LiveWire. It's Harley-Davidson's all-electric offshoot that isn't technically a Harley-Davidson offshoot. It is, however, a Harley-Davidson offshoot, as the companies share far too much to be considered anything else. And for a while, almost since its inception as a separate-but-not-separate entity, it's floundered.
OK, OK, it's an albatross around Harley's neck, and with a new CEO starting soon, I do wonder how much longer it has within this world, because its expenditures have been monumental. Its revenue, abysmal. And its sales of the all-electric motorcycles it makes, well, I'd be surprised if you've ever seen one out and about in the wild. It's basically survived on U.S. government subsidies, and with the current administration being so anti-EV, there's no way in hell even an all-American brand like Harley-Davidson sees those continuing.
So what's Harley-Davidson, I mean LiveWire, to do with all its motorcycles to drum up further interest? Easy, slash prices by quite a lot of cash. But is it enough to get people to actually care about an EV motorcycle that's still $10,000, still has not enough range, and still has bugs in the production process?
Yeah, um...
Dubbed the Twist & Go Promotion, LiveWire is dropping the prices on its S2 series of all-electric motorcycles by quite a bit. From August to October, a new S2 Del Mar will start at $9,999, a S2 Mulholland at $10,999, and the new S2 Alpinista at $11,999, which basically lops off a few thousand dollars from each's original MSRP.
Granted, that's still a pretty penny when you consider that they're all basically the same motorcycle with some slight changes between the three. And the power packs, horsepower, torque, and range are nearly identical. AND they've had a range of issues and recalls throughout their short lives. AAAANNNNDDD they're still pretty damn expensive, especially in today's economy where buyers are holding onto their cash, or buying things that meet more than just one need.
So yeah, Harley, sorry again, I mean LiveWire, is still looking at an uphill battle even with better pricing.
I do have theories as to why this is going on right now, ahead of the new CEO's installation, and ahead of the suspension of all the tax incentives. And that's to, hopefully, make the case that there's still a market for these motorcycles. Or, at the very least, for them to return under the Harley umbrella when the brand's board finally pulls the plug on it being its own thing instead of just another lineup of motorcycles under the Harley banner.
This could also just be a fire sale...
Listen, I'm all for electric motorcycles. Inasmuch as they are electric dirt bikes, as road bikes—at present—just don't make a lick of sense. Range is trash, charging and charging infrastructure out in the real world sucks, and they're all way too expensive compared to even the worst gasoline-powered motorcycle. And LiveWire's motorcycles, while having good dynamics, aren't even the best EVs out there, yet command some of the highest prices because of the Harley Tax.
I really liked my time riding the first Harley LiveWire. It needed some work, but the bones were there. And while I haven't ridden the S2s, everyone I've talked to that has has praised some aspect of their design and execution. I just think that on-road EV motorcycles are a hard sell at present, and LiveWire's offerings have been the hardest case to make of the bunch. Maybe these price cuts will work though?
