Earlier than I actually dig into this, I wish to state one thing very instantly. On the entire, I like EV bikes. I’ve ridden fairly a couple of, and I’ve discovered one thing to get pleasure from about each single one.
Are they excellent? No, however neither are gas-powered bikes. In reality, one factor they’ve in widespread is that I normally discover issues to each get pleasure from and to be irritated by, to various levels, about each genres of bike. That is actually simply life, is not it? Discovering what you want most, and what gives the degrees of compromises you may personally dwell with.
However whereas the hopeful a part of me very a lot needs to see a utopian future the place we’re all in a position to zoom about on no matter bikes we like, powered by no matter means we deem acceptable for our functions on the time, the sensible a part of me can be not blind to issues, each evident and potential.
So whereas it is disappointing that the US Division of Transportation suspended funding to the Nationwide Electrical Automobile Infrastructure program in February, it is also not stunning except you have not been paying any consideration. I am scripting this in the course of Might, which implies it has been about three months (give or take) since this suspension occurred. Sorry, however that is additionally not sufficient time to completely account for the injury that is accrued over the previous handful of years.
Why do I convey this timing up? As a result of through the Harley-Davidson annual shareholders’ assembly in Might, the model’s CEO and LiveWire Group chairman Jochen Zeitz blamed a scarcity of charging infrastructure, and slower-than-expected EV adoption, for LiveWire’s ongoing woes.
And whereas these issues definitely have not helped, they’re removed from the corporate’s solely issues. I say that each as somebody who appreciates EV bikes for what they’re and the place they may probably go, in addition to somebody who’s been keeping track of LiveWire gross sales for the reason that model has existed.
As such, he misses loads of the nuance of the state of affairs. So, let’s get into it.
1. Price
When Harley-Davidson launched its very first LiveWire EV motorbike, most of those that rode it thought it was loads of enjoyable. As I’ve mentioned earlier than and can little question say once more, there’s one thing about immediately out there prime torque that places a silly grin in your face, at any pace. Add in these gentle speeder noises you may solely get from EVs, and there is positively a robust enchantment for some riders.
Solely (or major) hassle was, the unique Harley-Davidson LiveWire was priced far too excessive for the youths that Harley hoped to rope into the fold with its slick new product.
In case you have not seen, successive generations of youngsters since Gen X have not precisely been all proper, financially talking. Positive, there are belief fund youngsters, however these are outliers, and are not how most of us dwell our lives. As an alternative, we have grown up in instances of huge financial uncertainty, recessions, housing crises, ballooning pupil debt crises, and extra; typically properly earlier than we might start to hit all these pesky grownup milestones that value untold (and shortly multiplying) quantities of money.
There isn’t any quantity of forgoing a latte or an avocado toast that may make up for all that, nor conveniently add as much as spare funds for an almost $30,000 EV motorbike.
In case you’ve got forgotten, the unique MSRP of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire was $29,799 at its debut simply 5 years in the past. Adjusted for inflation, the US Bureau of Labor Statistics Inflation Calculator tells me that is equal to $37,055.99 in April 2025 cash. Woof.
I do not find out about you, however I definitely did not have a spare $30K mendacity round for a brand new motorbike in 2020, and I positively haven’t got a spare $38K mendacity round for a brand new motorbike in 2025. And whereas I am positive that somebody does, I am additionally moderately positive they are a) not the youths that Harley hoped to reel in, and b) since they’re seemingly older, they’re in all probability much less more likely to wish to purchase an EV motorbike within the first place. An EV automobile, possibly; however an EV motorbike? That is a giant (and distinctly completely different) ask.
In reality, if we’re speaking about comparative EV automobile pricing in 2025, it is in all probability price noting that the MSRP of a model new 2025 Nissan Leaf begins at $28,140, or about $5K greater than a brand new LiveWire ONE. Desire a 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV as a substitute? That begins at an MSRP of $33,600, which continues to be lower than what the OG worth of the Harley-Davidson LiveWire from 2020 would value as we speak if adjusted for inflation.
Now, to be honest, Harley did notice that its preliminary LiveWire pricing was an issue. That is why, when it spun LiveWire off into its personal firm, it additionally dropped the worth on what was primarily a refined model of the OG LiveWire by about $10,000. Whereas an MSRP nearer to $20,000 was definitely much more affordable than $30,000, there are nonetheless an terrible lot of different bikes you could possibly purchase for that cash, together with top-of-the-line choices from the EV motorbike granddaddy within the US, Zero.
Quick-forward nearer to the current, and LiveWire’s extra inexpensive S2 vary, they usually’re nonetheless all at the very least $16K. The LiveWire ONE is now again as much as $23K on the time of writing, as properly.
As we collectively totter getting ready to a will-we, received’t-we international recession in Might, lots of people are being very cautious about how we spend our cash proper now. That is only a reality.
2. Availability, Consistency, and Uncertainty Concerning the Future
When Harley-Davidson first launched the LiveWire EV undertaking, the preliminary plan was for its EV line to be bought in present Harley dealerships. There have been a number of issues with this which can be straightforward to determine in hindsight, in fact, however that additionally in all probability should not have been very troublesome to foretell if anybody had spent a lot time enthusiastic about the rollout forward of time.
For one factor, when folks go to a Harley-Davidson dealership, they achieve this as a result of they wish to try the bikes that Harley is understood for. McDonald’s, Chipotle, and Starbucks are all massively in style chains, however you do not go to Starbucks and ask for 1 / 4 pounder with cheese, you realize?
Once more, as soon as Harley realized that this placement was an issue, it re-evaluated and reconsidered the way it needed to place LiveWire because it spun the model off into its personal entity. Slowly, it started to ascertain devoted LiveWire showrooms, starting in California and steadily increasing to places across the US. Finally, LiveWire additionally expanded to Europe, the place each governmental and public sentiment towards EVs is rather more optimistic, and continues to increase extra quickly.
However LiveWire did not do that till three whole years into its existence, and once more, pricing in all probability is not serving to issues any.
Then, for example you do hop on board with LiveWire, and also you plunk down your chilly, arduous money (or financing; nevertheless you roll) to convey residence your LiveWire ONE or chosen S2 variant. LiveWire has the would possibly of Harley-Davidson behind it, form of, so it’d appear to be on extra stable floor by way of “will it nonetheless be round to service my bike in 5 years” than most startups. That, I will grant you.
However if you happen to’ve been across the motorbike trade for a couple of minutes, you already know that Harley has a sure historical past with non-Harley motorbike initiatives it is taken beneath its wing. MV Agusta. Alta. Buell.
3. Harley’s “Let’s Have Our Cake And Eat It, Too” LiveWire Method
What do I imply by this? Regardless of how you’re feeling about Harley-Davidson, there is not any denying that it is a model with huge worldwide recognition. To succeed in comparable ranges of name recognition in far-flung locations, you normally should be in a Mickey Mouse or possibly a Mario costume. Even individuals who’ve by no means ridden a motorbike and should by no means journey a motorbike know what Harley-Davidson is.
However longtime Harley followers principally like what they like, they usually know what they like. Whereas there are seemingly some exceptions who may be occupied with an EV produced by Harley, they’re decidedly within the minority. No group is a monolith, so there are all the time outliers. However the overwhelming majority simply need their Highway Glide or Fats Boy or are glad to purchase and customise an outdated Sportster, please and thanks.
On the similar time, if you happen to’re the kind of youthful rider who has a chip in your shoulder about non-riders unexpectedly lumping all bikes into the nebulous classes of “Harleys” (that means all cruisers, Harley or in any other case) and “crotch rockets” (that means all the things else, whether or not it is a sportbike or not), then it is true that you simply may be extra open to the idea of an EV motorbike.
However will you need one made by Harley? That is a tougher query. Perhaps, but in addition possibly not, relying on how you’re feeling about no matter psychological baggage you would possibly affiliate with the picture of Harley-Davidson that many years of in style tradition solely continues to bolster. If Sons of Anarchy simply completely made you cringe, then in all probability not.
Once more, that is one other a part of why Harley spun LiveWire off into its personal model. However by that point, was the injury already executed?
4. Charging Technique/Lack of Charging Infrastructure
The unique Harley-Davidson LiveWire and the following LiveWire ONE had one critical benefit over most of their premium EV motorbike competitors: DC quick charging functionality. See, Zero Bikes has lengthy held that Stage 2 charging makes essentially the most sense for its bikes, as a result of then riders can extra simply cost each at residence, and at L2 chargers within the areas they frequent.
As a really excessive instance, if you happen to’ve been following motovlogger and round-the-world traveler Marc Travels on his international journey on a Zero SR/F, you’ve got seen that he is managed to make it work nearly all over the place he goes with the assistance of the adapters he carries in his baggage. However he is the exception, not the rule.
As a part of its try to rein in prices and provide extra inexpensive bikes to its clients, LiveWire’s S2 fashions additionally use Stage 2 charging. This leads to decrease MSRPs, however it additionally has implications for the way, when, the place, and how briskly riders can cost their bikes. Whereas I have not ridden a LiveWire S2 in Chicago but, I can inform you from my experiences on one other Zero SR/F that if you happen to’re within the metropolis itself, Stage 2 charging is plentiful.
However if you happen to begin to transcend stop-and-go commuting and attempt to have extra spirited, enjoyable rides together with your EV motorbike that makes use of Stage 2 charging, in the end (and doubtless sooner, let’s be sincere), you are going to have to recharge when you’re out. Which is the place vary anxiousness and/or the necessity to sit in place for a few hours if you would like a full cost come into play.
In the event you had been planning to cease for a few hours for lunch, that is fantastic. However if you happen to simply needed to get a fast chew after which get again on the highway to munch these miles and actually thrash these curves, it is a main downside.
It is not, as I mentioned, solely a LiveWire downside, both. Somewhat, it is a case the place, if you happen to’re making an attempt to do extra than simply commute on a motorbike, the mixture of battery and charging expertise simply is not the place it must be to make it each sensible and fairly priced on the similar time. The Zero SR/F I used to be fortunately driving for round a yr was nice enjoyable to journey spiritedly, and it carried out properly. However on the similar time, I needed to be very strategic about how I rode it, in addition to once I stopped to prime it up, so I knew that I might get residence with no points.
Though I dwell and primarily journey in probably the most closely populated metropolitan areas of the nation, the additional you get away from the town limits of Chicago (and simply so we’re clear, additional away is the place the enjoyable roads are), the less and additional between these Stage 2 EV charging stations are. And that is to say nothing of the utter catastrophe that’s needing to have an app for each EV charging station ecosystem as a substitute of merely paying together with your credit score or debit card, such as you do if you put gasoline in your ICE bike.
Who has the time or endurance? EV charging infrastructure is totally a major downside for LiveWire; it is simply that it is not the one one, and it is foolish to fake that it’s.
5. LiveWire’s Quarterly Gross sales Figures Have By no means Been Nice
A number of publications have posted headlines noting the 33 whole LiveWire bikes that the corporate managed to promote throughout Q1 of 2025. However the reality is, this is not even the one worst quarter the corporate has had by way of gross sales (although, to be honest, it’s presently tied with one other earlier quarter as having the worst models bought quantity since LiveWire began issuing separate monetary studies).
To present credit score the place it is due, LiveWire did lose considerably much less cash than it is reported in earlier monetary studies, in order that has to rely for one thing.
However anyway, listed here are these quarterly LiveWire gross sales figures for the previous couple of years. Hover over any of the quarterly figures to see the overall quantity for that quarter pop up on display screen.
Now, since LiveWire was spun off into its personal firm, the StaCyc stability bike firm (you realize, for teenagers) has been grouped along with LiveWire for monetary reporting functions. Nevertheless, till Q2 of 2024, StaCyc’s numbers of models bought weren’t reported individually from LiveWire’s; solely revenues, income, and different financial figures had been. Therefore, the considerably unusual bar graph you see above.
As you may see, LiveWire’s single greatest quarter to this point, by way of variety of models bought, was This autumn of 2023. For that quarter, it recorded a complete of 514 bikes bought, which the monetary report of that point credit to the introduction of the S2 Del Mar. Whereas LiveWire clearly hoped that the introduction of the primary S2 mannequin would sign an upswing in motorbike gross sales, that has to this point not materialized on the time of writing.
In Q2 of 2023, LiveWire additionally bought a dismal 33 whole bikes. Will Q2 of 2025 be higher? Unclear.
6. The Competitors
Photograph by: Maeving
Till it entered liquidation earlier this yr, Energica was one in all three premium EV motorbike producers scrapping for a similar slice of riders with LiveWire and Zero, at the very least within the US.
Nevertheless, towards the top of 2024, British EV motorbike maker Maeving expanded from Britain to the US, and its fashionable RM1S gives comparable specs (at the very least, on paper) to the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, beginning at a way more approachable $9,995. Extra just lately, its limited-edition, head-turning Blackout RM1S got here on the scene for $11,495, which continues to be much less money than any LiveWire S2 bike presently in the marketplace.
Positive, there are a number of different EV scooters and bikes in the marketplace (suppose NIU, Stark, Vespa Elettrica, and extra), however they do not actually compete head-to-head with LiveWire. And if the timeline stays true to the corporate’s intentions, LiveWire may even should compete with the Royal Enfield Flying Flea in 2026. Given how issues have been going just lately for the 2 firms as in comparison with each other, I am fairly positive I do know who my cash’s on.
