Harley-Davidson shocks with high price for electric LiveWire

Battery-powered bike costs as much as a new electric car, asking customers to re-wire expectations for the future of riding.

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric motorcycle isn’t cheap.

The first electric Harley-Davidson will reach Australia in September, priced from $49,995 ride-away.

Priced roughly twice the ask of equivalent-sized conventional Harley-Davidson models, the LiveWire’s cost is on par with basic electric cars such as the Nissan Leaf.

But its performance is closer to a high-performance Tesla, with the LiveWire able to reach 100km/h in just three seconds.

Harley-Davidson’s LiveWire electric motorcycle has a low centre of gravity.

Power comes from a 78kW electric motor with belt drive to the rear wheel.

There’s no clutch or gearbox, just a twist-and-go throttle linked to sophisticated traction control and riding modes.

A low centre of gravity, adjustable suspension and high-performance brakes promise a more agile riding experience than that offered by conventional Harley models.

The LiveWire’s electric motor sits low on the bike, below the battery and cooling gear.

Harley-Davidson says the new LiveWire is a different kind of bike, one “optimised for the urban street-rider” rather than long days in the saddle.

That’s because the battery-powered bike is good for 235 kilometres of stop-and-go city riding, or about 152 kilometres of mixed urban and highway riding.

The bike’s 15.5kWh battery can take an 80 per cent charge in 40 minutes, or a full charge in an hour through fast-charging DC outlets. Home power points charge the bike at a much slower rate, providing a full charge overnight.

Sporty Brembo brakes and Showa shocks complete the package.

Harley is the first major manufacturer to mass-produce an electric bike, but the LiveWire isn’t the first electric motorcycle.

US startup Zero has a toehold in the fledgling electric bike market, and Australia’s Fonzarelli electric scooters are beginning to gain traction with budget buyers.