Harley Davidson LiveWire First Ride Review

John headed out to Portland, Oregon in the US to ride the new Harley Davidson LiveWire. The future will cost you £28,995.

[-DC-]

As a product they've done a fantastic job, the retail price is ridiculous unfortunately 🙄

[rokonman]

Love it. I want one. But not for $ 30k... maybe when the price drops around 15k

[bikerbeliever]

Dont care how good it rides. $30k is outrageous. Halfway to buying a c8 Corvette. I'll wait and save for the c8.

[germanium]

It's the first Harley Davidson I would ever consider buying.

[johnsumser]

An amazingly positive review. I kept waiting for the pricing problem to be listed, but it wasn't. Well, there are other $30, 000 bikes out there, so there is a market. They aren't going after CB500 owners.

[Burnzi]

I want one, but too expensive for me. First Harley I've wanted.

[Jamby]

I was lucky enough to test ride this Harley Live Wire in Huntington Beach, Ca. Everything this reviewer is claiming is true. I've been a Harley hater my whole life bc I ride off-road as much as I can & I hate loud bikes bc they annoy non-riders who then petition to close down our tracks & off-road areas.
this Live Wire Harley is hands down the best street bike I've ever been on! Crazy fast! Dives into corners with ease bc there's no internal inertia fighting you... so smooth! so ease to ride with throttle on to go, throttle off to brake! & so refreshingly quite! & clean air to breathe with no exhaust! I could hear the waves crashing along the beach on the pch instead of a loud obnoxious rumble with exhaust fumes enveloping me at stop lights! Way to go Harley Davidson! I hope this is a raging success!

[tonyseeley]

Good review. I tested the bike today and was blown away. Never ridden anything like it and was super impressed with the torque and suspension. Like you I quite liked the quiet (and I have two Harley's that make a ton of noise.). I worry about the price point, but this feels to me like a big potential winner for Harley.

[Mytwistedvoices]

This is the best LiveWire review I have seen. The only other mention is that the level 3 chargers will be offered for use at HD dealerships. Definitely going to give this one a try!

[peterhatfield]

I'd love an electric motor cycle. However, here's the rub: The UK government is giving £3, 500 as a subsidy for an electric car, such as the new ~ £25, 000 Mini SE, whereas the grant is only £1, 500 for this ~ £28, 000 Harley Davidson.

[trellofello]

Lots of folks posting about the 'pros and cons' of this bike, but fail to realize that EV's = zero tailpipe emissions, whether cars, motorcycles, buses, trains, etc. Governments will/or are already mandating more and more zero emissions vehicles and are therefore pressuring manufacturers to innovate. This is a good first step in the right direction. Like most things, costs will eventually come down and owning an EV will become easier in time. Just requires a mind shift and a change in attitude. In the mean time, hats off to a mainstream manufacturer for stepping up and giving it a shot!

[DoctorZisIN]

It's direct competitor is not the Zero SR, but the new Zero SR/F

[matthewwilkinson]

Great review, John, as always. I’m surprising myself at how drawn I am to this bike. Harley seems to have done a really good job with the styling and quality. Will take a look when they’re available in the UK. But I would like a bit more range as I do quite a lot of miles. Very interesting. Cheers, Matt.

[spmartin]

Very good review. I notice you did not bring up the price of the bike. With the financial situation Harley Davidson is in, I was hoping they would price this around the $20-25K range. They NEED to sell this bike to lots of people to pull out of their financial slump. This bike is exciting, and they won't sell many. That's a shame.

[mungo]

I'll just wait for Honda to bring out their version that pisses all over this, for half the price. 👍

[emminentvictory]

Would like to see you compare this to the new Zero SR/F. Demoed one a few weeks back and walked away very impressed. Can't wait to demo the livewire for myself.

[digger]

Thank you for the review. I have also ridden the Zero bikes, although not the new version admittedly, I look forward to a test ride on the Livewire and hat's off to Harley for being the first of the main manufactures to throw it in the ring.
It looks OK too.

[RyanKirk]

As a Zero owner, I would consider this for my next EV bike. I like not having to do any maintenance. I also like quiet wheelies in the night :)

[earthling]

Wow. This thing is epic. Nice review. Thanks so much!!

[deppdudepp]

Nice bike! Good review! But in all fairness, compare it to a 2020 Zero SR/F, not a 2016 SR.