[L!VE]

Here's a first look at the HD LiveWire instrument cluster. As the LiveWire makes it's 30-city tour across the U.S. I hope we get a better look at it, ultimately in video with a walk-through.

 

[Oddball]

I wonder how readable it is in direct sunlight. Guess I'm officially "old school" in my instrument tastes. I like analog ways of conveying info. Perhaps it could be set up to use one's cell phone/phablet as your display/cluster and key.

 

[L!VE]

I wonder how readable it is in direct sunlight. Guess I'm officially "old school" in my instrument tastes. I like analog ways of conveying info. Perhaps it could be set up to use one's cell phone/phablet as your display/cluster and key.

with that being said it will be a good idea if it comes with a brightness control, that will take care of the sun issues.

 

[Oddball]

Assuming it has sufficient lumens and even then i think there will be conditions it may not be able to overcome. Nokia is supposed to be good at daylight visibility with their phones/tablets. Perhaps a display by nokia would be workable.

 

[Junko]

I've seen a couple bikes with that smartphone readout display, mostly on older bikes...

Its cool though, do electric motors not need RPM readouts? I mean you dont NEED it because its a long linear powerband but I'd still like to see it no?

 

[L!VE]

Assuming it has sufficient lumens and even then i think there will be conditions it may not be able to overcome. Nokia is supposed to be good at daylight visibility with their phones/tablets. Perhaps a display by nokia would be workable.

Not all situations can they make it still easily visible but in most cases it should be good.

 

[Yusef]

Don't they have special lenses or glass that reduce glare from the sun too?

I think on a electric bike it makes sense to have a touch screen as the instrument cluster though. Never seen an analog gauge to tell you how much charge is left in a battery.

 

[Oddball]

That is one of the things I'd like to know. Has the glass been treated to reduce reflectivity under bright conditions? A touch screen would be useful of course. ****, they could make it a removable HD Touchpad. Then maybe owners could just configure the display to show the data in a form they prefer. As for analog gauges for battery charge.

Analog
http://www.everythingcarts.com/p-80-48v-analog-round-state-of-charge-meter.aspx

Then an LED type.
http://propowerllc.com/pro1248m.html

LED & hour meter
http://propowerllc.com/bathour.html

Hour meter
http://propowerllc.com/rndhourmeter.html

 

[Oddball]

Make that, removable HD Tablet.

 

[Yusef]

I'm not sure it's very likely that the cluster will be removable. That is just asking for people to lose it, and it's bordering on a tablet, which would be a whole other beast.

 

[Hawkman]

It's cool that it's a touchscreen, but I don't think that a motorcycle needs to have a fully functioning tablet as an instrument cluster. There is only so much you can do with it while you are focusing on actually driving the bike.

 

[Oddball]

Well it would be a continuation of new ground for the Moco. Doubt it would be any more risky than losing a gps. I'm just throwing out ideas and suggestions so they keep going for a production model. Now if they want to hand me a LiveWire for long term beta testing I'm good with that as well. I'd give them on owner's perspective when your actually living with it. I suggested it in an email after the announcement. I'll just have to hope the test ride caravan comes to Florida sometime.

Hawkman, True but it could allow for many things. Say something faults. The tablet could tell you exactly what is wrong. Alternately you could wifi the info to a dealer and they can schedule your service for repair already knowing what's wrong.

 

[Junko]

Well lets hold on a second and get ourselve son to common ground. Wher I think things went awry is when we started talking about "tablet" clusters. I think for many when the term tablet is used the first image is an iPad strapped to the bars, but that's patently narrow sighted. We're not talking about a fully functioning tablet, as in internet enabled, games and the like. We're talking a tailored and targeted tablet optimized for the job it will be doing...

 

[Hawkman]

I think that something that has a bit more of the look of an actual analog gauge, even if its digital, would look better than this square touch screen they have. I think they ignored design when they made that.

 

[L!VE]

It sure seems like that, i hate when companies like this come out with interfaces like that, makes you wonder.

 

[Junko]

I don't think they ignored design one bit with the readout. The ethos was modern, the future of the company. The readout is certainly modern, sufficiently so, touch screen and highly legible. What more could you possibly want?

The purpose of readouts is not to be sylised, its to convey information to the pilot in the most efficent manner possible. I'm sorry but going analog, even if simulated analog, just does not mesh with the priciples of the live wire. No corners cut, this is not your fathers harley.

 

[L!VE]

I just looks too simple IMO.
but that may be a good things as they might be what they found to be most effective.

 

[Hawkman]

I don't think that you have to decide between function and form. They could have made a gauge that looks better and still conveys information clearly.

 

[L!VE]

That is true, just a matter of them doing it really. Either way what ever ends up on the production model, i'm sure it will be great.