In a major advance for electric vehicles, in particular motorcycles, a Texas company has produced the Hunstable Electric Turbine (HET) motor that is quieter, cooler, cheaper, smaller yet has double the torque output.
HET claims
Linear Labs’ HET motor is named after founders CEO Brad Hunstable and his father and CTO Fred.
The Hunstables claim their compact motor would suit motorcycles and scooters as well as cars, trucks, forklifts, golf carts, UTVs and even drones.
They have attracted US$4.5 million in seed funding to develop and commercialise the motor.
Their HET motor features a unique arrangement of magnetic forces acting on the rotor in the direction of motion.
They claim it it is capable of producing nearly 100% more torque at lower revs than similar-sized motors.
One of the HET attributes is that it uses direct drive rather than a reduction gearbox which makes it more compact and cheaper.
“We believe the drive system of the future is a direct drive system, no gearbox, no expensive high RPM mechanical designs with simple, less expensive power electronics,” Brad says.
So far, most electric motorcycles have a single motor with a final drive by belt, chain or shaft.
However, there are some that use a direct-drive system such as this Finnish RMK E2.
RMK E2
Of course, they could also have two electric motors directly driving both wheels such as the Ethec electric cruiser designed and built by Swiss university students.
Ethec
When it comes to electric motorcycles, the rule book is being thrown out.
Electric motorcycles don’t have the design constraints of a petrol-powered bike with its bulky engine, fuel tank, driveline and exhaust pipe, so the designs are getting kookier and kookier.
Premium Italian bike accessories company Rizoma recently held a Design Challenge to demonstrate the “Future of Motorcycling”.
Fittingly it was won by an electric motorcycle.
It’s called the Tryal because it is based around a triangular body.
Kookier designs
The Tryal follows some recent kooky electric motorcycle designs by American motorcycle company Curtiss.
He pointed out that batteries can be made into almost any shape and electric motors are much smaller than an internal combustion engine, allowing designers much more flexibility with their creations.
Consequently, we’ve seen some other kooky designs such as the Essence e-raw with its suspended seat and “tank”, the bug-like Johammer, the wild Zec00 and the Racer X shaped like an “X”.
Essence e-raw 01 with wooden seat
Johammer
Zec00 electric motorcycle
Tryal was design by Erik Askin, the Associate Design Director at New Deal Design in San Francisco.
“The future of motorcycling will hinge on getting more riders on two wheels,” Erik says.
“Among an industry catering towards performance and horsepower, the Tryal Bike offers a friendlier approach. Simple, approachable and most importantly … fun, this is a bike that is easy for anyone to ride.
“Bold colours, clean iconic forms, and fun features such as the customise-able dot matrix headlight, makes the Tryal an exciting new choice for future riders.
“A modern day mini-moto with 14” wheels, electric drive train, and upright geometry the Tryal is a blast for learning or simply a fun way to get around town.”
Urban bike
The solo Tryal looks like it might be suited to some light adventure riding with its chunky knobby tyres, wire wheels and BMW-style bars.
However, it would be awfully uncomfortable on rough roads with its straight bench seat, the wheels are only 14 inches and the belt drive system would pick up some gravel.
This is really an urban bike with its scooter-esque twist-and-go transmission making it easy to ride in traffic.
They have also cleaned up the footpegs with no rear brake pedal, either.
Instead, the brakes are hand levers on the bars like on a scooter.
However, it does feature conventional suspension with a mono shock rear and upside-down forks.
The battery, motor and controller are all housed in the triangular hollow body
There are no details about output, charging times, range or top speed.
We don’t even think this is planned for production, just a design exercise!
However, it’s a good indication, along with some other recent electric motorcycle designs, of how strange the future of motorcycling is going to look.
This handy guide includes all new or significantly updated street-legal motorcycles for the 2020 model year. Organized in alphabetical order by manufacturer, it includes photos and links to details or, when available, first rides and road test reviews about each bike. This guide is updated regularly as more new/updated models are announced, and when we’ve had a chance to ride them and report our impressions.
Receiving updates similar to those that other models in the
R family received for 2019, the BMW R 1250 R roadster gets a larger 1,254cc
boxer twin with ShiftCam variable valve timing and valve stroke and updates to
its electronics package. It also gets a mild style refresh with a TFT display,
a DRL option for the halogen headlight and new color options. Although originally
announced as a 2019 model, the R 1250 R didn’t make it to the U.S. in time. BMW
says it will be available as a 2020 model with an MSRP starting at $14,995.
Receiving updates similar to those that other models in the
R family received for 2019, the BMW R 1250 R roadster gets a larger 1,254cc
boxer twin with ShiftCam variable valve timing and valve stroke and updates to
its electronics package. The RS also gets a style refresh that drops the
asymmetrical, winking look of the S 1000 RR in favor of a sporty twin-LED
headlight assembly, and an LED DRL (daytime running light) is an option.
Although announced as a 2019 model, the R 1250 RS didn’t make it to the U.S. in
time. BMW says it will be available as a 2020 model with an MSRP starting at
$15,695.
More power (205 hp), less weight (434 lbs), updated
technology and a new up-spec Motorsport version. The 2020 BMW S 1000 RR is at
the pointy end of the sportbike spear. Pricing starts at $16,995 and bikes will
be in dealerships in summer 2019.
Harley-Davidson’s new LiveWire electric motorcycle is seriously sporty, shockingly fast and whisper-quiet–everything a typical Harley isn’t. And that’s just the way Milwaukee wants it. It’s propelled by a liquid-cooled electric motor that makes a claimed 105 horsepower and 86 lb-ft of torque, drawing power from a 15.5 kWh battery that offers, according to H-D, a range of 146 miles in the city and 95 miles of combined stop-and-go and highway riding. Single-speed transmission offers twist-and-go convenience, and styling, ergonomics and components are the sportiest offered on any Harley-Davidson. MSRP starts at $29,799.
The 2020 Suzuki Katana features styling cues that pay direct homage to the 1981 original, and it’s built around the potent GSX-S1000 999cc inline-four. It features ABS, traction control, Easy Start and Low RPM Assist, as well as a twin-spar aluminum frame, braced superbike-style swingarm, KYB suspension, dual front Brembo monoblock four-piston calipers, 310mm floating rotors and a model-specific LCD panel. We got a chance to ride the new Katana in Japan last March, but pricing and availability are TBD.
Announced in the fall of 2018, we’re still waiting to see the
new Ténéré 700 (T7, for short) in the flesh–Yamaha says it will be coming to
the U.S. in the second half of 2020 as a 2021 model. We know it will be
powered by the 689cc CP2 parallel twin used in the MT-07, housed in a new
tubular steel double-cradle frame. Other details include a 62.6-inch wheelbase,
9.5 inches of ground clearance, a fully adjustable USD 43mm fork with 8.3
inches of travel and a remote preload-adjustable rear shock with 7.9 inches of
travel.
Yamaha has updated its flagship sportbikes, the YZF-R1 and the track-ready YZF-R1M, for 2020, with both featuring refinements to their CP4 crossplane crankshaft engines, an augmented electronic rider aids package, enhanced suspension and redesigned bodywork. MSRP is $17,300 for the YZF-R1 and $26,099 for the YZF-R1M (the latter is available in limited quantities through Yamaha’s online reservation system).
The first new model from Zero Motorcycles since 2016, the 2020 SR/F’s streetfighter look and steel trellis frame blur the styling lines between gas and electric motorcycles. Powered by a new ZF75-10 IPM (Interior Permanent Magnet) motor and ZF14.4 lithium-ion battery, it delivers a claimed 140 lb-ft of torque and 110 horsepower. It also features Bosch’s Motorcycle Stability Control System and Zero’s new Cypher III operating system. Pricing starts at $18,995.
The company is already taking orders for the wild Zeus electric motorcycle with radial “V8” batteries and has released plans for the even wilder Hades with a bullet-shaped battery and motor.
They say these will go into production next year and cost $US75,000 (about $A106,000).
Now they have released plans for the more affordable Pysche priced at $US30,000 which is just a few bucks more than the Harley LiveWire.
Psyche
There are no tech details yet on the Psyche, but Zeus and Hades will have 201hp (150kW) of power and 199Nm of torque.
Curtiss has also released no details of the Psyche’s range, while the LiveWire has 235km of city range and 150km on the highway.
Psyche shot at Harley
CEO Matt Chambers says the Psyche is “a clean shot at Harley, exposing the hollow seemingly cynical nature of their EV effort, their own CEO (Matt Levatich) referring to their rather commodity looking Livewire example as a catalyst for their petrol line”.
“Curtiss is the precise hard knock-out punch he didn’t see coming,” he says.
“He (Harley’s boss) is way too big and spread way too thin. The volumes will be too low for the next five years.
“We have out-planned them, out-designed them, out-engineered them, out-branded them and out-promoted them.
“The market is very small, ideally suited to our core competencies, skillsets and bandwidth. We have the experience and collaborative relationships to ideally grow with this market. Harley does not.”
Zeus
Despite his rhetoric, their first electric motorcycle prototype Zeus is only now entering pre-production stage, while the Hades is still just life-like drawings.
Hades
Hades
Zeus
The LiveWire is now available in North America and Europe, but will not be available in Australia until late next year.
Harley-Davidson Australia spokesman Keith Waddell says the “US/European markets have had strong pre-order activity in the lead-up to the release”.
“For ANZ we have not moved into the pre-order phase just yet, however we have heard that some dealers are already receiving request to order, which is great given we are 13-14 months out,” he says.
“We don’t have exact timeframes for when units will be delivered into market however we are working to the normal model year release cadence.”
Harley-Davidson’s new LiveWire electric motorcycle is seriously sporty, shockingly fast and whisper-quiet–everything a typical Harley isn’t. And that’s just the way Milwaukee wants it. (Photos courtesy Harley-Davidson)
Imagine
telling the average Harley-Davidson or American V-twin enthusiast a few years
ago that not only would the Motor Company produce and sell a naked sportbike in
2020—certainly not an outrageous concept—but that it would be an all-electric one.
That last bit
would have not only raised an eyebrow or two among the faithful, it would have
likely burned a few clean off their respective foreheads simply from the heated
blowback of the responses. Just about any Motor Company fan will tell you: Harley-Davidsons
and electric-power EVs just weren’t meant to be talked about in the same
sentence.
With 17-inch wheels, Brembo brakes, fully adjustable Showa suspension and 45 degrees of cornering clearance, the LiveWire is by far Harley-Davidson’s sportiest motorcycle.
But as we all
know, that’s exactly what’s happened. Harley-Davidson has not only built a
naked sportbike that’s sleek, futuristic and sexy, with wide wheels, sticky
tires, sporty suspension and a lean-forward riding position, but one that’s electrically
powered, with not a molecule of internal combustion waste emanating from its
non-existent exhaust system.
It’s a simple
truth: Harley-Davidson can’t continue to exist solely by selling Big Twins to
aging baby boomers who, in a decade or so, will be mostly out of motorcycling.
Like the rest of the motorcycle industry, Harley needs new blood and new
markets, and feels very strongly that a line of electric two-wheelers led by
the high-end and high-price ($29,795) LiveWire is a prime way to reach them and
teach them.
Look Ma, no pipes! No pipes means no “potato-potato-potato” rumble that has been Harley-Davidson’s signature sound for decades.
“It’s a bold
goal, helping encourage and develop the next generation of riders,”
Harley-Davidson CEO Matt Levatich told me over breakfast at the launch, “but we
think we’re on the right track with the LiveWire, our future electric
offerings, and our More Roads To Harley-Davidson efforts. Motorcyclists know
that nothing is more spectacular than two-wheeled travel, right? Spreading that
word among a more general population, and building riders in addition to
building great motorcycles…well, that seems like a pretty strong concept to us.
“That said,”
he continued, “we are not limiting in any way our emphasis on traditional
Harleys; if anything, we’re more energized than ever about Sportsters and
Softails and baggers and the like. But we do need to branch out, and see
electrification as a key avenue there. We very much intend to lead the way in
the electrification of the sport.”
The LiveWire comes standard with a Level 1 charger that can be stored under the seat. At standard 110V, Level 1 charging takes 12.5 hours to go from 0% to 100% battery charge.
If leading
the way means introducing the world’s most advanced electrically powered
motorcycle, then Milwaukee has very clearly put its money where its mouth is. I
was only able to get a few hours on a LiveWire during the July launch, but thanks
to a thorough tech briefing, and following that a morning and afternoon ride
around town and on some of the faster roads in the hills surrounding Portland,
Oregon, I got a pretty good idea of what it is and how it works.
First off, there’s a lot of tech here. Leading the list is an all-new electric motor that’s liquid-cooled, offers 105 horsepower (78 kW) and 86 lb-ft of torque, and produces 100 percent of that torque the instant the throttle is turned. It gets its power from a 15.5 kWh battery that offers, according to H-D, a range of 146 miles in the city and 95 miles of combined stop-and-go and highway riding. Level 1 plug-in charging (e.g., at home or work) takes 12.5 hours for a full charge via an included charger cable. Since the bike has an SAE Combo CCS connector like many American and European electric cars, it can also be charged at thousands of Level 2 stations around the country (but at Level 1 speed). Approximately 150 Harley dealers nationwide (with more to come over time) will also offer fast Level 3 one-hour charging and two full years of free charges.
The LiveWire’s frame wraps around a massive lithium-ion battery pack, below which is the all-new Revelation internal permanent magnet synchronous motor with water jacket cooling.
The LiveWire also has ABS and traction control, a 4.3-inch color TFT touchscreen display centered just above the handlebar, seven selectable Ride Modes (Sport, Road, Range and Rain, plus three customizable modes) and HD Connect, which links owners to their motorcycles (free initially, then for a monthly fee) and offers tons of status and service information via a smartphone using the Harley-Davidson app.
Climb aboard and you’re
immediately struck by the riding position, which is more Ducati Monster or Suzuki
GSX-S than Sportster or Softail. Its ergos invite a slight forward lean, with
semi-rearset pegs, a mildly upward-bent handlebar and scooped seat locking you
into position—the reason for which will become apparent soon enough. It all
feels reasonably normal…right until you push the starter. The color info-screen
lets you know that things are ready to roll with a green light, but in place of
a chugga-chugga/potato-potato rumble you have silence (though the battery and motor give off a little “buurp” of movement
to let you know the bike is alive and running). Give the throttle a little twist and you’re off, the bike
moving forward smoothly and predictably to your right wrist’s commands.
The LiveWire’s 4.3-inch color TFT touchscreen display offers massive info. “Green” means twist-and-go!
In stop-and-go traffic I
found the LiveWire super easy to ride, which says a lot about the refinement
that’s been baked into it during eight years of development. Throttle response
at slower speeds was immediate, linear and controllable, the bike demonstrating
no lurching or driveline lash whatsoever. Steering was light and precise, and the
brakes crisp and predictable, both of which helped the LW feel considerably lighter
than its 540-plus pound wet weight might suggest.
Other than a low whine
under acceleration the LiveWire is totally quiet, eerily smooth and almost
completely unobtrusive in an aural and vibrational sense. The Harley folks call
this “Minimal NVH,” which means minimal noise, vibration and harshness.
Accelerating away from a light or tearing down a side street you find yourself
listening to wind noise and the tires slapping against the asphalt. It’s an entirely
new experience, and one that proved compelling all day long.
The LiveWire’s chassis specs are decidedly sportbike-like: 24.5 degrees of rake and 4.3 inches of trail, with 120-70 and 180/55-spec wheels and tires, in this case sticky Michelin Scorchers. It’s a bit heavy at 549 pounds and has a longish, 58.7-inch wheelbase, but doesn’t feel it on the road thanks to crisp steering manners and firm suspension settings.
You’ll get that same feeling
when you ride the LiveWire hard and fast, too. I immediately found myself
running through turns faster, looking for pavement irregularities to hit while
leaned over to see how the chassis behaved, and then hammering the throttle at
the exit, trying—in vain, for the most part—to find what I figured would be mid-level
traction, suspension and handling limits. I didn’t find much of that at all,
which tells me that all the bluster I’d heard at the tech briefing about
chassis and engine refinement, optimized frame geometry, suspension quality and
power delivery wasn’t bluster at all. The thing is shockingly fast, amazingly
smooth, easy to get used to and ride quickly, forgiving and, most of all, big fun.
Stubby, stepped two-up seat perches the pilot 30 inches off the ground. Tuning knobs for the fully adjustable Showa BFRC-lite shock are easily accessible between the seat and rear wheel.
Nitpicks are few and far
between, unless you’re talking seat-to-peg distance, which for my multi-surgery
knees is a little tight. Suspension settings, which worked well for my XXL-sized
butt, are probably too firm for average humans in terms of spring rate and
compression. The bar could use a little more pullback and maybe an inch or two extra
in height, and the seat seemed a little thin on padding.
The larger questions, of
course, involve range and price. The first isn’t going to be quite enough for a
lot of folks, and the latter is likely to be too much. That’s just the way
things stand at this point in EV development. You’re either on board and
willing to accept the trade-offs for the bennies, or you’re a skeptic.
Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire is a break from tradition in more ways than one, with a sport-standard design and ergonomics. Which makes sense given that it will go from 0 to 60 in 3 seconds flat.
But EVs are coming,
like it or not, and despite one’s perspective on price and range, the LiveWire is
a superbly designed, compellingly competent, seriously fun and
fascinating-to-ride motorcycle…a Halo bike that should represent
Harley-Davidson well as it moves into the EV space in the coming years with a
wide range of electric two-wheelers, from mid-range EVs to mountain bikes to
kids bikes and lots more.
So while that futuristic fortuneteller
might have seemed pretty crazy a few years back, this time he was absolutely
right.
Styling-wise, the LiveWire is an impressive machine, with fit and finish on par with its premium price. Its available in three colors: Orange Fuse (shown), Yellow Fuse and Vivid Black.
Author Mitch Boehm is the Editor of Rider’s
sister publication Thunder Press and
a former Editor of Motorcyclist
magazine.
2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire Specs Website: harley-davidson.com Base Price: $29,795 Motor Type: Revelation internal permanent magnet synchronous motor w/ water jacket cooling Battery: 15.5 kWh lithium-ion Transmission: Single speed w/ spiral bevel gear primary Final Drive: Belt Wheelbase: 58.7 in. Rake/Trail: 24.5 degrees/4.3 in. Suspension, Front: Showa 43mm inverted SFF-BP fork, fully adj. w/ 4.5-in. travel Rear: Showa BFRC-lite shock, fully adj. w/ 4.5-in. travel Tires, Front: 120/70-ZR17 Rear: 180/55-ZR17 Seat Height: 30.0 in. Claimed Wet Weight: 549 lbs. Claimed Range: 146 mi. city, 95 mi. combined stop-and-go/highway
Curtiss Motorcycles is now taking orders for the wild Zeus electric motorcycle with radial “V8” batteries and has released plans for the even wilder Hades with a bullet-shaped battery and motor.
They say both will go into production next year and cost $US75,000. They are now taking “reservations of interest”.
That’s much cheaper than their previous petrol-powered bikes such as their Warhawk at $US105,000 (about $A140,000).
They say the bikes will have 201hp (150kW) of power and 199Nm of torque which is far more than the Harley-Davidson electric LiveWire at 78kW and 116Nm.
Hades
Hades
Zeus
There are no more technical details available and we have yet to see these bikes rolled out.
Confederate Motors president H. Matthew Chambers said the company changed the name to honour motorcycle racer Glenn Curtiss who invented the first American V-Twin motorcycle.
Glenn set a world speed record of 136.3mph (219km/h) in 1907 on Ormond Beach, Florida, on a motorcycle he built with a 4.4-litre V8 engine he had designed and built for aircraft use.
Glenn Curtiss on his V8 motorcycle
He was a pioneer aviator and leading American manufacturer of aircraft by the time the US entered WWI.
Curtiss began his career in the bicycle business, earning fame as one of the leading cycle racers in western New York state before building lightweight internal-combustion engines for motorcycles.
In 1904 when the American aeronaut Thomas Scott Baldwin bought a Curtiss motorbike engine to power his airship California Arrow.
At the invitation of Alexander Graham Bell, he joined the then newly formed Aerial Experiment Association (AEA) in 1907.
Flying the AEA June Bug in 1908, Curtiss won the Scientific American Trophy for the first public flight of at least 1 kmwith an American aeroplane. Curtiss died in 1930.
Two things stand out about the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle: it is literally electrifying and cool!
That’s more than just a couple of gratuitous puns.
This bike is not an electric toy! It’s a real bike that is claimed to go from 0-100km/h in three seconds and we proved it on the world media launch with several impromptu drags on a lonely country road outside of Portland, Oregon. So that’s electrifying performance in anyone’s lexicon.
Many moto journos talk about the nirvana of having ultimate linear power delivery. That’s exactly what this supplies. There are no surges or lags, just a hand-of-God thrust in the back as you hurtle forward and the world tons to a blur.
And after a vigorous 110km test ride through the streets of Portland and beautiful surrounding country, the bike was still cool to the touch, even the water-cooled motor, battery and radiator.
So it doesn’t just look cool and represent a cool trend in motorcycling, it’s literally cool to touch which makes it an ideal summer commuter bike!
Price
The dual-seat LiveWire is made in Cork, Pennsylvania and has been in development almost a decade.
It finally goes on sale shortly in the USA at about $US30,000 in a choice of cool lime, a bright orange and gloss black.
It will arrive in Australia late next year probably at more than $A40,000 which is more than most of their Touring models.
It’s expensive, but it also has suitably premium components, a high quality of ft and finish (not a cadmium bolt in sight!), thick and lustrous paint, plus premium controls including a proximity key fob.
Styling is a subjective matter, but I like the modern, minimalist look and the big cooling fins around the battery, although the gloss black model looks way too dark. Maybe they should have made the calling fins silver on that one.
Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle
The remote rear fender with number plate allows for a tidy wasp-like tail with the pillion seat suspended in mid-air.
Underneath the seat is a small lockable compartment for the the mains charger and cable that includes a handy helmet hook. Harley put the key fob under the seat so we wouldn’t lose it and it was the only mechanical sound in the whole bike. Most riders would keep it in their jacket pocket!
You can also get a small “speed screen blade”, decorative trim, different hand and foot controls and a cover that includes a charging cord port. Many traditional Harley accessories such as wheels and bars can also be fitted.
LiveWire comes with two batteries. The big 15.5 kWh high-voltage Lithium-ion battery or “Renewable Energy Storage System (RESS)” made up of Samsung battery modules has a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.
Battery
Harley chief engineer Glen Koval says the recyclable battery should last 10 years without significant loss of capacity unless it is not treated well or used extensively in extreme cold conditions.
There is also a small 12V lithium-ion battery to power instruments, lights, etc.
Harley has not said how much a replacement main battery will cost, probably because in five years from now it will cost a lot less, anyway!
Silent running
Of course, the electric LiveWire is quiet, especially at low speeds, but not exactly silent.
When you switch it on, the headlight and instrument screen lights up, but there is no accompanying motor noise.
As you take off, you can feel a gentle buzz which is induced by the rocking of magnets. Harley wanted riders feel the “heartbeat” of the machine.
When you give it the berries, the bike makes a turbine “whoosh” noise thanks to the belt drive and “meshing” of the primary spiral bevel gears. At highway speeds all you can hear is the wind.
While I missed the throbbing sound and feel of a Harley V-twin engine, I actually found it made you more aware of surrounding noises from other vehicles.
It also meant that when I listened to music, GPS directions or phone calls on my helmet intercom, I didn’t need to turn the volume up quite as high.
The lack of noise also seems to have a calming effect on the rider.
However, I was acutely aware that other road users couldn’t hear me coming and a couple of times I tapped the horn to announce my presence.
Range
Harley recently released details that claim city range of up to 235km and 152km of highway range.
While they don’t give total charging time from a mains outlet with the provided cord, they do tell us that a 120/240-volt outlet will provide about 20km (13 miles) per hour of charging. That means it will probably take at least 11 hours from flat to reach full capacity. And the cost would be less than $4.
They also claim their Fast Charge (DCFC) technology will recharge a flat battery to 80% in 40 minutes and full in 60 minutes.
Mobile DC fast chargers at work
They brought in three mobile DC fast chargers for the event which they say are not as powerful as the permanent ones that will be at Harley dealerships. These chargers were only used at the end of the day’s ride.
None of the bikes ran out of “juice” on the road test, even though we mainly rode hard and fast in the electrifying “Sport” mode.
We covered about 110km and my bike still showed 30% charge left.
The charging port is in the top of the “fuel” tank for easy access.
You can check the battery recharging status and time left to full on the instruments or on an accompanying H-D Connect app.
The Android and iOS app also alerts you if someone is tampering with your bike, includes a GPD tracker if its stolen, shows the closest charging stations and reminds you when the bike needs a service. But since the only consumables are the brake pads, servicing should be cheaper. Still, service intervals are 1600km first and then every 8000km like their conventional bikes.
Harley PR rep Joe Gustafson says the app gives the rider “peace of mind”.
H-D Connect uses a cellular telematics control unit (TCU) that functions as an LTE-enabled modem connecting LiveWire motorcycles to the cloud. Owners will get the service free for a year.
There are seven riding modes: Range, Rain, Road and Sport, plus three customisable modes.
Each mode affects the acceleration and response from the twist-and-go throttle.
It also affects the amount of “regeneration” which is like engine braking and helps to recharge the battery.
Both of these also affect the range.
The modes also vary the amount of cornering-enhanced traction control that includes a wheelie control to stop the front wheel lifting and a rear-wheel lockup control.
They label their traction control High, Medium and Low, but high is not for high intervention but high slip, so it is opposite to what it appears.
Riders can select the modes on the fly with a button on the right-hand controller. Your selected mode is displayed on the big, easy-to-read 11cm colour touchscreen which is like a mini iPad.
Sport: Full, seamless power and 80% immediate throttle response. This offers truly electrifying performance. I thought it might make it a little jerky, but it so smooth and predictable, even in slow-speed manoeuvres. Traction control is also set to High which is the lowest level of intervention. However, you can turn it off when stopped. Regeneration is also quite significant at 80% so you don’t even need to use the brakes to come to a full stop. The only time I touched the brakes was in emergency brake tests and when riding hard.
Road: This mode softens throttle response to 55%, power delivery to 80% and regen to 30%, plus medium traction control. Harley says it feels more like a traditional petrol-powered bike and they are right, but because of its twist-and-go transmission (like a scooter), you can’t slip a little clutch to smooth out power delivery for tight, feet-up u-turns. But guess what! You don’t need to. It’s super-smooth with plenty of feel, unlike any EFI fly-by-wire throttle. Medium traction control can be turned off when stopped.
Range: Obviously this is the economy mode to squeeze extra range out of the bike. Throttle response is smoother at 55%, power 40% and regen 80%, making it quite jerky when you roll off the throttle. Traction control is medium and can be turned off when stopped.
Rain: Like the rain mode on many conventional bikes, this has 0% power, 30% soft throttle response, 15% regen and Low traction means high intervention and cannot be turned off.
Three Custom Modes: You can select your own levels of power, regeneration, throttle response and traction control and save them to A, B or C modes. Power, regeneration and throttle can be adjusted from 0-100% in 1% increments, and traction can be set to Low, Medium or High intervention.
Since most riders won’t touch the brakes to slow down, the rear brake LED light will light up on regenerative braking to alert traffic behind your that you are slowing, avoiding rear-enders.
Lively LiveWire
Harley’s LiveWire electric motor
Harley says the H-D Revelation electric motor has 78kW of power. That’s not too bad for a 249kg bike which is about the same as a 1200 Sportser or Ducati Diavel.
That power figure is the same as a KTM 1190, but the porky LiveWire weighs a substantial 32kg more.
More importantly, the bike has 116Nm of torque which is substantially more than the 95Nm in the 1200 Sportster .
Full-tilt torque is available as soon as you twist the throttle, which is why traction and wheelie control is so important.
It feels lively and lithe, like many streetfighter-style bikes with its flat bars.
On the highway it’s stable, around town it’s manoeuvrable and in the twisties it feels planted and precise, thanks to the premium Showa suspension.
It’s fully adjustable, but rather than playing around with the clickers, you can go to the instrument screen and put in the weights of you, pillion and any luggage and it will calculate the right settings. How clever is that!
Some claimed it felt top heavy, but I didn’t think so. The weight is carried low in the underslung motor. It feels a little heavy coming up off the side stand, but then it feels perfectly balanced.
Clever locking sidestand
I love the use of Harley’s clever stable side stand that won’t allow the bike to roll forward when parked downhill.
The low centre of gravity makes it easy to turn and quick to change direction.
However, the seat is 779mm high and is narrow so even shorter riders can get their feet flat down on the ground. I’m 183cm tall and I could still bend my legs with my feet flat on the ground. There is also a Slammer seat that is 25mm lower.
The Brembo brakes are powerful and have plenty of feel, but with the regenerative braking of the motor, you really don’t need to use them that often, although it’s nice to know they are there when you need them in an emergency.
Conclusion
At this price, it’s going to be a hard sell, even for cashed-up, early adopters and techno nerds.
But they will find this is not just some toy. It’s a serious, full-size, hard-charging, fun motorcycle that is both easy to ride and a hard charger for the adrenalin junkie.
Harley-Davidson LiveWire tech specs
Price: $US29,799 (about $A42,500)
Available: Next month in North American and Europe, late next year Australia and New Zealand
Colours: range, lime and black
Battery warranty: five-year, unlimited-km
Motor: H-D Revelation permanent-magnet, water-cooled electric motor
Power: 78kW (105hp)
Instant torque: 116Nm (86ft lbs)
Battery: Air-cooled 15.5kWh high-voltage lithium-ion battery (Rechargeable Energy Storage System)
Transmission: motor output shaft, 9.71:1 gear reduction, belt drive
Rider aids: Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS), Cornering Enhanced Anti-lock Braking System (C-ABS), Cornering Enhanced Traction Control System (C-TCS) and Drag-Torque Slip Control System (DSCS)
Technology: 4.3” colour TFT touchscreen, Daymaker LED headlamp, LED lighting, H-D Connect service connectivity and Harley- Davidson App
Riding modes: Seven selectable Ride Modes electronically control motor performance and level of RDRS intervention
Accessories: dual seat and tail, speed screen blade, decorative trim, hand and foot controls and cover with charging cord port
Touchscreen instruments
More tech specs
2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire MODEL SPECIFICATIONS
Dimensions
84.1 in. (2,135 mm)
Overall Width
32.7 in. (830 mm)
Overall Height
42.5 in. (1,080 mm)
Seat Height, Laden / Unladen
30 in. (761 mm) / 30.7 in. (780 mm)
Ground Clearance
5.1 in. (130 mm)
Rake (steering head)
4.3 in. (108 mm)
58.7 in. (1,490 mm)
Tires, Type
Michelin® Scorcher® “Sport”
Scorcher® “Sport”
Tires, Front Specification
120/70 ZR17 58W
Tires, Rear Specification
180/55 ZR17 73W
Transmission Capacity
0.34 qt (0.32 L)
Coolant Capacity
0.8 qt. (0.72 L)
Weight, As Shipped
549 lb. (249 kg)
Weight, In Running Order
549 lb. (249 kg)
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
949 lb. (430 kg)
Gross Axle Weight Rating, Front
434 lb. (197 kg)
Gross Axle Weight Rating, Rear
580 lb. (263 kg)
Drivetrain
Primary Drive (*Cert)
Spiral bevel gear , 55/17 ratio
Final Drive (*Cert)
Belt, 3/1 ratio
Transmission
Single Speed
Gear Ratios (overall) 1st (*Cert) (X.XXX)
Aluminum cast
Aluminum cast
Front Fork
SHOWA® 43 mm Inverted Separate Function Forks – Big Piston (SFF-BP®), fully adjustable
Rear Shocks
SHOWA® Balance Free Rear Cushion Lite (BFRC-lite®), fully adjustable
Wheels, Type
Black, Split 5-Spoke Cast Aluminum
Wheels, Front Dia. / Width
17 in. (432 mm) / 3.5 in. (89 mm)
Wheels, Rear Dia. / Width
17 in. (432 mm) / 5.5 in. (140 mm)
Brakes, Caliper Type
Dual 4-piston monoblock radial mount front, dual-piston rear
All LED, low beam, high beam and signature position lamp
Lights (as per country regulation), Tail/Stop
LED with light pipe tail
Lights (as per country regulation), Front Signal Lights
Lights (as per country regulation), Indicator Lamps
High beam, turn signals, ABS, traction control, EV fault
Lights, Rear Turn Signals
LED, Amber
4.3” WQVGA 480×272 TFT Color Display with Ambient Light Sensor, 9 warning lights, Real Time Clock and Integrated Bluetooth Connectivity to a Smartphone to provide infotainment features including turn-by-turn navigation, telephone, music, and voice recognition.
Electric Power Outlet
USB C-type; output 5V at 3A
EV Specific Content: Motor
Internal Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with Water Jacket cooling
Lithuanian start-up AKO has applied for a patent for an electric-powered vehicle somewhere between a motorcycle, trike and a car with the ability to lean in corners.
Of course, there are already leaning three-wheelers such as the Piaggio MP3 scooter and Yamaha Niken.
As you read this I am flying to Portland, Oregon, for a unique media launch of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle.
There are many things that make this launch unique.
Unique bike
For a start, this is the first full-size electric road motorcycle from a traditional motorcycle manufacturer.
The now-axed Victory Motorcycles slapped their brand name on an electric Brammo in 2015, but it wasn’t their product. (When we tested it on a Colorado racetrack, at least we got to see it being recharged.)
MBW rides the Victory Empulse TT electric motorcycle
Honda and BMW have produced electric scooters, while Yamaha and KTM have a couple of small electric trail bikes.
BMW C evolution electric scooter
Other major motorcycle companies such as Triumph are feverishly working on electric motorcycles.
Unique guest list
The usual motorcycle media will not be present.
Magazines that usually attend Harley product launches have not been invited.
Why?
Maybe because Harley has identified electric motorcycles as appealing to a different market.
In fact, it may not appeal to any current (‘scuse the pun) Harley owners and lovers.
Instead of the motorcycle mag crew, there are newspaper, TV journos, “influencers” and, of course, websites like ours.
Unique ride
Most global motorcycle model launches feature quite a long ride, sometimes even track time.
It is not unusual for rides to go over more than one day so journos get a good feel for a motorcycle.
In this case, the ride is a mere 60km through downtown Portland and out into a little bit of country.
This is not only unique but surprising, given one of the biggest hurdles to electric motorbikes is the lack of range.
Savic Motorcycles founder, Dennis Savic, tells us they will be accepting orders for the first 50 production bikes of all three C-Series variants (Alpha, Delta, Omega).
“We will be at the festival this year launching our production prototype,” he says, although the electric Cafe Racer prototype has already been unveiled at the Melbourne Moto Expo on 23 November 23, 2018.
“We hope to make it available for test rides.”
Savic orders
You can place orders for the three Cafe Racer production versions at the festival:
It will be available in Australia at probably more than $A40,000 late next year.
We will be in Portland this week to test the LiveWire so stay tuned.
LiveWire
Savic motorcycles will be made in Melbourne and Taiwan and delivered in 2020.
Each model comes with several battery pack options. The largest offered in the Alpha will provide range of up to 250km, while the smallest option in the Omega will have 50km range.
Like all electric vehicles, peak torque is instantaneous and Dennis says his bike will accelerate from 0-100km in four seconds.
By comparison, the LiveWire will have city range of about 235km and highway range of about 150km and reach 100km/h in three seconds.
Savic customers will be able choose a range of options in brakes, suspension, wheels, tyres and three colours – Spectre, Stealth, and Rustic.
Aftermarket upgrades will also be offered.
The bikes feature a fully integrated, stressed, liquid-cooled motor and energy storage system.
Depending on the model and battery pack a customer selects, a single charge can provide up to 11kWh. That costs only $3 compared with about $15 for a petrol bike to travel 250km.
Prototype design
Dennis, 27, spent more than 650 hours designing and building the prototype.
“This is a bit of a dream come true,” he says.
“When I was 14, I decided I wanted to design and build my own vehicles one day. So I did my engineering degree and when I graduated about three years ago I got stuck into it. It’s been a long time coming.
“These motorcycles are a unique offering with the most advanced features and functionality that the materials, engineering, electronic controls, electrical technology and 3D printing can offer today.
“We have created a unique design featuring a perfectly rolled (not bent) backbone frame and developed our own powertrain package.”
