How Fast Is The Electric Harley-Davidson Motorcycle Really?
The recent surge in the electric vehicle market is finally bleeding over into the motorcycle space. Sure, there have been a few notable examples of excellent electric motorcycles that have sprung up over the years, like Zero Motorcycles, which exclusively makes electric motorcycles, but only since the late 2010s have bigger brands started to catch on. Harley-Davidson is one of the better-known motorcycle brands that started dipping its toes into the electric world with its Livewire sub-brand.
The Livewire, which launched in 2019, featured Harley-Davidson’s custom, liquid-cooled Revelation engine. It was Harley-Davidson’s first venture into electric motorcycles and later refreshed as the cheaper and faster Livewire ONE. The all-electric naked motorcycle puts out a claimed 100 hp and 84 ft.-lbs of torque from its low-slung motor, while the 15.4 kWh battery can carry the bike for a claimed 95 miles of combined highway and city riding. Livewire also claims the battery will charge up to 100% in 60 minutes when connected to a DC fast charger.
Of course, Livewire makes as many claims about the speed and acceleration as it does about the range and charge times, but are any of those claims realistic, and how does the Livewire ONE stack up to Harley-Davidson’s other production models?
