Harley-Davidson’s Most Exciting New Motorcycle Could Also Be Its Most Affordable (by a Country Mile)

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of attending Harley-Davidson Homecoming, the brand’s annual celebration of music, motorcycle culture and H-D’s hometown of Milwaukee. 

Highlights included a sneak peek at the Product Development Center, an exclusive tour of the H-D Museum, seeing Chris Stapleton perform and joining a bunch of badass female bikers (including Karen Davidson) for the Cancer Research Institute-supporting Women’s Ride. 

LiveWire

However, the biggest surprise of the festival for me was seeing what Harley’s electric sub-brand, LiveWire, has been working on, which is a dramatic departure from everything else they’ve built.

Still in development, this new electric platform would not only be super affordable but especially exciting and interesting, too. Here’s why.

Bold new direction

See, up till now, LiveWire has been pretty focused on replicating gas-powered bikes in electric form. 

On the surface, that makes sense, and what they’ve managed to produce so far with bikes like the Del Mar and Mulholland has been impressive. 

Photo by Steve Mazzucchi for Gear Patrol

However, they’ve also had their struggles, and it’s become clear there’s a somewhat limited audience for electric bikes that by and large cost north of $16,000.

That’s what makes these new prototypes so compelling. Rather than trying to mimic the appeal of its traditional offerings, they’re making a whole new play that’s markedly more affordable and approachable.

Road and trail

Looking much more like a cross between a Super 73 and Honda Grom than anything Harley makes, the as-yet-unnamed prototype will be available in both street and off-road versions.

LiveWire calls them “125cc equivalents” (which squares with the Grom comp) and says they can go 0-30 mph in roughly 3 seconds, with a top speed of 53 mph and range of 100 miles.

Photo by Steve Mazzucchi for Gear Patrol

The bikes also possess a trait that holds huge appeal for city dwellers — the two batteries can be removed and brought inside for recharging, so you don’t need your own garage to power them up.

Bonus: Lifting the seat not only accesses the batteries but also a bit of additional storage space.

While they did not let us ride the bikes at the festival, I did get a chance to swing a leg over them and was pretty pleased. 

LiveWire

The 30-inch seat height is quite accessible, especially when the shocks relax as you sit, making it easy to put your feet on the ground.

Combined with a weight of roughly 215 pounds, that makes the promise of easy handling seem pretty realistic.

Priced to sell

LiveWire says the trail model is intended for backyards, pump tracks and campgrounds, while the street edition is ideal for urban errands and just general ripping-around fun. 

Both versions could be available in a range of colors, together with a wide-ranging accessories package that would really let riders make the bike their own.

LiveWire

While the brand has not officially said anything about what they might cost, the rep at the event offered up a potential figure: $5,000. 

If that comes to be, that would make these LiveWires a bit pricier than a Grom but roughly half the price of the most affordable gas-powered Harley-Davidson model, the $9,999 Nightster. 

That just might be the most compelling selling point of all. 

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