[BHigerd]

I've read and even posted reviews on this forum that missed one critical point about owning and commuting daily on a Livewire; the bike is awesome! The little coolant drip stopped just as the H-D engineers said it would, and the battery seems to be gaining storage, a bit, at the 600 mile mark. Fit and finish are exceptional. And while I'll probably never attempt a long journey on the bike, it's the most amazing commuting vehicle I've ever ridden, two or four wheels (and I'm 7 motorcycles, ??? sports cars, and ?? trucks into this life).

I wrestled hard with the decision to buy one. Not anymore. I suspect when it gets cooler, I may even get more battery life out of the machine as batteries tend to operate better around 60F than 90F. But for now, I'm happy with mine. You look where you want to be, and you're there.

Additionally, I get comments almost daily from people complimenting it, or asking what it is. ...What is it? Only the most amazing riding experience I've ever owned, and I can't wait to trailer it to the mountains where I first learned to ride sport bikes, scraping pegs on mountain accents. Hopefully I live.

BTW, sport mode is the best! You just have to hold on.

 

[Mac Mike]

Energica has the Livewire beat at all the points you mention for 5K less.

 

[BHigerd]

Glad we live in a country where we can disagree.
I FULLY disagree with you. Livewire is the Tesla of motorcycles, fit and finish.

 

[BHigerd]

Maybe you should sell yours to someone who appreciates it? From your posts, doesn't seem like you like it at all.

 

[BHigerd]

Mac Mike,
Repeated from the other post I wrote that you replied to, hopefully that didn't come across as disrespectful. I actually liked all your activity when I first joined the site. But after reading your fatalistic prognosis for Harley Davidson several times and all the negative thoughts on the Livewire, I just figure it's either not a bike for you, or you work for the competition? Either way, it's cool. For many, the Livewire is awesome. Just read the actually rider reviews, not merely the paper comparisons.
And for the record, I don't own H-D stock, although it's done well given COVID-19. This is only my second Harley, so I'm comparing it with an exquisitely customized 2018 Fat Bob, a bike I loved. I'm just getting home from my 16 mile commute, there's no comparison in the fun of riding a Livewire vs a big V-twin. The Livewire does things a V-twin could never do (and vice-versa over long mileage).
Love our freedom of speech, for as long as it lasts. So please rebut at will. You won't change my mind. I love my Livewire, as do all my friends who ask to take it for a ride (as if).
Brad
P.S. Sure you don't work for Energica?

 

[Mac Mike]

Mac Mike,
Repeated from the other post I wrote that you replied to, hopefully that didn't come across as disrespectful. I actually liked all your activity when I first joined the site. But after reading your fatalistic prognosis for Harley Davidson several times and all the negative thoughts on the Livewire, I just figure it's either not a bike for you, or you work for the competition? Either way, it's cool. For many, the Livewire is awesome. Just read the actually rider reviews, not merely the paper comparisons.
And for the record, I don't own H-D stock, although it's done well given COVID-19. This is only my second Harley, so I'm comparing it with an exquisitely customized 2018 Fat Bob, a bike I loved. I'm just getting home from my 16 mile commute, there's no comparison in the fun of riding a Livewire vs a big V-twin. The Livewire does things a V-twin could never do (and vice-versa over long mileage).
Love our freedom of speech, for as long as it lasts. So please rebut at will. You won't change my mind. I love my Livewire, as do all my friends who ask to take it for a ride (as if).
Brad
P.S. Sure you don't work for Energica?

Hi Brad. You can see a little longer post in the other thread. You have come across as disrespectful but that's OK. I also don't work for Energica. I just mention that it's a better bike and just as fun as the LW. I road the LW prototype 5 years ago and that's when I made my decision to buy one if it went into production. I did not wrestle with my decision to buy one.

 

[BHigerd]

Glad you like it. That wasn't easy to discern.

 

[arefog]

Hey Mac Mike, not wishing to start a classic forum war here, but there are a couple of additional points worth mentioning in the Energica/Livewire comparison.

I live near Denver and the nearest Energica dealers are in Austin and Los Angeles. It is a 15 minute ride to "my" Harley dealer. No matter how good the Energica is little things like, oh, a test ride or service would be rather difficult for me to say the least. No fault of the bike of course, but certainly relevant to anyone in the U.S who doesn't live on or near the coast. I've owned a Ducati Diavel and have been fortunate to own two Ferraris and a Lamborghini, and they were all wonderful, tremendously exciting machines. They also proved that the Italian reputation for being somewhat trouble prone is well earned. (The new Alfas seem to be continuing that noble tradition). I realize the Energica might be the exception that proves the rule, but any problems that did arise would be doubly frustrating for anyone so isolated from the minimal dealer network.
The Energica looks like a worthy competitor to my Livewire, and If I lived anywhere near a dealer I'd certainly check them out. Unfortunately practical considerations rule that out for me, and I suspect many other potential owners.

Stay Safe and Ride Happy,

Richard Fogg

 

[Mac Mike]

Hey Mac Mike, not wishing to start a classic forum war here, but there are a couple of additional points worth mentioning in the Energica/Livewire comparison.

I live near Denver and the nearest Energica dealers are in Austin and Los Angeles. It is a 15 minute ride to "my" Harley dealer. No matter how good the Energica is little things like, oh, a test ride or service would be rather difficult for me to say the least. No fault of the bike of course, but certainly relevant to anyone in the U.S who doesn't live on or near the coast. I've owned a Ducati Diavel and have been fortunate to own two Ferraris and a Lamborghini, and they were all wonderful, tremendously exciting machines. They also proved that the Italian reputation for being somewhat trouble prone is well earned. (The new Alfas seem to be continuing that noble tradition). I realize the Energica might be the exception that proves the rule, but any problems that did arise would be doubly frustrating for anyone so isolated from the minimal dealer network.
The Energica looks like a worthy competitor to my Livewire, and If I lived anywhere near a dealer I'd certainly check them out. Unfortunately practical considerations rule that out for me, and I suspect many other potential owners.

Stay Safe and Ride Happy,

Richard Fogg

Hi Richard. No forum war here. My main point is the Livewire is overpriced compared to Zero and Energica with the Energica being the best value. Just comparing bikes and not dealer network. Austin is my closest Energica dealer also by 200 miles. My HD dealers is just 10 minutes away from me. I've just owned Harleys over the years so I know Harleys are over priced for what you get. My last Harley before my LW was a 42k bike so I was expecting a high price for the LW. Fortunately for us there is a large HD network in the US, but saying that, only 150 dealers signed up as LW dealers out of 698 total dealers in the US. As for the Italian reputation for their vehicles back in the 80's I owned a Maserati Biturbo which I never had a problem with.

 

[BHigerd]

The limitation on H-D dealerships dealing with the Livewire is a bit frustrating for me. I'm 2 hours from the nearest dealership that sells and maintains the LW. Zero is the same distance, but I just didn't like the Zeros as much. Too much like a sport bike and didn't like the fit and finish as well as the LW. Energica has 3 Florida dealerships too, also not much difference in drive time. As for Italian made, I'll probably die thinking the Ferrari 599 is my all-time favorite car, but I really don't jump for "Italian-made" vehicles.

As for H-D, it was a good leap getting into bed with Samsung and Panasonic, not to mention other great vendors for brakes and suspension... Samsung and H-D's CEO (past) both noted the Livewire battery is designed to integrate newer battery technology as it becomes available. Solid state is probably a few years from affordable, but it'll come. And Panasonic developed a pretty cool system to manage the LW.

I remain convinced that while there are other options, the LW is not merely special, at this time it's unique.

 

[Oldun]

I'm 4 hours from my nearest dealership - but hey, it's like dating a redhead. You know when you make the choice there will be all sorts of consequences, many predictable, some not

 

[BHigerd]

Word! I dated quite a few redheads and you couldn't be more right.
As for having to travel to get service, not a big problem. We jumped into this electric motorcycle thing rather early.