Harley-Davidson LiveWire review, test ride

Tomorrow's Harley today - we've just ridden the American bike-making giant's take on electric motorcycles.

Published on Feb 28, 2015 11:00:00 AM

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Harley-Davidson LiveWire review, test ride

So you think it can't get any better than this - thundering along as you turn heads on your glinting, chrome-replete Harley-Davidson, leaving a distinct, bass-enriched rumble in your wake.

Now hang on, tear a leaf out of the Elon Musk book and picture this unlikely scene - a sleek, futuristic cruiser draws level with you, sounding more like a jet than a motorcycle, then hisses smoothly past to disappear over the horizon as it zips away into the future.

A futuristic bike, styled for the future - yes, Harley's LiveWire is almost here. Almost, for it's still a prototype, not yet finalised for production, but touring the world as a lucky few get to ride it to share the experience and help the US bike maker shape its future motorcycle.

Its clearly more compact than most Harleys in the flesh, the LiveWire using a TFT screen for instrumentation, showing speed, battery charge status, range remaining and temperature, as well as a pair of riding modes (Range or Power). We've only got to sample Range, where power feeds in more gently, making our test LiveWire feel just like a well-mannered, sub-100bhp bike.

Harley-trademark switchgear is part of the LiveWire, with plush grips, a chunky front brake lever and underslung mirrors that look great, but are otherwise virtually useless for rear view. There's a flattish tank, and the company has tried to keep weight as low as possible, the LiveWire using the lightest alloy wheels of any Harley today, and an alloy frame thats only 7kg. The LiveWire experience includes a smashing paint job and great attention to detail, as seen in the pictures.