently the one one who thought I used to be supposed to choose it up there that morning.
I despatched a pair fast textual content messages to some LiveWire hotshots (millennials, amiright?) and issues had been out of the blue beginning to get sorted out. It seems my bike was there, and so they discovered it upstairs. Besides it had been sitting there with 0% cost. A string of very good and apologetic Harley staff all rushed into motion, making an attempt to throw collectively a supply ceremony that’s usually a extremely orchestrated operation however was difficult by the truth that this time it concerned a motorcycle that they didn’t perceive and didn’t know they even had of their possession – or that they’d be delivering at the moment.
They rolled my bike into the service division and received it on a 120 VAC wall charger, pumping 1.4 kW of energy into its 10.5 kWh battery. For the uninitiated, that’s a roughly 8-9 hour cost. That’s additionally why charging from a conventional 120 VAC wall outlet is normally reserved for in a single day prices. Simply so as to add slightly stress on high of this entire state of affairs, there was additionally the small wrinkle of me needing to be in a gathering in two hours after which head to the airport in one other two hours. And I nonetheless had 30 miles to journey this bike dwelling. This was going to be fascinating.
Once more, the Harley people had been variety and useful to a fault, however I needed to clarify to them the distinction between Degree 1 charging (sluggish wall outlet) and Degree 2 charging (sooner public charging stations), and why the primary was going to have us organizing a slumber get together of their service division later that night.
One tried to be useful and urged the DC Quick Charger out entrance, however earlier than I may begin to clarify why that wouldn’t work (the S2 Del Mar doesn’t have DC Quick Charging just like the LiveWire One), one other worker piped up and reported that the dealership had lately decommissioned its DC Quick Charger. Whoops.
At this level, it was fairly clear that I used to be going to be liable for sorting this pickle out, and a fast look on my telephone’s map confirmed me that there was a Chargepoint station down the highway. So I made a decision to simply let the wall outlet pump as a lot cost in as I felt snug with to get me down the highway. Within the meantime, the Harley people gave me the grand tour, exhibiting me round a large service division, adopted by a visit into the catacombs of the constructing the place a whole lot of bikes had been saved, many relationship again a long time and every with their very own colourful tales. I can see how this may have been a visit to motorbike Mecca for diehard Harley followers, however I used to be right here for one very particular, very electrical LiveWire.
After the tour and as soon as I had round 15% cost into the bike, they’d me signal a number of kinds after which slapped a paper license plate on the again of my bike whereas I received my gear prepared. A part of the handoff included an enormous briefcase with my new wall charger in it, however my little digicam backpack wasn’t having any of that. So I simply tied the charger briefcase onto my backpack and I used to be able to roll down the highway after a fast bell-ringing ceremony.
As a facet be aware, the bell-ringing ceremony was truly actually cool and drove dwelling the “Now you’re household” line that I heard no less than a dozen instances throughout my 90 minutes or so on the dealership. Regardless that my bike doesn’t appear to be a conventional Harley, there have been dudes in H-D leathers coming as much as shake my hand and congratulate me on the brand new bike, accepting me into the household. For all of the crap they get about stereotypes, all of the Harley individuals I’ve truly met in actual life are good, welcoming individuals.
This was additionally a fantastic probability for me to check out my new Past Riders canvas shirt – a protected using shirt that has Degree 2 armor but doesn’t appear to be a typical sporty or cumbersome using jacket.
There are occasions I’m heading out with my spouse and don’t need to appear to be I simply received again from canyon carving, so this appeared like it might be perfect for my informal metropolis using. And the truth that it has full armor inside implies that I can keep protected with out trying tremendous equipped.
There’s additionally all kinds of hidden options inside that I’m nonetheless discovering. I’ll have a extra full overview of the couple Past Riders jackets I lately received, however that’s coming quickly. For now, let’s journey!
So there I used to be, on the open highway – if solely briefly. I made it to the Degree 2 charger close to the dealership and began pouring within the electrons as rapidly because the 5.5 kW connection would enable. I had an Electrek group name to make it on to and so I hopped on the highway after half-hour or so of charging, having gotten me as much as round 40%, together with a little bit of the slower charging on the dealership. Apparently, my charging invoice was simply $0.19. Certain, it was slightly below a “half tank”, however nonetheless. Have you learnt how a lot gasoline 19 cents will purchase you? A tea cup’s price. Severely, I did the mathematics.
From there, I assumed I might have sufficient for the 30-mile journey dwelling, and what a journey it was! I began with principally freeway using, and it was exhilarating! Florida highways aren’t precisely prime using places, however it was nonetheless a blast. The LiveWire Del Mar can dangle on the freeway and even the observe, touting a high pace of 103 mph (165 km/h) – not that I’ll ever want it to go that quick.
However the max vary of 113 miles (182 km) can also be the town vary, so that you’ll ding that quantity by spending all of your miles at freeway speeds. And that’s precisely what I used to be doing.
Sadly, I used to be having an excessive amount of enjoyable and going manner too quick, so my battery was dropping rapidly and I may inform I wouldn’t make all of it the way in which dwelling with simply the little bit of cost I had gotten into the bike. So I set my GPS for the closest charging station, rapidly discovering that my telephone was additionally working on the digital equal of fumes. The GPS mixed with the cool air at freeway speeds was consuming into my handlebar-mounted telephone’s battery rapidly, which left me with a Catch-22. I may journey extra slowly to save lots of motorbike battery, but when it takes too lengthy and my telephone dies en route, then I wouldn’t be capable of begin the app-based charger after I received there. Or I may journey sooner to reach earlier than my telephone died, however then I’d burn an excessive amount of motorbike battery and never even make it.
Oh, and did I point out that it’s been raining on and off once more this whole time?
This vary challenge wouldn’t normally be an issue if I had began the day with a completely charged battery as an alternative of a 0% charged battery, thoughts you. So don’t get the flawed impression right here. The bike has the ability and the vary for something I would like, simply not when you neglect to cost it up earlier than the shopper arrives to journey it dwelling.
So I break up the distinction on pace and rolled in with 8% cost on my bike and even much less on my telephone. However I made it. I plugged within the bike, then fished round in my bag for a conveyable telephone charger and plugged that in too, earlier than hopping onto my Zoom assembly by telephone fashionably late and within the parking zone of the native public library.
The remainder of my 45-minute assembly pumped my bike’s battery as much as round 50% cost. It was additionally free, weirdly sufficient. You gotta love free public chargers!
The remainder of the journey dwelling was again on the freeway adopted by last metropolis using, rolling in with round 36% cost left.
The combination of freeway and metropolis using is principally the precise state of affairs this bike is supposed for. It’s received loopy energy while you want it however may cruise for hours and hours at metropolis speeds.
The bike can also be smaller and extra snug than the LiveWire One, no less than for my part. It’s almost as highly effective, and only a tenth of a second slower than the LiveWire One’s 0-60 mph time of three.0 seconds. It places me in a way more upright and cozy using place than the LiveWire One’s longer attain, and whereas it isn’t a cruiser, it undoubtedly provides me roadster vibes in a street-oriented flat tracker design.
Principally, it’s the city commuter that LiveWire at all times ought to have constructed, but with sufficient pace and energy to cowl higher-performance using. And with a ten.5 kWh battery, it’s received the vary that the majority metropolis riders want. 113 miles (182 km) is sufficient for me. Once more, I undoubtedly gained’t be touring on this bike, however I may principally deal with Degree 2 automotive chargers like quick chargers, since simply over an hour of cost will refill nearly all of my battery. It’s not a 30-minute DC Quick Cost, however I additionally don’t want a 30-minute cost. Stopping for lunch whereas principally refilling my battery is nice sufficient for me, since most of my rides are throughout city and enjoyable seashore highway cruises.
In fact having solely spent my first afternoon on the bike, I don’t but have the weeks of vary expertise to dive into the weeds, no less than not but. However you higher imagine that’s coming as I put extra miles on the bike, and I’ll be excited to share extra with you all right here.
However because it stands now, the one manner ahead is up. Certain, supply was a sizzling mess of an expertise. The LiveWire people had been visibly irritated that the ball had been dropped (and with a journalist, no much less), however the excellent news is that the bike is so extremely superior to journey that I can simply look previous an H-D dealership filled with well-meaning however largely ignorant lifelong riders which might be nonetheless studying on the job in relation to EVs. And I get it, that is new stuff. The necessary factor is that everybody desires to study. We’re all ignorant at first, and there are undoubtedly rising pains on this progress as LiveWire and H-D proceed to easy out their cooperation.
However one factor I can let you know for positive: As a lot of a cluster fudge as this was, it was a cakewalk in comparison with what occurred after I lately tried to purchase a Honda Motocompacto electrical scooter from a Honda dealership – a scooter I paid for final November and have but to see. However that’s one other story for one more day…
