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[Ascanio]

Good afternoon fellas!

I am looking to purchase a Livewire, and am trying to understand the pros and cons of getting a new 2020 HD Livewire instead of a new 2022 Livewire One.

The two bikes are NOT the same, as clearly pointed out by the spec sheets (2020 HD Livewire vs 2022 Livewire One):
- 105 HP vs 100 HP
- 86 lb-ft vs 84 lb-ft
- 15.5 kWh vs 15.4 kWh
- 549 lbs vs 562 lbs

If my experience in the automotive industry tells me anything, there are two very conflicting arguments about old vs new:
- it's likely that the 2022 bike has received redesigns to iron out any major mechanical and electronic issues.
- it's likely that the 2022 bike has undergone considerable "value optimization" (cost engineering), stripping it of features/components/materials, or replacing them with less expensive alternatives, even to the point of reducing performance and/or quality.

This is something that happens with all mass-produced vehicles through their life cycle: a reason why usually it's best to purchase a vehicle 12-18 months after it's initial launch, to get a revision that has its initial kinks ironed out but hasn't been cannibalized by cost engineers yet.

I have read a lot about the 2020 HD Livewire's initial electronic problems, and confirmed with an HD dealership manager: some bikes had a bad transformer that would lock down upon charging the bike from a home outlet, but the problem has been fixed with replacement PCBs and is covered under warranty.

Price-wise it's seems like HD Livewire and Livewire One are aligned (some HD dealerships are trying to get rid of their stock and have dropped the price down to the LW One level in an attempt to do so).

I'm wondering if the HD Livewire will better retain its value, since there are only so many on the road. It looks like it's cheaper to get a new one than a second hand one at the moment.
I'm also wondering whether I'd get better warranty coverage and service if I purchased it through HD rather than LiveWire?

What do you guys, and gals, think?

[ADVENTURESonZERO]

I went with the 2020 ELW purely because it was a Harley-Davidson.

[DonTom]

I went with the 2020 ELW purely because it was a Harley-Davidson.

I wonder how much extra you paid for the HD name . . .


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[hotsauce]

I went with the 2020 ELW purely because it was a Harley-Davidson.

I wonder how much extra you paid for the HD name . . .


-Don-  Auburn, CA

About $10,000, apparently

[Sam101]

Hello there,

Maybe the author of the original post may have already solved their problem, I would like to provide some useful information about LiveWire
https://yourmotobro.com/harley-davidson-livewire/

[ADVENTURESonZERO]

I went with the 2020 ELW purely because it was a Harley-Davidson.

I wonder how much extra you paid for the HD name . . .


-Don-  Auburn, CA

I didn't pay any extra, bought a brand new HDLW at the same price point as a brand new LW1