- This is Harley-Davidson’s first electric motorcycle
- It is expected to be available for pre-orders by early 2019
- The company will launch more electric bikes by 2020
Harley-Davidson unveiled the production-ready model of its first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, at the EICMA 2018 in Milan, Italy. The motorcycle is likely to be available for pre-orders by early 2019.
The Harley-Davidson LiveWire was first showcased publically in 2014 as the Project LiveWire. While the concept model looked quirky yet beautiful, the production version retains the majority of styling. It boasts of a circular headlamp surrounded by a nacelle, single unit handlebar, exposed frame, scooped seat and a floating tail section.
Powering the LiveWire is a permanent magnet electric motor which is said to deliver a high amount of torque. The motor has been placed at a low level on the motorcycle for lower centre of gravity resulting in higher stability. It is based on an aluminum frame which is suspended on fully-adjustable Showa suspensions. For braking, it gets twin discs on the front and single disc at the rear with Brembo monoblock calipers.
In terms of electronics, the motorcycle is highly advanced in this department with ABS, traction control and seven riding modes among which three can be customised by the rider. All the information is displayed on the fully-digital LCD instrument cluster which can be used to access the Bluetooth and navigation settings.
The LiveWire is Harley-Davidson’s first step towards electric motorcycle segment and it will expand its portfolio with adventure and street fighter models, expected to be launched by 2020.
