Thankfully when it comes to physically
turning on the LiveWire, you’re greeted by
conventional Harley-Davidson switchgear and
that crystal clear 4.3-inch colour TFT screen
which displays all the usual info and a very
clear battery percentage and range indicator.
SHOCK TREATMENT
Rolling away from the launch hotel, I’ll admit
I felt a fair sense of trepidation in terms of
riding a bike with one gear and no clutch.
Thankfully, Harley really has tuned the
throttle response to a point where the bike is
silky smooth to operate at low speeds. When
it came to doing manoeuvres like u-turns,
dragging the rear brake makes for a good
substitute for slipping a clutch – something
that many riders advocate anyway.
Within the first two minutes of the ride, we
discovered possibly the biggest benefit to
riding a pack of LiveWires through the central
business district; the fact you can ride along
and hold a conversation with the rider next
to you without having to yell through your
helmet.
Getting out of the low-speed city streets and
onto the twisty backroads behind Portland
gave the opportunity to switch the bikes into
Sport mode and put to the test the LiveWire’s
handling abilities.
With 45-degrees of lean angle on each side,
quality Showa suspension and a rigid alloy
frame the LiveWire is quite a lively machine
when the ride gets fun.
As it carries its 249kg low and centralised,
it is remarkably easy to throw in and out
of corners. The only issue I found was
the bike didn’t want to hold a steady line
when the road surface got rough. I’m still
undecided as to whether it was due to the
bike’s suspension being set up to factory
specs and not for my weight or it was just my
unfamiliarity with US roads.
As I said earlier, unlike internal combustion
engine-powered bikes, there is no waiting for
power to build. The speed at which this thing
rips forward has to be experienced to be
believed, especially as it just keeps going until
it runs out of gearing.
KIWI RIDER 49