Welcome to Phaedrus' Stuff - Info on my motorcycles, including EV

While electric motorcycles are fairly new to the market place, there are actually several well-designed electric motorcycles currently available.  So, why did I choose the Livewire One (LW1) as my first electric motorcycle?

Well, I first looked at Zero motorcycles.  I focused on the Zero SR, SR/F and SR/S bikes.  These were decently spec'd naked and faired street bikes.  The build quality was not, however, what I would have wanted.  Body parts felt light and as if the build lacked quality.  At first glance, pricing seemed reasonable for a new technology motorcycle, but many hardware features were plus-ups.  And, Zero uses a subscription pricing scheme where even included hardware requires an extra fee to be enabled.  So, a Zero SR might be listed as $19,995 - marked down if you live in the right state to as low as $16,995 - but then pricing rises back up to $23,475 by the time you add features and enable its subscriptions.  I also deeply disliked the subscription model, where one has to pay extra to enable hardware and performance features that are already built into the motorcycle as delivered.

In the end, the Livewire One priced at $21,799 when I was ready to buy - without hidden or add-on charges.  The Livewire One has better 0-60 times and top speed than the Zero SR. And, the Livewire One specs on range seem dead-on, vice the seemingly inflated specs that Zero puts out.

There are other electric motorcycles like Energica.  But I've never seen a demo, dealer or service location for this bike.  The ability to see this bike, or to maintain it after purchase, was too elusive for me.

There are also future electric motorcycles promised to be coming to market soon.  But the specs for these other bikes will not really be known until they are produced and delivered, and the future of these companies is uncertain.  I guess they exceeded my risk tolerance.

And, there are a myriad of low-power scooter-like bikes claiming to be motorcycles. Not to mention the e-bicycle crowd that wants to be categorized as light motorcycles.  But, I have no interest in scooters and I prefer a non-electric-powered bicycle.  I am happy that thus far the Livewire electric motorcycles and have sport motorcycle performance levels.  Hopefully, if Harley or Livewire decide to branch into the lightweight scooter world, they will spin the brand off as something different from Livewire, similar to Serial 1 and STACYC.

In the end, the Livewire One performance features matched, or exceeded, other Internal Combustion Engine (ICE) sport motorcycles.  The Livewire One build quality is excellent.  Livewire motorcycles can be seen at many Harley-Davidson dealers across the country, and they are readily serviceable at most Harley-Davidson dealerships if needed.  Plus, the Livewire One pricing and its features are clearly documented up front.  There is also the fact that if one wishes, a Livewire motorcycle can be purchased online, in a manner similar to that which Tesla uses.  I liked the online purchase format and after checking out the Livewire One at a Harley-Davidson dealer while I was traveling, I ended up purchasing my Livewire One (and later my S2 Del Mar) direct from Livewire via the online ordering.

As for pricing, the original Harley-Davidson Livewire (ELW) motorcycles were priced at $29,799.  The first 500 ELW motorcycles were numbered and are referred to as "First Strike."  Following the release of the original 2020 Harley-Davidson Livewire motorcyles, Harley spun off its electric motorcycle division as the separate Livewire company (Livewire is now Livewire Group, Inc., and is publicly traded as LVWR on the NYSE).  2021 and later bikes are sold by Livewire and are called Livewire One (LW1).  The 2022 LW1 was priced at $21,999 when I ordered.  As of September 2023, the LW1 was priced at $22,799.

The ELW and LW1 are essentially the same motorcycle, with different branding, some cosmetic differences, and some variances in software.  However, the ELW is supported directly by Harley-Davidson, while the LW1 is supported by Livewire Group, Inc., through Harley-Davidson dealers.  Personally, I like the Livewire branding, and the lower price point of the LW1 - while maintaining the same performance as the earlier ELW.  Ostensibly, if Livewire Group, Inc. grows over the years - which I am counting on - the LW1 will have long-term supportability while the ELW will fade into the list of H-D legacy bikes.

Ultimately, I liked the parentage of Livewire Group, Inc.  I trusted the quality of the build based on its Harley-Davidson origination.  I wanted to experiment with an electric motorcycle.  And, I liked the design and the features of the Livewire One.  After over a year of ownership, I am not only glad that I purchased the Livewire One, it has become my favorite daily ride.

Note: The 2023 specs of the Livewire One are:

• Price $22,799
• 15.4 kwh battery (charges from 0-80% in 40 min on Level 3)
• 84 lb-ft of Tq
• 100 hp
• 146 mi range (city average)
• 110 mph top speed, and
• 0-60 in 3.0 sec