Cause the product line still stuck with 1 ok product. The other new product DOA. They need to introduce a big cruiser and an adventure with big range like the new Energica Experia immediately. With a liquid cooling system couple with high charging curve.
Looks like LiveWire only sold 69 bikes in Q4 22
They sold only 69 bikes and expect a big loss of $125,000,000 for 2023. At least HD made $1,140,000,000. That should have helped cover that loss with LW.
https://jalopnik.com/harley-davidson-q4-revenue-livewire-forecast-tough-road-1850067240
At this rate, the LW1 could be an orphan.
https://jalopnik.com/harley-davidson-q4-revenue-livewire-forecast-tough-road-1850067240
At this rate, the LW1 could be an orphan.
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I am fortunate that the LW suffices for 90% of my riding and the biggest negative is the slow L2 charging. My Setec charger will take care of my biggest issue with the bike.
If I am going on longer trips, I still don't think even a bike like the Experia will work for me. I'll stick to my Africa Twin, Multistrada or K1600GT. All those bikes can easily gulp down miles without refueling and then back on the road after a 5 minute pitstop.
Basically, the Experia might get me 50 more miles on the highway than my LW. That isn't a game changer for me. It might make it more usable for some though. I haven't read if it has the same issue as other Energicas have had where basically you get one fast L3 recharge and the next one is dramatically slowed down.
I have to say I've down the ADV bike route for 30+ years and while it has been fun, I am sort of over it. I think that is why the LW appealed to me a lot. It didn't try to be too many things and mediocre to average at a lot of them. I think that is the same reason I sold my pickup truck and SUV and went back to a sedan. For the rare time I need the cargo capacity, I can rent a truck/SUV and the rest of the time I'll enjoy a high-performance sedan.
I'd love to see someone build a very aerodynamic (or very efficient air management) electric motorcycle for the street. Something more aerodynamice than the 'Busa which has a drag coefficient (cD) of about .55-.60. That is where all your energy is going at highway speeds; pushing all that air around. Compare that to a Tesla of about .20. This bike looks interesting.
The challenge though is maintaining stability with very enclosed motorcycle designs when hit with crosswinds. You could greatly increase the range of an electric motorcycle with improved aerodynamics (taking into account stability issues in a crosswind) without increasing the battery capacity (either greater density or more cells).
Here is a pretty well written article from a few years ago that can quickly bring people up to speed on motorcycle aerodynamics that I bookmarked some time ago.
canadamotoguide.com
Worth a quick 5 minute read.
If I am going on longer trips, I still don't think even a bike like the Experia will work for me. I'll stick to my Africa Twin, Multistrada or K1600GT. All those bikes can easily gulp down miles without refueling and then back on the road after a 5 minute pitstop.
Basically, the Experia might get me 50 more miles on the highway than my LW. That isn't a game changer for me. It might make it more usable for some though. I haven't read if it has the same issue as other Energicas have had where basically you get one fast L3 recharge and the next one is dramatically slowed down.
I have to say I've down the ADV bike route for 30+ years and while it has been fun, I am sort of over it. I think that is why the LW appealed to me a lot. It didn't try to be too many things and mediocre to average at a lot of them. I think that is the same reason I sold my pickup truck and SUV and went back to a sedan. For the rare time I need the cargo capacity, I can rent a truck/SUV and the rest of the time I'll enjoy a high-performance sedan.
I'd love to see someone build a very aerodynamic (or very efficient air management) electric motorcycle for the street. Something more aerodynamice than the 'Busa which has a drag coefficient (cD) of about .55-.60. That is where all your energy is going at highway speeds; pushing all that air around. Compare that to a Tesla of about .20. This bike looks interesting.
The challenge though is maintaining stability with very enclosed motorcycle designs when hit with crosswinds. You could greatly increase the range of an electric motorcycle with improved aerodynamics (taking into account stability issues in a crosswind) without increasing the battery capacity (either greater density or more cells).
Here is a pretty well written article from a few years ago that can quickly bring people up to speed on motorcycle aerodynamics that I bookmarked some time ago.
Motorcycle Aerodynamics | Canada Moto Guide
Motorcycles sprout wings and the industry is all a flutter. Can advances in aerodynamics make bikes better?
canadamotoguide.com
Worth a quick 5 minute read.
I will be curious to see how it performs in a real road test. Claims are one thing, real world another. On a somewhat related note, if you are a bigger guy, the LW will likely take less of hit on its 0-60 time than on the new Del Mar. I also think the LW looks a lot more bad ass than the Del Mar. The Del Mar looks like a recycled VT500 Honda Ascot from the 80's in a lot of ways. I had both the FT and VT versions.
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