A Closer Look at 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire Electric Motorcycle
When you think about motorcycles, you don’t usually think about an electric motorcycle. Even when that does pop into your brain, you probably don’t associate electric motorcycles with a company like Harley-Davidson. After all, Harley is one of those companies that builds big, tough, loud bikes that announce your arrival and let everyone within earshot know that you’re there. That’s part of the magic of that company and it’s one reason that it has remained so popular over the years. When most people start riding Harley Davidson motorcycles, they make the conscious decision that they will always ride a Harley and they’re not the least bit interested in riding anything else.
As you can imagine, that really caused a shake-up among that same customer base when Harley decided to build an electric motorcycle of their own. Many people thought they had actually gone off the deep end. Why would a company who has spent its entire existence crafting and sculpting its reputation decide to put everything on the line by building the one thing that most dedicated motorcycle riders want nothing to do with? The answer is easy enough. There is a market for an electric motorcycle and it’s an opportunity to develop an entirely new and different customer base by catering to those individuals, all while still maintaining the customers they already have. In other words, it’s business and it all comes down to finding a way to grow the company and make as much money as possible.
As for the bike itself, it’s called the Harley Davidson Live Wire electric motorcycle. If you’re envisioning some type of device that looks more like a moped than anything else, you would be pleasantly surprised at this particular product. It certainly doesn’t look like the classic Harley Davidson Roadster, but it does look better than virtually any other electric motorcycle out there. It’s bigger, a little heavier, and overall, it just looks more stable than many of the electric bikes that are currently on the market. If you’re looking for something to compare it to as far as appearances go, think about an ultra-modern dirt bike, only sleeker. That’s about how this bike looks and it’s definitely something that will get your attention, even if you’re not a fan of electric motorcycles.
Even though Harley-Davidson is currently accepting pre-orders of the bike, which will officially roll out for the 2020 model year, they aren’t telling a whole lot of trade secrets when it comes to this particular project. However, what is known is that this bike is already capable of going further and faster than virtually any other electric motorcycle out there. Like most other electric bikes, it’s not designed for touring. Instead, it’s marketed to a very specific niche of individuals, those who live in large urban areas and want something that allows them to get from point A to point B quickly without having to deal with trying to maneuver a full-size vehicle on busy city streets. In that environment, it excels. It is capable of speeds up to 70 miles per hour and can go as far as 110 miles on a single charge. If you do make the decision to take it out on the open road, you might reduce that distance down to something closer to 70 miles, largely because you’re traveling at a higher rate of speed and that uses more battery power. Furthermore, you can plug it in using an AC adapter or take it to a charging station and in most cases, it charges from 0 to 80 percent in less than an hour.
The bike sells for just under $30,000, and while that seems pricey, you have to remember that electric motorcycles are not cheap to begin with. When you consider the fact that this particular bike is capable of outperforming the competition handily, you have to understand that in order to get your hands on one, you’ll have to fork over some serious cash. Nevertheless, this could prove to be a very valuable form of transportation for those individuals who do live and work in major metropolitan areas.
Even if you’ve never been able to see yourself riding an electric motorcycle, this might be one that you’d like to try. It performs and handles surprisingly well and it’s definitely something that has broken the mould when compared to your typical, run-of-the-mill electric motorcycle. When it’s all said and done, you wouldn’t expect anything less from a company like Harley-Davidson.
