braking, which in addition to slowing you
down pumps electrons back into the battery,
topping up your range.
That range isn’t half bad either, with Harley
claiming 235km in urban riding conditions
and 158km combined with highway miles.
This, naturally, varies a lot depending on
which of the seven rider modes (Road, Sport,
Rain and Range, plus three ‘rider’ modes
allowing you to tailor the bike further to your
own likes) you have selected as well as how
hard you’re riding the bike.
Rain mode, as you might expect, is the least
responsive rider mode, with the electronic
throttle reigning in the bike’s power
significantly. Sport mode, on the other hand,
is absolutely ‘nuts ‘with the bike’s full power
coming in strong early in the RPM range.
Importantly, since the LiveWire’s motor
produces its power immediately, Harley
needed to install some nana aids to help
the rider keep the bike in check. Yep, there’s
no escaping them and the LiveWire also
marks the first bike from Harley-Davidson to
utilise traction control and a six-axis Inertial
Measurement Unit (IMU) to link in with the
TCS and ABS.
H-D calls the system Reflex Defensive Rider
Systems (RDRS) which consists of cornering
ABS, traction control, and anti-wheelie
control.
While the Harley employees on site wouldn’t
confirm whether you can turn off the anti-
wheel control, you can disable the TCS at the
touch of a button and fry the rear tyre at will
using the ample torque.
Lighting is provided exclusively via LEDs all
round and the two biggest changes from
Project LiveWire are the addition of a small
fairing around the headlight and the move
to traditional (and importantly functional)
mirrors.
KIWI RIDER 45