Harley-Davidson released its first-ever production electric motorcycle, the LiveWire, in September, 2019. The long-awaited e-bike didn’t disappoint critics, but it didn’t live up to the Motor Company’s expectations on the showroom floor. After a year on the market, Harley didn’t update the LiveWire for the 2021 model year (in the U.S.). Instead, it spun off the LiveWire name into its own brand in May, 2021.
That news also included the announcement that Harley’s new LiveWire arm would reveal its first model on July 8, 2021. Thanks to the investigative efforts of Motorcycle’s Dennis Chung, we may not have to wait for that early July announcement. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association’s () latest VIN filings, LiveWire’s maiden model will be the LiveWire One.
The NHTSA documents also list the platform’s 101 horsepower figure, which aligns with the current LiveWire’s output. While the bar and shield didn’t update the electric motorcycle in the States, it slightly revised the model for Australia in March, 2021. Whereas Harley claimed 105 horsepower for the 2020 LiveWire, the 2021 version released Down Under only managed 101 horsepower due to a larger, heavier battery. Those figures are consistent with the LiveWire One’s reported power output.
Aside from the specs, the LiveWire One will receive the model code LW1 while the internal vehicle code will change to XB. Under the H-D banner, the LiveWire went by ELW with an XA internal code. The documents also confirm that the LiveWire One will remain a 2021 model despite its mid-year introduction.
All signs point to the Harley-Davidson reskinning the original LiveWire with LiveWire One graphics, but we’ll have to wait for the July 8, 2021, reveal before we know full details. The model was initially scheduled to make its public debut at the first event in Irvine, California on July 9, 2021. Unfortunately, the Southern California stop was pushed back to November, and LiveWire hasn’t rescheduled the appearance just yet.
We're Seeing A Pattern:
Sources: Motorcycle (1), (2), NHTSA