At EICMA 2018, Harley-Davidson showcased the all-new LiveWire, the company’s first electric naked roadster. The bike represents a step for the company in a new era, where heavy and unreliable cruisers don’t exist and people want the most bang out of their buck. Let’s see what the new LiveWire has on offer.The New ‘No’ Engine:
Harley has equipped the LiveWire with a RESS (Rechargeable Energy Storage System). It comprises of lithium-ion cells housed in a cast aluminum housing. The official details of the battery like power, torque, and range are not revealed yet. The company plans to reveal all of them in the January 2019 along with the pre-order details. Currently, we know that the battery is a stressed member of the aluminum chassis and provides the bike with a low center of gravity. Which improves the bike’s handling and low-speed stability. Since it is an electric motor, there is no clutch or gearbox.
Feature loaded:
The HD LiveWire comes with 7 riding modes, four among them are pre-set from the factory while three of them can be configured by the user. The bike is also equipped with cornering ABS and Traction Control, which would be customisable in the riding modes.The instrument cluster comprises of a coloured TFT touch screen and the user can manage all the information, related to the bike, on it. The user is able to connect his phone via Bluetooth connectivity and the console also features access to music, navigation, text and much more.
The HD LiveWire can be charged using different level chargers. Level 1 charger takes a lot of time, while level 2 and 3 chargers offer quick charging time.
A Strong Chassis:
As earlier mentioned, the LiveWire sits on an aluminum chassis for obvious weight reduction reasons. Electric bikes are known to pack more weight as compared to their ICE bikes counterparts, so the switch to aluminum would have been a necessary one. The LiveWire uses fully adjustable Showa suspension at the front end and at the back. A pair of SFF-BP (Separate Function Fork – Big Piston) are used up front while a Showa BFRC-lite (Balanced Free Rear Cushioning) monoshock is used at the rear. Both of the suspensions are designed with one goal in mind, to keep the traction stable, no matter how much the suspension travels up and down. The new RMZ series dirt bike from Suzuki also uses the same BFRC-lite rear suspension.
Brembo monobloc callipers take care of the braking. They bite down on dual 300 mm discs up and work in tandem with the cornering ABS.
A Naked Roadster:
It is not the first electric bike from Harley, it is also the first Naked bike from the company. Its design looks very similar to the 900cc naked roadster Harley plans to reveal in the future. The strong chassis setup on the bike further reassures its ability to perform in the corners. The LiveWire will also spawn a series of future electric bikes. What do you think about the Harley-Davidson LiveWire? Let us know in the comments down below and as usual, stay tuned to BikesMedia.
By: Yetnesh Dubey