H-D Recalls 1000 Livewires

[jwinwi]

Apparently they will just stop mid-ride. I guess the more things change the more they stay the same! 
Wait... They've sold 1,000? 

[Motormike]

I suspect thats the total production number, as the recall would all bikes made, including the ones still sitting in the showroom (which would be most of them!)

[elvisboy77]

what do you expect for $30,000 and a 100 miles per charge

[JJ]

what do you expect for $30,000 and a 100 miles per charge

Exactly!!

[Motormike]

what do you expect for $30,000 and a 100 miles per charge

Oh come on, now.  Plenty of Harley dealers are discounting them to $25,000 

[Wildroamer]

Good. I hope they fail miserably, personally. This "green electric vehicle" bs is such an absolute, and verifiable, load of bunk that it isn't even remotely amusing anymore.

[Murray]

Good. I hope they fail miserably, personally. This "green electric vehicle" bs is such an absolute, and verifiable, load of bunk that it isn't even remotely amusing anymore.

Never ever having to do valve clearances, oil changes and fill up for literally a couple of dollars each time........ sounds awful how will people ever endure it?

[sdcr]

I guess this will just add to  the HD woes.

Good thing they didn’t sell a sh#$ load of them.

[Tom]

Hey....you'd could go for the 1st generation GMC Hummer EV's.  $80K to $110K before paying for all the extras. 

[Yeahoo Whoyah]

I demo rode one recently because of the current promotion, test ride and get a t-shirt and a poster. I constantly spill stuff that stains my t-shirts so new ones are welcome.  And I still have space for more garage art.  The H-D sales person told me their dealership is #1 for Liveware sales in the state.  He said that after saying no MSRP discounts. Might be a different story in January.


     

   

[kingoffleece]

They can't all be bad.  Long Way Up and the kid who rode 2K miles or so to Sturgis.

[oldbike54]

Good. I hope they fail miserably, personally. This "green electric vehicle" bs is such an absolute, and verifiable, load of bunk that it isn't even remotely amusing anymore.

 I remember a certain long time Guzzi guy telling us this .com thing would never catch on . Then there were The folks in 1890 that were convinced cars were a joke .

 Dusty

[lucky phil]

I personally have no objections to electric vehicles at all, same as I dont have any objections to refrigerators, washing machines, toasters, cloths irons, all wonderfully efficient and useful things and I always look forward with unmitigated glee to using them all. They certainly stir the soul and get the pulse rate up for sure, exciting stuff. Cant wait for all those old Spitfires and Mustangs and such to be converted to electric and get rid of all those horrible noisy, shaking smelly Rolls Royce Merlin engines. They might even bring out a kit to convert my Superbike spec Ducati 1198 to electric so it'll be whisper quiet and i can "zing" around Phillip Island with only the noise of the wind and the wizz of the drive chain to disturb the silence. Awesome, cant wait.

Ciao     

[AH Fan]

I personally have no objections to electric vehicles at all, same as I dont have any objections to refrigerators, washing machines, toasters, cloths irons, all wonderfully efficient and useful things and I always look forward with unmitigated glee to using them all. They certainly stir the soul and get the pulse rate up for sure, exciting stuff. Cant wait for all those old Spitfires and Mustangs and such to be converted to electric and get rid of all those horrible noisy, shaking smelly Rolls Royce Merlin engines. They might even bring out a kit to convert my Superbike spec Ducati 1198 to electric so it'll be whisper quiet and i can "zing" around Phillip Island with only the noise of the wind and the wizz of the drive chain to disturb the silence. Awesome, cant wait.

Ciao   

     

[Wildroamer]

 I remember a certain long time Guzzi guy telling us this .com thing would never catch on . Then there were The folks in 1890 that were convinced cars were a joke .

 Dusty

I remember a lot of boondoggles also...
Just my opinion, based on research and facts. I'm not an environmental whacko however, which makes me open to being proven wrong... My opinions are valid, but anyone who wants to drive around in an electric vehicle pretending that it isn't actually harmful to the environment can do as they please...

[jwinwi]

I remember a lot of boondoggles also...
Just my opinion, based on research and facts. I'm not an environmental whacko however, which makes me open to being proven wrong... My opinions are valid, but anyone who wants to drive around in an electric vehicle pretending that it isn't actually harmful to the environment can do as they please...

When I buy an e-moto it's not going to be for the *environment* - it's going to be for the reasons Murray brought up. After 30 years of maintaining (to a very high standard) several old Guzzi that have covered about 150,000 miles I'd REALLY like to have a fast bike that needs nothing from me besides plugging it in at the end of the day.
I truly wish H-D would make a Livewire with double the range at half the price; then I could buy a used one in a couple years: my first Harley!

[LowRyter]

It's great when technology makes things better in terms of performance, convenience, cost, resources and the environment. 

It's called progress and it's delivered in the marketplace.  Harley may not have done it right but they better soon because it's inevitable.  The choice is progress or getting left behind.

[Tusayan]

It's great when technology makes things better in terms of performance, convenience, cost, resources and the environment. 

Yes, it is great, but it’s not happening with electric vehicles and saying it’s so doesn’t make it so.  They are mostly natural gas powered and inconvenient to refuel.

I just hired a guy at work who drives a top of the line Tesla.  He and his wife moved into temporary housing for a few months while they look for a house to buy.  You guessed it, nowhere to charge his car.  For a while he was using his lunch hour to drive to a charging station, but then found it getting busy.  His initial solution was to wait in line and make up the time by working longer that day, then I showed him where he could plug in for a slow charge while working and get enough to drive home and back the next day.  All this for $80K or whatever, which for him is about 6 months gross.  Or for 6 weeks gross he could buy a car that provides proper utility and doesn’t cause him to be left behind in getting to work and earning a living.

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

I remember a lot of boondoggles also...
Just my opinion, based on research and facts. I'm not an environmental whacko however, which makes me open to being proven wrong... My opinions are valid, but anyone who wants to drive around in an electric vehicle pretending that it isn't actually harmful to the environment can do as they please...

Early cars had total loss dripping oiling systems and only went a couple miles per gallon at 15mph .. paved roads were few and far between and gas stations even less so.  Horses were cheaper & cleaner to produce and maintain than cars.. But I bet today you have 2x as many cars as you do horses at your house.

I know you are trying to couch this as some bold stance on the mining of heavy metals in Afghanistan or Bolivia or whatever, but you're just plain wrong

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Having said that, I wouldn't buy an electric bike that cost $30k with a 100mi range...  Luckily there are options already on the road that cost half as much with 30-50% longer range.  In 5 years? You'll be able to buy a new electric bike for $12k with a 200+mi range...  5 years after that you will have batteries that weigh half as much and use 90% less toxic stuff while carrying you 250++ miles. Or at the least convertible/recyclable enough to limit the use of the nasty stuff.

Perfect cant be the enemy of good, the tech is evolving so rapidly, the EV haters will be looking pretty silly by 2028 and beyond

[Tusayan]

I’ll look forward to quoting you on that in 2028. 

[Gliderjohn]

I am surprised that none of the electric cars have built in solar panels on the upper surfaces. There is now an electric powered glider that all upper wings and upper fuselage are solar panels and still has a 36 to 1 glide ratio. During most of a sunny day it can fly indefinitely at 80mph+.
A car sitting in a parking lot for 8+ hours ought to get a pretty goo charge.
GliderJohn

[oldbike54]

 <sigh>

 Same old silly argument .

 Look fellas , we are bouncing off of politics here , and I can hear the axes being put to the grindstone all the way out here in Oklahoma . Do we understand ?

 Dusty

[rocker59]

Early cars had total loss dripping oiling systems and only went a couple miles per gallon at 15mph .. 

Please provide a link to the early 1900s auto that returned 2 mpg at 15 mph.

I think you flipped your numbers and meant to type 15 mpg at 2 mph.  LOL.

And actually, the little two, three, and four cylinder engines most used were a lot more frugal than 15 mpg.

But yeah.  Total loss oiling was kind of crazy.  I guess it helped keep the dust down on the dirt roads, though.  LOL.

[Shorty]

 I remember a certain long time Guzzi guy telling us this .com thing would never catch on . Then there were The folks in 1890 that were convinced cars were a joke .

 Dusty

I got yer electric bikes hangin'                  

[oldbike54]

I got yer electric bikes hangin'                  

 Yep , seems your crystal ball is as inaccurate as mine is 

 Here is who I trust , Kevin Cameron , he laid out a timeline some years ago regarding E vehicles that so far has been pretty much spot on . Now some of you might be more intelligent and insightful than the august Mr Cameron , but for certain he has a superior grasp of technology than I do .

 Dusty

[Mayor_of_BBQ]

Point taken Big D

Its just frustrating, im sure these people thought "Why would anyone even need a computer in their home?!?!" "Who wants a big TV box in their house, they broadcast the news over the radio" "The internet is a lark" etc etc etc

[oldbike54]

 

Point taken Big D

Its just frustrating, im sure these people thought "Why would anyone even need a computer in their home?!?!" "Who wants a big TV box in their house, they broadcast the news over the radio" "The internet is a lark" etc etc etc

 Simplicity is a wonderful thing , and so is progress . I'm not an expert on any of this , but my engineer buds inform that E vehicles are actually more simple than ICE powered vehicles.

 Ah progress , where will we be in 20 years ?

 Dusty

[ozarquebus]

My crystal ball says we have reached the limit of battery development. It can only be refined and marginally improved from here.

 So until we can build a quantum physics subatomic battery, we are stuck within the limits of what a Lithium Ion battery can do.
 I think Mayor of BBQ has it right.  We will see a 200 mile range performance e-bike under $12,000 USD (pre inflation).
 

[JJ]

Just an observation....I am seeing more and more of these RAD-style electric bicycles up here on the road in Vortex-Land!

People are renting them...buying them...RIDING them...(just sayin'...)

https://www.radpowerbikes.com/pages/electric-bikes?b_adgroup=Rad%20Electric%20Bikes%20-%20Broad&b_adgroupid=1154487740690288&b_adid=72155580180584&b_campaign=B%20-%20Rad%20Power%20Bikes%20-%20Broad&b_campaignid=389466067&b_isproduct=&b_productid=&b_term=%2Brad%20%2Belectric%20%2Bbicycles&b_termid=kwd-72155907503269%3Aloc-190&msclkid=74052f39d70f113fcf9070aade13f65a&utm_campaign=B%20-%20Rad%20Power%20Bikes%20-%20Broad&utm_medium=Brand&utm_source=Bing%20Search