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[Ascanio]

I just dropped by the Savannah HD dealer and they told me they are not certified either to sell or service the Livewire.
That means that the closest dealer and service is in Jacksonville, FL, some 130 miles away.
That means I anything happens I’d have to use the once per year AAA 200 mile tow.

Does anyone live with a Livewire so far from their shop?

[DonTom]

I just dropped by the Savannah HD dealer and they told me they are not certified either to sell or service the Livewire.
That means that the closest dealer and service is in Jacksonville, FL, some 130 miles away.
That means I anything happens I’d have to use the once per year AAA 200 mile tow.

Does anyone live with a Livewire so far from their shop?

I wouldn't be concerned with the distance. It's probably unlikely for anything to go wrong on the LW. It sure looks very well built.  But the LW is far from the type of electric bike I would want anyway. No reverse, no level two charging, no centerstand, few options available. Slow to charge even on CCS.


FWIW, I have my Energica Experia on order. They have a dealer in Orlando. How far are you from Orlando?


Or are you firm set on the LW?  I realize we all want different bikes for different reasons, but the LW would be last on my list for an electric bike.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Ascanio]

Thanks for the reply.

I know there are other options, but I am tied to the HD brand.
To be more precise I am tied to Eric Buell, and would have loved to get his Fuell EV motorcycle, but that doesn’t appear to be happening. The next best thing for me is HD.

If I had a magic wand and a longer commute I’d go for a Street Glide with the magnificent 114 engine, I am 6’4” so that still feels like a small bike to me! It rides like a cloud.

Having a 7-minute commute anything I use with an ICE is going to age poorly, used mostly while the oil is cold. So I’d rather go electric.

I don’t need performance, I don’t need luggage capacity, I don’t need longer range.
I want to ride with style and pride, and that to me is an HD-branded original 2020 Livewire
I also find it to have very similar proportions to my Buell XB12X Ulysses after I transformed it into a tall Lightning.

It’s like love, you can’t rationalize it! Haha

[DonTom]

Thanks for the reply.

I know there are other options, but I am tied to the HD brand.
To be more precise I am tied to Eric Buell, and would have loved to get his Fuell EV motorcycle, but that doesn’t appear to be happening. The next best thing for me is HD.

If I had a magic wand and a longer commute I’d go for a Street Glide with the magnificent 114 engine, I am 6’4” so that still feels like a small bike to me! It rides like a cloud.

Having a 7-minute commute anything I use with an ICE is going to age poorly, used mostly while the oil is cold. So I’d rather go electric.

I don’t need performance, I don’t need luggage capacity, I don’t need longer range.
I want to ride with style and pride, and that to me is an HD-branded original 2020 Livewire
I also find it to have very similar proportions to my Buell XB12X Ulysses after I transformed it into a tall Lightning.

It’s like love, you can’t rationalize it! Haha

Okay, seems like you know what you want.  I just wanted to make sure you knew there were many brands to choose from. I didn't even know Energica existed before joining this forum and it's my favorite bike for most of my rides. And now I am buying their newest model. I should have it in around a month or so, I think. They told me September for sure--but that didn't happen. I ordered it the first minute possible on June 1.


I did a test ride on the HD LW. I wasn't real crazy about its comfort, but it wasn't too bad. The bike did look better to me than the photos, the quality seemed quite high, just wasn't my type of bike for the reasons I previously explained.


I own a HD RoadGlide Ultra with the 107 CI (1,753CC) engine. It's the most comply bike I own and it sure has a nice feel to it. I am 6 feet and one inch tall. 


Yeah, I understand about being like "love". How else can I justify my (soon) 11 motorcycles?  I cannot even see trading any in as long as I have the room.


I assume you know the formula for how many motorcycles we should own. It's "N+1". "N" represents the number we currently own. So I am one short by only owning ten.


For a seven-minute commute, I would take my Zero DS. But I often ride between my home here and my other in Auburn, CA. I usually take my Energica and get a free CCS charge at Donner Summit (7,240' elevation). Perfect place for me to charge up. My new bike should be able to make the entire trip on a home charge, but I will probably charge to 80% anyway at the same place during that trip.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[NEW2elec]

Looks like you're actually lucky.  The next closest is in Conyers.  I'm about an hour away from WOW in Marietta but that's fixed with my truck.

I don't know how long HD will really support these bikes with Livewire branched off now. 
The real question is do you really like riding?  I mean if you have a couple hours of free time would you honestly think I'm going to go ride?

I love my Zeros but they drop in value quick and the only way to recoup some of that is to put the miles on them which is cheaper than a gas bike.
But hey life is short and if you want one grab it if you can ship it off if needed.

[DonTom]

I love my Zeros but they drop in value quick and the only way to recoup some of that is to put the miles on them which is cheaper than a gas bike.

One more way. Never sell motor vehicles. Keep them until they need to be junked. I couldn't care less if the value of a new bike I buy is down at two cents the very next day.


I still ride my 1971 BMW R-75/5 that I purchased new in 1971.  I know many others who have sold their airheads.  Everyone one of them says they wish they kept it.


I never lost a cent from selling a motorcycle. That's because I never have and probably never will.


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Ascanio]

That’s a good point.
In Italy I have my Buell XB12X Ulysses that I converted to a Lightning (minus the ride height), which I have owned since 2019. Chose it because of love: a modern looking bike with an old school chopper sound (when you keep it under 4000rpm). Rode it like I stole it in the mountains, would only sweat when competing with GS1200’s. I started getting wise (or aware of my limits and the risks on the road), I only use it for lazy holiday trips around Italy now in the Summer. Never going to sell it, although contrary to US, in Italy we have a terrible tax on vehicle possession, about 100 USD per year, and have to keep it insured even if stored for long periods, unless it’s certified to NOT be roadworthy, sitting at a shop for example).

This is even worse for my car in Italy, a Mazda MX5 with Porsche kind of money thrown in to make it ride better than a Porsche. It’s collecting dust and sucks 2k per year between insurance and taxes.

Honestly I don’t know how long I will be in the States, or whether it would make sense to export a bike I purchase here, when I leave. Tax and duties are only waived on one vehicle and that will be the BMW Z4 M I got Stateside (which would make a lot more sense to own in Italy where I can drive it like I stole it, and frankly can easily find access to much better mechanics than what I have experienced in Savannah up to now… which is an issue given the extra maintenance that the S54 engine requires).

[Ascanio]

The point being… I normally plan on keeping vehicles until they are done. Then I replace the engine and keep them going even further. So resale value is not a factor for me, normally.
But I wouldn’t want to keep an EV for more than a couple years, then move on to something with a fresh battery

[DonTom]

But I wouldn’t want to keep an EV for more than a couple years, then move on to something with a fresh battery

I dont understand why. My 2017 Zero SR has as much range today as the day I purchased it.


Or perhaps there is a range difference of ten feet or so, but I wouldn't notice.


My Zero DS has more range today than the day I purchased it. But that is because the 6.5KWH battery was replaced with a 7.2 KWH battery during the warranty period. The 6.5 KWH battery crapped out in it.


Seems to me most Zero battery failures happen during the warranty period.


The way the LW battery is babied with very low charge rates, it should last forever and a day. Also, IIRC, the LW peak capacity is way above the nominal capacity when compared to other bikes.


I normally charge my Energica to 100% SOC. Still as good as new. I charged it to full on the free CCS charger 50 miles (80 KM) east of here today. I also left Reno. NV with a charge to 100% SOC. Charges a lot faster than a LW, no matter which method is used.


-Don-  Auburn, CA

[ADVENTURESonZERO]

My dealer is about 160 miles away - never been an issue

[Oldun]

My dealer is 305 km from where I live and I can get there with 1 highspeed charge en route, or one overnight charge at our near-the-river 'shed' (kinda like a cabin, but more spartan :-) ).   

[DonTom]

My dealer is 305 km from where I live and I can get there with 1 highspeed charge en route, or one overnight charge at our near-the-river 'shed' (kinda like a cabin, but more spartan :-) ).

But that does little good if you need service where they need to keep the bike there for a few days. Then what do you do?


-Don-  Reno, NV

[Day Trippin]

I have about 3k miles on my LW in the past 2 months of ownership. The only issue I've experienced that requires a dealer is the delamination of the display. This is a cosmetic issue more than a functional issue. Seems to be a pretty common issue. Basically it makes the display look like there is a bubble under a screen protector.

Other than that, the bike has been awesome. That issue is just annoying more than anything. The fact that the display can tilt helps with the issue to make it less noticeable and in general to find a position where there isn't any glare.

I think HD has been very honest on the estimate range. In city usage I am getting about 150 miles if I were to charge it fully and run to 0%. I never do that as it is bad for the battery but it can definitely do it and that is a lot of hard launches.

On the highway, pretty close to 80 miles at pretty high speed (70+). It will easily hit 115mph and then dial back to 110 for sustained max speed. It will pretty much stay there until. you exhaust the battery assuming you have a place you can run that speed for about 40 miles.

I don't think it is the ideal touring electric motorcycle but I am pretty good for about 2 hours in the saddle. Let room is a bit tight but pretty much everything else works well for me. It is one of the few bikes I've owned in my lifetime that I'd buy again if something happened to it. I rode the Zeros and Energicas spent my money on the LiveWire. Cost wasn't a factor for any of them. For me the HD worked the best for my intended use. This is also one of the few bikes I've owned that I like it the more miles I put on it.

[Eicas]

I had a Buell XB123Ss that I sold to get an electric bike.  Looked at the Livewire and liked it but it was a bit too pricey at the time and I was not sure how well or how long Harley would support it so ended up getting a Zero SR/S that has proven to be very satisfactory after 1.5 years.  No regrets.

Personally I would not get any bike or car if I could not count on full support close to home.  After all, they are man made machines an may/will eventually fail () and without proper tech supports and parts chances of fixing them can be rather iffy.  My Zero dealer is only about 15 miles away and has trained technicians available if I need it, and there is another dealer about 50 miles away.  That (and cost & commitment) is why I bought the Zero instead of any other electric motorcycle.  I have had a lot of bikes and cars and have kept them for an average of well over 10 years and have always ended up needing local tech support every once in a while.  Just my take on this subject.