LiveWire's 2026 Has Been Positive, But Also Illustrates How Stats Can Mislead You

If I sold one bike last year, and I sold two bikes this year, guess what? That means my sales jumped by 100 percent! Cool story, right? That's the game Harley-Davidson's LiveWire is playing.

Photo by: LiveWire

By: Janaki Jitchotvisut

May 7, at 8:23am ET

Comment

I know we're all horribly busy these days. I'm a person who likes to read deeply, but I know that not everyone is. A lot of people read headlines, then fight about those headlines, and sadly, don't read any further to get to the meat of a story. Yes, even if that story is a financial report, and it's drier than the vehicle weight figures some OEMs like to provide on their spec sheets.

When a company (any company) presents you with its financial report, it's very naturally going to give you a summary that presents itself in the best possible light. I don't fault them for it; I mean, it's human nature, right? You want to call attention to your best points, not your worst points. I get it.

But at the same time, if you look at LiveWire's 2026 Q1 financial results and you read the very first bullet point presented, you might think the company is doing phenomenally well. Why? Because it reads, and I'll quote directly, "Electric Motorcycle unit sales increased 176% over first quarter 2025 with revenue increasing 236%."

Is it because people are suddenly flocking to LiveWire motorcycles thanks to skyrocketing fuel prices around the globe? No, not exactly.

See, percentages are attached to real numbers. Let's say I have one pie, and then I sell that pie. I have just sold 100% of my available stock, right? And let's say I bake another two pies, and I also sell both of those pies. I have now increased my sales by 300%, even though I've still only made and sold a total of three pies.

Telling you that I increased my sales by 300% sounds a whole lot more impressive than telling you I sold three pies, doesn't it?

So, while it's true that LiveWire's number of total motorcycle units sold in Q1 2026 represents a 176% increase in sales over the motorcycles it sold in Q1 of 2025, it's also somewhat misleading. Why? Because in Q1 of 2025, LiveWire reported sales of 33 motorcycles. Not 330, or 3,300, or 33,000 (they wish). Thirty-three.

And in Q1 of 2026, LiveWire recorded sales of 91 total motorcycles sold. Not 910, not 9,100, not 91,000. Ninety-one. That's nine less than 100, in case you're counting. While reporting the sales increase percentage isn't a straight-up lie, merely reciting a percentage like that without additional context paints a rosier picture than actually exists.

Tell us what you think!

View

Comments

Now, don't get it twisted; 91 bikes sold does represent a step in the right direction. Also, the amount of operating loss that LiveWire is functioning with has decreased year-on-year, as well. In Q1 2025, the consolidated operating loss was $20.7 million; in Q1 of 2026, it's now $17.7 million. For what it's worth, the company is pinning at least some of its continued momentum on the impending launch of the S4 Honcho, a new EV motorcycle model due out later in Spring 2026.

But hey, if you want to improve your email inbox about 100% of the time, maybe consider subscribing to our newsletter if you haven't already? Thanks.