ElectricMotorcycleForum.com
Makes And Models => Harley LiveWire Forum => Topic started by: Richard230 on July 17, 2019, 04:02:04 AM
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Motorcycle.com rides and reviews the 2020 H-D livewire. Lots of interesting information about the Livewire in this review. The bike gets severely downgraded in their test score for having very poor value. Gee, I could have told them that: ;)
https://www.motorcycle.com/manufacturer/harley-davidson/2020-harley-davidson-livewire-review-first-ride.html
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Really nice looking bike!
But, reading the specs in the linked article I see: Battery Lithium Ion, 12.8V , 24 Wh, 120 A
:o HD went for a 12V nominal battery for this 549lb machine?
Or is that the "auxiliary" battery for the bike?
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That's the thing that powers the lights and the USB ports and stuff.
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At least Motorcycle.com and MotorcycleDaily.com have fairly accurate reviews. Most other reviews appear to be written by folks who haven't ridden the LiveWire's main competition (SR/F and Energicas) and are fawning all over it like it's the greatest thing since sliced bread.
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That's the thing that powers the lights and the USB ports and stuff.
So, the main battery voltage is not listed in the specs.
The capacity is but not the voltage. Wonder why: not to scare the un-initiated on EV technology maybe?
Whatever the reason, they are not the only ones doing it but makes you wonder what is the deal with that.
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For the most part knowing the voltage range is unimportant other than it being over 200V so it works on CCS. Presumably, like the Energica bikes, the LiveWire operates somewhere above 200V. Zeros operate between 95-116.4 and the Lightning Strike operates around 150, so neither of those can be used with CCS currently.
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For the most part knowing the voltage range is unimportant other than it being over 200V so it works on CCS. Presumably, like the Energica bikes, the LiveWire operates somewhere above 200V. Zeros operate between 95-116.4 and the Lightning Strike operates around 150, so neither of those can be used with CCS currently.
I thought I remembered seeing somewhere that the battery was ~100Ah capacity? At 15kWh, that wouldn't be over 200V. Maybe I'm not remembering correctly. I just looked again and the 12V battery spec almost fooled me, so I may have looked at it wrong before.
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The Livewire has about 300 volts, or so I been told.
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Why do they even put the 12 volt battery in the specs anyway? It is of no consequence to anything important.
The main battery on the other hand is, if nothing else to compare with other bikes and to determine the charging capabilities.
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The only way to know the capacity of these is to actually do measurements if and when bikes come out. This means a 0-100% fill with a kill-a-watt meter attached. Also measure the voltage at 0% SOC vs 100% SOC. I wouldn't be surprised if H-D never publicly releases these figures.
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The only way to know the capacity of these is to actually do measurements if and when bikes come out. This means a 0-100% fill with a kill-a-watt meter attached. Also measure the voltage at 0% SOC vs 100% SOC. I wouldn't be surprised if H-D never publicly releases these figures.
You may recall that historically H-D never seems to release horsepower figures for their ICE models. Just torque numbers. So I wouldn't be surprised if they are going to be secretive about the specifications of their battery pack and maybe other things too that they would rather not compare with other bikes in the EV market. ;)
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I used to make and sell things to H-D; I'm aware how they do things. I have no interest in doing business with them at any point going forward.
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You may recall that historically H-D never seems to release horsepower figures for their ICE models. Just torque numbers. So I wouldn't be surprised if they are going to be secretive about the specifications of their battery pack and maybe other things too that they would rather not compare with other bikes in the EV market. ;)
I don't see why they would want to keep battery voltage a secret. I think they simply figure we have no need to know. BTW, does Zero say their battery voltage anywhere in their advertisements or elsewhere?
We do know the most important thing about the HD battery, the KWH, which is more battery than I expected.
Beside, we can easily measure the battery voltage. The KWH isn't all that easy for us to measure.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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Well it is fairly easy, but they have to deliver one first.
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Well it is fairly easy, but they have to deliver one first.
Yep. And I think it was exactly the same with the Zero Motorcycles. The riders get that type of info.
-Don- Auburn, CA
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Well it is fairly easy, but they have to deliver one first.
Yep. And I think it was exactly the same with the Zero Motorcycles. The riders get that type of info.
-Don- Auburn, CA
And that is how H-D motorcycle horsepower is determined. Someone (typically a magazine road tester) put them on a rear wheel dyno and measured it. ;) Who knows why H-D does things other than they typically keep doing the same things over and over again. ::) Marketing the Livewire is going to be a education for the motor company. :)
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Here is a long review of the LiveWire by Revzilla: https://www.revzilla.com/common-tread/2020-harley-davidson-livewire-first-ride
I note that they even mention the fact that H-D specifies the LiveWire's peak power and they agree with my recollection that the motor company has never done that before. ;)
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Today the Harley circus was up at Alice's Restaurant, located in the Santa Cruz Mountains, south of San Francisco, offering test rides of their big-twin lineup. Needless to say I asked the H-D rep if they had a LiveWire to ride. Not surprisingly he said that they didn't and that this function was only about their ICE models. However, he did mention that a LiveWire test ride program was roving around at other locations of the U.S. He thought that this weekend H-D was offering test rides of the LiveWire in Houston, TX. Something to keep an eye out for just in case that LiveWire truck hits your neighborhood. ;)
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Here is another video review of the production 2020 LiveWire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXP965D5DDw
and I bet there will be a lot more on the internet soon. ;)
And here is one more. I find it interesting that the H-D staff person who was leading the magazine reviewers during the LiveWire's introduction in Portland, OR, was riding on one of their ICE big twin baggers and not a LiveWire: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IG4-i34WFWE
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That first video with the London guy had nothing good to say about the Zero SR he road a couple years ago. Teaspoon handles and useless brakes? What does that even mean? The brakes on my dsr are amazing!
Can't wait for a shootout between the SR/F and Livewire, but not by this gentleman!
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That first video with the London guy had nothing good to say about the Zero SR he road a couple years ago. Teaspoon handles and useless brakes? What does that even mean? The brakes on my dsr are amazing!
Can't wait for a shootout between the SR/F and Livewire, but not by this gentleman!
I agree. Perhaps he rode an earlier model Zero with the Fast Ace suspension and a Power Tank? Those comments would then make sense. ???