KIWI RIDER 01 2020 VOL1 | Page 17

2020 HARLEY-DAVIDSON LIVEWIRE Yep, we’ve already ridden it but since it doesn’t officially land here until the end of the year it makes the cut. One of the standout bikes we rode in 2019, Harley-Davidson’s shockingly good LiveWire is something we are very keen to put to a thorough test in New Zealand conditions. The World’s First mass-market electric motorcycle from a conventional player may come out of the crate with a few built-in drawbacks such as limited range of 235km per charge and a whopping estimated price tag in excess of $40,000 but don’t let those put you off. This bike is MEGA. Mindbogglingly fast, easy to ride, and quiet as the night, the 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire is a true surprise to ride with even die-hard petrol heads at the world launch in the USA singing its praises. While Harley- Davidson is on a big push into new markets, the LiveWire is a bold gamble from the Bar and Shield to capture a share of the cutting edge of motorcycling. We also can’t wait to find out what our resident technophobe, Jock, makes of the electric Harley. Will he be converted? We’ll find out! BMW F900R AND F900XR It’s about time BMW Motorrad redesigned the ageing F 800 R with a new chassis and powerplant, and this year we’re not just getting a new roadster but also a smaller capacity version of the S1000XR. It’s really been a long time between drinks for lovers of BMW’s middleweight lineup to see anything fresh in the line, and both the new F900R and F900XR look set to really bring BMW back into the sub-1000cc segment with full force. Completely new from the ground up, the new F900s feature an all-new frame, an even more powerful version of BMW’s parallel-twin engine (now pumping out 105hp thanks in part to a boost in capacity to 895cc) plus an incredibly well-sorted technology suite to tie it all together. A highlight for us is the inclusion of cornering LED headlights in both, a technology with clear benefits that the industry is taking its time to adopt. KIWI RIDER 17