Harley-Davidson pulls the plug on LiveWire production
The LiveWire electric motorcycle has hit a stumbling block as Harley-Davidson halts production of the motorcycle over charging fears
HARLEY-DAVIDSON has had to stop production and sales of its new LiveWire electric motorcycle after discovering a problem with the bike’s charging system.
The news comes from the Wall Street Journal who claims to have seen a memo sent from the firm’s Chief Operating Officer, Michelle Kumbier, to the company’s dealer network.
Harley-Davidson is said to have suspended the production of the bike while tests were undertaken to find the cause of the problem. WSJ reports that the company said on Monday that the tests were ‘progressing well but didn’t say when production would resume’.
Tech website TechCrunch has also covered the story, saying Harley-Davidson has responded by saying:
"We recently discovered a non-standard condition during a final quality check; stopped production and deliveries; and began additional testing and analysis, which is progressing well,"
"We are in close contact with our LiveWire dealers and customers and have assured them they can continue to ride LiveWire motorcycles. As usual, we’re keeping high quality as our top priority."
As a workaround for the issue, H-D is asking customers to only charge the £28,995 machine only through professional type charging outlets, like those at H-D’s US dealerships, and not those in their own homes.
Harley is still claiming the bike is safe to ride and there is no information as yet relating to UK customers and the safety of charging the machine through UK three-pin plug sockets.
The LiveWire has had a tumultuous start to life, having been lauded with praise from most who rode it on the press launch, although initial sales haven’t lived up to the hype.
The bike is an important piece to Harley-Davidson’s plan to rejuvenate the company’s sales and help bring in a younger rider to the Harley ownership fold. It’s launch heralded a new beginning for the Milwaukee based builder, who’s history in the world of powered two-wheelers has mostly been rooted in the classic V-twin, cruiser configuration.
Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
