Harley LiveWire Goes Up Against Electric Porsche On Quarter Mile

In most drag races involving a motorcycle and a car, the bike is the clear winner, hands down, every time. We've already seen a Ducati Panigale V4R smoke an 800 horsepower BMW M5 Competition and a 1,600 horsepower Nissan GT-R. What if the vehicles involved are electric, though? Does that tip the scales at all? ThEVox Network found out.

Representing the heavyweights, weighing in at 5,247 pounds, we have the new Porsche Taycan, the German maker's first all-electric car. It boasts an 800-Volt system (versus the 400-Volt norm) that produces 670 horsepower and 626 pound-feet of torque.

In the lightweight corner and representing America, weighing in at 549 pounds, we have the Harley-Davidson LiveWire rated at 105 horsepower and 86 lb-ft of torque. It's a David against Goliath type of battle, but our hopes are high for the motorcycle, which weighs almost a tenth of the car. It may have less power, but it can pull its own weight.

A Shocking Experience:

First Ride: 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire

Harley-Davidson Sees The Future Of Drag Racing With The LiveWire

It doesn't take long for the Porsche to take the lead and in this case, against all expectations, Goliath wins. The Taycan beats the LiveWire with a time of 11.34 seconds and a top speed of 127 mph. The LiveWire is no slouch, crossing the finish line in 12.64 seconds at 110 mph. 

One important piece of information that's not mentioned in the video, however, is that the LiveWire is electronically limited to 110 mph. Despite its (electronic) limitations, the electric Harley can cross the quarter-mile a lot faster as proven by racer Angelle Sampey who set a record with a time of 11.156 seconds back in September, 2020. It probably wouldn't have changed the race's outcome, but an unrestricted top speed would have narrowed the gap a bit.

With power sent to four wheels and the capacity to accelerate from 0 to 60 in only three seconds, the Taycan is a fierce competitor. Though the Porsche won fair and square, a comparison with the non-performance-focused LiveWire seems a bit unfair. How about an Energica Ego instead? 

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