Harley-Davidson LiveWire production and deliveries stopped
In a surprising turn of events, Harley-Davidson has temporarily stopped the production and deliveries of its first electric motorcycle, the LiveWire. The company had recently commenced the deliveries of the USD 29,799 (INR 21.29 lakh – as per conversion rate on 15 October 2019) product. While it maintains that it is safe to ride the motorcycle, it has recommended charging at Harley-Davidson dealerships.
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The company said in a statement:
As we lead in the electrification of motorcycles, we have delivered our first LiveWire motorcycles to authorized LiveWire dealers. We recently discovered a non-standard condition during a final quality check; stopped production and deliveries; and began additional testing and analysis, which is progressing well. We are in close contact with our LiveWire dealers and customers and have assured them they can continue to ride LiveWire motorcycles. As usual, we’re keeping high quality as our top priority.
The company has ambitious plans to expand its product portfolio with its “More Roads to Harley-Davidson” strategy. The electric motorcycle made its India debut in August this year. The LiveWire is also listed under the Future Products on the company’s Indian website and will arrive in our market in 2020.
The first electric vehicle from the American brand features a 15.5 kWh battery pack with fast charging capabilities, and it is claimed to recharge to 80% in just 40 minutes (full recharge takes an hour) through a DC fast charger. The standard AC-powered wall-charger, on the other hand, takes a considerably longer, 12 hours 30 minutes to fully recharge the battery pack. A full charge is claimed to deliver a range of 235 km.
The feature list of the motorcycle includes full-LED lighting and 4.3-inch TFT display. Shock absorption tasks are performed by 43 mm inverted Showa Separate Function Big Piston front fork and Showa Balance Free Rear Cushion-lite mono-shock – both adjustable. Anchoring department comprises twin 300 mm discs with 4 piston radially-mounted callipers at the front and a 260 mm disc with a floating calliper at the rear.
In terms of performance, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire is claimed produce 105 hp of peak power and 116 Nm of maximum torque. The motorcycle boasts a top speed of 110 mph (117 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (0-96 km/h) acceleration time of 3.0 seconds. The power can be used through 7 riding modes – Sport, Road, Rain, Range and three custom modes. The Reflex Defensive Rider Systems (RDRS) electronic aids include Cornering Traction Control System (C-TCS), Cornering Anti-lock Braking System (C-ABS), Drag-Torque Slip Control System (DSCS) and Rear Wheel Lift Mitigation.
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The company should fix the issue and commence production and deliveries soon. There is no official timeline available yet.