2021 LiveWire ONE Revealed With $21,999 MSRP
New name, with subtle changes and lower price
Harley-Davidson officially revealed the LiveWire ONE, the first model from its recently-established standalone electric motorcycle brand. Apart from the lack of any Bar-and-Shield branding, the 2021 LiveWire ONE comes with some subtle changes from the original Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycle, and one not-so-subtle change: a drop in price from $29,799 to $21,999.
Discuss this story more at our H-D LiveWire Forum
The $7,800 price difference is a significant difference, especially when you consider how little has changed between the LiveWire ONE and the original LiveWire (we’ll refer to that bike as the ELW from here on to avoid confusion). Visually, the ONE and the ELW look similar, apart from the branding. The 2021 ONE will be offered in two color options, Horizon White and Liquid Black, with the headlight cover and the faux fuel tank being the only parts getting different paint.
The specs sheet shows some changes for the LiveWire ONE. The liquid-cooled permanent magnet synchronous Revelation motor now claims a peak output of 101 hp and 84 lb-ft. compared to the ELW’s claimed 105 hp and 86 lb-ft. The battery capacity is now listed at 15.4 kWh, down slightly from 15.5 kWh.
LiveWire claims a range of 146 miles of city riding and 95 miles in combine city and highway riding, both unchanged from the ELW. LiveWire claims the ONE recharges at a rate of 13 miles per hour through Level 1 or Level 2 charging (the ELW claimed 13.8 miles per hour plugged into an AC outlet). With DC fast charging, LiveWire claims the battery will go from 0-80% in 40 minutes and 0-100% in an hour, the same rate claimed for the ELW.
2020 Harley-Davidson Livewire Review – First Ride
The chassis appears unchanged, with the same aluminum cast frame and swingarm. Showa supplies a Separate Function Front-Fork Big Piston (SFF-BP) and Balanced Free Rear Cushion-Lite suspension components. Brembo provides the dual four-piston monoblock radial mount front calipers and single two-piston rear caliper. The five-spoke cast aluminum wheels are also the same, with the H-D Michelin Scorcher Sport tires retaining the only bit of Harley branding.
The LiveWire ONE retains other features such as the ELW’s haptic pulse, a 4.3-inch TFT display, selectable ride modes, a six-axis IMU, ABS and traction control.
One thing that has changed, and we can’t find any explanation for it, is the weight. According to Harley-Davidson, the ELW claimed a weight of 553 in running order. The LiveWire ONE sees that weight increase to a claimed 562 pounds. Perhaps some of the price difference is a result of using heavier components, but Harley-Davidson hasn’t explained where that occurred.
Discuss this story more at our Electric Motorcycle Forum
The other big difference for the LiveWire ONE is the retail experience. The new brand launches with 12 LiveWire dealerships spread across California, New York and Texas, with additional locations planned for the fall. LiveWire will launch internationally in 2022. You can buy the ONE online at LiveWire.com, but you can currently only do that if you live in one of those three states, and LiveWire will only ship to addresses within 50 miles of one of those stores. That may change at as the brand expands, but at the moment, this is a fairly limiting factor.
The LiveWire ONE will make its public debut July 18 at the International Motorcycle Show in Sonoma, Calif.
Become a Motorcycle.com insider. Get the latest motorcycle news first by subscribing to our newsletter here.
Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
More by Dennis Chung
Comments
Join the conversation
Twas funny at the IMS, all the Green Livewires lined up, with two diesel generators going behind the tent to keep them topped off for demo rides.
Dear Harley Davidson,
I want a Livewire but if you don't fix the crippled Level 2 charging it is a total non-starter. Neither I, nor anyone else who knows bupkiss about EVs, will want it.
Level 1: 1.8kW per hour maximum (~13 miles per hour charging for the ELW. This is a plug same as on the side of your house.)
Level 2: 7+kW per hour; often free; easy to find. By far the most common. (should be >50 miles per charge hour but you crippled the ELW)
Level 3: it really doesn't matter how fast it charges since for 90+% of America there are none.
Plugshare.com shows 11 fast DC chargers within 15 miles of Boston. Most are of these are in basement parking garages or Nissan/BMW car dealers blocked by parked cars. There are 250 J1772 Level 2 chargers in the same area, 179 of them do not require payment. Without Level 2 charging for real, you fundamentally cannot travel >30 miles from home on an ELW.
Until you fix this, you don't have a product and the Livewire will fail.
Regards,