gv550 Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 (edited) The Harley Livewire electric bike is up for sale on HD website. I think 30 large will be the kiss of death. $37,250 for Canada......... gasp! Edited January 8, 2019 by gv550 2019 Tracer GT, Ontario, Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member betoney Posted January 8, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted January 8, 2019 That 30K is for the fake exhaust sound. 🤣 " And just because it’s electric doesn’t mean motorcycle lovers have to sacrifice that distinctive rumble of speed. Harley says LiveWire is designed to produce “a new signature Harley-Davidson sound as it accelerates.” ***2015 Candy Red FJ-09*** Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
koth442 Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 When people asked HD to modernize, I don't think this is what they had in mind. 1 '15 FJ09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bugie Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 "Rumble" yes; "Rumble of speed" LOL I actually like the look of the livewire if I am honest but it does seem to be unreastically priced Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member sirepair Posted January 8, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted January 8, 2019 Only sound Harley will hear is crickets... Costs more than a Prius Prime plugin hybrid and nearly twice the price of a Zero SR! I'm sure some will sell, only to be covered up in a garage as an "investment". But, you can ride to numerous bars with a 110 mile range! Suppose the biker bar owners are planning to install charging stations? Then one could drink 'till both you and bike are fully charged.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 It would be interesting to know what data the marketing folks used in pricing the E bike. In general the 20K-plus prices of most gas Harleys are cited as a barrier to entry for new and younger riders. So the logic behind 30K begs credibility. I remember talking with a Motus sales guy at Americade last year as he told me his bikes were "not for everyone." True!! And snob appeal didn't get that company too far. RIP Motus. cb 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Stick a fork in Harley. This bike is gonna kill them, unless they release those other new gas bikes really really soon this electric fiasco is gonna kill them. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gv550 Posted January 8, 2019 Author Share Posted January 8, 2019 Soon to be renamed...... Deadwire 1 2019 Tracer GT, Ontario, Canada Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted January 8, 2019 Share Posted January 8, 2019 Maybe Harley is factoring in a U.S. government energy credit (such as E cars get) to soften the sticker shock. I think Tesla and Toyota rely on that to some extent. I want to see E bikes succeed and I think they will... eventually. From a brute performance point of view they are already there. Now they need to solve the distance limitations and long charge times. cb 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supporting Member texscottyd Posted January 9, 2019 Supporting Member Share Posted January 9, 2019 I want to believe... really, I do. I would love to see a long & prosperous future for H-D, as the success of any manufacturer is good news for the powersports industry overall. That new 975 Streetfighter looks really appealing to me... possibly enough to get me back in a Harley dealership for the first time in a long time. Assuming the pricing is at least reasonable... Which brings us to the Livewire debate. I commend them for the innovation and commitment to something new & unique, but that kind of pricing just doesn’t make any sense in my mind. Sure, there are massive R&D dollars to recoup, but you can’t front-load that capital investment recapture into the first model pricing schema... better to sell a bunch over many years to amortize the investment (Toyota Prius, hint hint) than to have the entire engineering exercise die on the vine due to outrageously inappropriate pricing strategies. I hope I’m wrong, but I see this part of the H-D rebirth ending badly. Time will tell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
norcal616 Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 HD just needs to close up shop... I'm not even remotely convinced HD understands motorcycles anymore... For the prices of HD I would have put that $ towards a Motus or a CCM ... My work buddies say for that price, that b*tch better weld aluminum 2012 wr250f - C-class 30+ age group 2015 fz-07- Hordpower Edition-80whp 2015 fj-09- Graves Exhaust w/Woolich tune by 2WDW @120whp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 A year ago, Harley stock was at $52.27 per share. Today, it's at $35.71 per share. PReorders for this bike will not be what their board of directors are hoping/expecting. Zero has been building very good electric bikes for many years now. And their sales are tiny. And, their bike costs what, $14,000 less than the Livewire? If the lack of preorders does not force Harley to cancel this bike, (should be the case if they are smart enough to swallow their pride), the models will start hitting the showrooms next fall. Will people pay $30,000 for a bike that is no better than a $14,000 Zero electric bike? Not enough will. And then, October comes along, annual financial report will be released. And the end of Harley Davidson as we know it may just begin. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nhchris Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 25 minutes ago, norcal616 said: HD just needs to close up shop... I'm not even remotely convinced HD understands motorcycles anymore... I think there's still a place in the American motorcycle scene for baggers, "bikers" and HD motorcycles. I thought their 750 flat tracker was even cool. We riders are a rapidly aging demographic going the way of the Dodo. To sell bikes to our younger offspring, many of whom have $100k in student loans, you gotta be realistic. A thirty grand scoot isn't realistic. I wish this surviving American motorcycle manufacturer well, but... cb 1968 Triumph Bonneville 650 1971 Norton Commando Roadster 2002 Harley 1200 Sportster 2003 Honda ST 1300 2016 FJ 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Member 2and3cylinders Posted January 9, 2019 Premium Member Share Posted January 9, 2019 Jay Leno did a test ride YouTube video and can afford one It's for urban rides, Yuppies will even think twice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruizin Posted January 9, 2019 Share Posted January 9, 2019 Bike sales have been declining the past 8 years for all manufacturers. The reason why is also what Harley should have focused on. Bike sales have been declining while ATV/SxS sales have been rapidly exploding thru the top of the charts. RZR's, Can Am's, sport UTV's are selling like crazy. Guys are selling their bikes and buying rock crawling UTV's nationwide. Harley should have embraced the exploding off road market. Should have built a sport UTV to challenge the Polaris Ranger. HArley dealerships would have jumped from joy, as Sport UTV owners spend a ton of money upgrading their machines. It is where the powersports money is going. Yamaha jumped in. Honda releases the Talon in March to dealers. Polaris is taking over the powersports world with it's Razor sales. And what does Harley do? They bank their future on the slow selling electric bike market. And this is how Harley dies. Yamaha FZ-10 Forum Yamaha FZ-07 Forum Yamaha Ténéré 700 Forum Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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