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[NEW2elec]

I'll play the pro Harley side real quick.  Lets write millennials off as the no money group that it is.  The customer is always right.  But you have to have money to be a customer.
So lets look at the baby boomers.  I've only had a handful of talks with Harley owners about, well anything really, but about my Zero and the LiveWire. 

There was a guy seeing my bike at the dealer and asking what it was. I told him it was electric and all the common answers about range and torque and feel.
And that was where he perked up.  He was a midlife first bike buyer not unlike myself but he was quick to admit how hard and uncomfortable riding his Harley was.
Said he couldn't feel his hands after a longer ride.  Also who really wants to shift all day if you don't need to.
So that's the key, it's easier and more simple to ride.  There is a group of people who's bodies are giving out on them and they think if I'll ever do it I need to do it soon.
The LiveWire makes that bucket list box of riding a Harley a doable thing.

It's like talking about all the other gripes of getting old.  It's one on one and in lower tones.  But you'd do well to listen.
Hey this new thing is so much easier on my, well everything, you got to get one too.
That's where the sales can and might come from.  Just have to sell a few first ones and let them talk.

[Crissa]

If their bodies are giving out, wouldn't they fit better in an Arcimoto instead?

But Harley does have that cachet, which is what I was thinking.

[Richard230]

I'll play the pro Harley side real quick.  Lets write millennials off as the no money group that it is.  The customer is always right.  But you have to have money to be a customer.
So lets look at the baby boomers.  I've only had a handful of talks with Harley owners about, well anything really, but about my Zero and the LiveWire. 

There was a guy seeing my bike at the dealer and asking what it was. I told him it was electric and all the common answers about range and torque and feel.
And that was where he perked up.  He was a midlife first bike buyer not unlike myself but he was quick to admit how hard and uncomfortable riding his Harley was.
Said he couldn't feel his hands after a longer ride.  Also who really wants to shift all day if you don't need to.
So that's the key, it's easier and more simple to ride.  There is a group of people who's bodies are giving out on them and they think if I'll ever do it I need to do it soon.
The LiveWire makes that bucket list box of riding a Harley a doable thing.

It's like talking about all the other gripes of getting old.  It's one on one and in lower tones.  But you'd do well to listen.
Hey this new thing is so much easier on my, well everything, you got to get one too.
That's where the sales can and might come from.  Just have to sell a few first ones and let them talk.

The problem is getting past the H-D lifestyle peer pressure.

[MikeL]

The problem is getting past the H-D lifestyle peer pressure.

The LiveWire doesn't really fit their standard demographic so does that still exist with that motorcycle?

Personally I'd take a LiveWire over any of their other bikes right now and I ride a Harley currently. But I also don't plan to do any long trips or cross country stuff. I mostly stay local here in the SF Bay Area. A lot of their riders do really long trips, I know a few myself who buy their giant touring bikes as they do multi-day adventures regularly. Mostly retired folk.

[NEW2elec]

You know I kind of get the long tour appeal for a retiree but I do wonder if those guys have ever known the happiness of shorter, but any time you want, riding.
Hopping on a smaller quick electric bike with no warm up or worries about adding miles toward the next oil change and value adjustment.  Doing short around town runs.
It is really nice.

[Richard230]

The problem is getting past the H-D lifestyle peer pressure.

The LiveWire doesn't really fit their standard demographic so does that still exist with that motorcycle?

Personally I'd take a LiveWire over any of their other bikes right now and I ride a Harley currently. But I also don't plan to do any long trips or cross country stuff. I mostly stay local here in the SF Bay Area. A lot of their riders do really long trips, I know a few myself who buy their giant touring bikes as they do multi-day adventures regularly. Mostly retired folk.

I am betting that peer pressure will exist at H-D dealerships and at H-D sponsored events.

[DonTom]

Personally I'd take a LiveWire over any of their other bikes right now and I ride a Harley currently.
 But I also don't plan to do any long trips or cross country stuff. I mostly stay local here in the SF Bay Area. A lot of their riders do really long trips, I know a few myself who buy their giant touring bikes as they do multi-day adventures regularly. Mostly retired folk.

That's not saying much as the LW is so opposite of any other Harley. But compared to other electric  bikes, would you consider the LW?

-Don-  Auburn, CA

[Richard230]

Personally I'd take a LiveWire over any of their other bikes right now and I ride a Harley currently.
 But I also don't plan to do any long trips or cross country stuff. I mostly stay local here in the SF Bay Area. A lot of their riders do really long trips, I know a few myself who buy their giant touring bikes as they do multi-day adventures regularly. Mostly retired folk.

That's not saying much as the LW is so opposite of any other Harley. But compared to other electric  bikes, would you consider the LW?

-Don-  Auburn, CA

I would consider it if the price was at least $10,000 lower.

[BigPoppa]

You know I kind of get the long tour appeal for a retiree but I do wonder if those guys have ever known the happiness of shorter, but any time you want, riding.
Hopping on a smaller quick electric bike with no warm up or worries about adding miles toward the next oil change and value adjustment.  Doing short around town runs.
It is really nice.

Agreed...this aspect keeps me reaching for the keys for my electric over my gas bike except for when I was considering making a ride from NorCal to SoCal recently (ended up driving my car though).

[BigPoppa]

Personally I'd take a LiveWire over any of their other bikes right now and I ride a Harley currently.
 But I also don't plan to do any long trips or cross country stuff. I mostly stay local here in the SF Bay Area. A lot of their riders do really long trips, I know a few myself who buy their giant touring bikes as they do multi-day adventures regularly. Mostly retired folk.

That's not saying much as the LW is so opposite of any other Harley. But compared to other electric  bikes, would you consider the LW?

-Don-  Auburn, CA

I would consider it if the price was at least $10,000 lower.

Yep...I would even consider it at a $5k reduction although it would have to drop to the $22k mark before I would be tempted to buy it. It's a moot point now though since I'm completely happy with my Energica.

[Doug S]

But compared to other electric  bikes, would you consider the LW?

I doubt many of us, if any, would. But we're informed shoppers -- we know electric bikes. Harley fans have a vague idea that maybe there are other motorcycle manufacturers out there, but they'd have a hard time naming any.

[DonTom]

I would consider it if the price was at least $10,000 lower.

While 20K$ would be a reasonable price, I would still pay more to  take any of the Energicas over it just for the charging being twice the speed
on both level two and three.

BTW, AC power has been out in Auburn all day, so I rode back here to Reno. I took the Moto Guzzi since it has an 8.5 gallon (and was full)  tank. But gas stations were open at Cisco Grove East.

I see they still have not fixed this forum.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[MikeL]

That's not saying much as the LW is so opposite of any other Harley. But compared to other electric  bikes, would you consider the LW?

-Don-  Auburn, CA

I mean, I like the Zero SR/F more than the other Zero's but I have yet to ride it. The lack of level 3 bothers me. I've yet to see or ride an Energica. In all honesty I like the styling on the LiveWire more than most other electrics on the market.

Happy to admit specs are not as good as some others - but damn I'm a sucker for a good looking bike. Which is subjective, I know.

[DonTom]

I mean, I like the Zero SR/F more than the other Zero's but I have yet to ride it. The lack of level 3 bothers me. I've yet to see or ride an Energica. In all honesty I like the styling on the LiveWire more than most other electrics on the market.

Happy to admit specs are not as good as some others - but damn I'm a sucker for a good looking bike. Which is subjective, I know.

I did a test ride on it. It's very fast, but also very uncomfortable to me. Foot pegs up way too high and it has a sporty ride position so one's head has to be lifted up a bit.

While I prefer good looking bikes, I would rather ride them than look at them. We cannot see our own bikes while we ride.

Besides, I like the looks of all the Energicas  best of all. Especially the red 2020 Ego. But I am not a sport rider. I ride more like a little old lady and the Esse Esse 9 is more than fast enough for me. I don't even bother with using the sport mode with it.

-Don-  Reno, NV

[Crissa]

If the gas stations are running, you can charge your bike!

I think that's a good point; the electrics are the next thing and the Harley demographic is aging.  That can come together very powerfully.

-Crissa