LiveWire Crushes Competition at the Drag Strip

Shocking Result

From urban cruiser to potent racer, the radical LiveWire is proving to be an electrifying performer. With the help of its NHRA Pro Stock team, Harley-Davidson recently put the LiveWire to the test with some amped results. It might come as a shock, but the LiveWire is the fastest production motorcycle the Motor Company has ever built.

H-D Revelation

For clarity, the LiveWire is 'technically' the fastest Harley-Davidson. With a 110 mph limiter, its true top speed is unknown. Dubbed the H-D Revelation, the LiveWire is powered by a 78 kW 'engine.' The powertrain comprises of a 15.5 kWh battery and a permanent-magnet electric motor that puts out an impressive 105 horsepower and about 85 foot-pounds of torque.

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Racer Experience

Harley-Davidson pitted the LiveWire against its own FXDR 114 in the promotional video called Science of Speed. The FXDR was introduced in 2019 as the street version of the Motor Company's Pro Stock race bike. The video features racers Eddie Krawiec, Andrew Hines, and Angelle Sampey reflecting on their experience of running both bikes through the quarter-mile.

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Consistent Reaction

Science of Speed also looks at how electric motorcycles could change the sport of drag racing—a concept already in play with MotoGP racing and the all-electric, MotoE World Cup. On the drag strip, the LiveWire offers immediate torque and seamless twist-and-go acceleration. With no clutch or RPMs to monitor, the riders also posted lower and more consistent reaction times off the line.

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Really Go

It was the inaugural ride for three-time Pro Stock Motorcycle champion Angelle Sampey. She enthusiastically reflected, “Let me tell you what’s amazing. That was the first time I rode the LiveWire. I could not wait to get it on track. The LiveWire is so easy to ride. Just twist the throttle and go—and you really go!”

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Sophisticated Technology

Proof of Harley-Davidson's “exhilarating acceleration” is in the numbers. With instant torque from the H-D Revelation motor, the LiveWire does 0 to 60 mph in 3.0 seconds and pulls from 60 to 80 mph in 1.9 seconds. Pitted against the FXDR, the LiveWire edged ahead race after race, with part of its success credited to the sophisticated traction control technology.

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Best Times

One of the biggest surprises for Harley-Davidson's analytic team was reaction times. Without the distraction of a clutch or the noise, vibration, and heat from a gas-powered engine, racers could direct their focus on launching the LiveWire. Andrew Hines posted the best reaction times, averaging .047 of a second. Overall, LiveWire riders were five times quicker off the line than with the FXDR.

>>Join the conversation about the raw speed of the LiveWire right here in HDForums.com.

Pro Pass

Over the course of racing, Sampey set new records for elapsed time and top speed by an electric-powered production motorcycle. She covered the eighth-mile distance in 7.017 seconds and the full quarter-mile course in just 11.156 seconds at 110.35 mph. Her usual Pro Stock passes are around six seconds at 200 mph. Now, what would happen if the LiveWire's 110 mph limiter was removed?

>>Join the conversation about the raw speed of the LiveWire right here in HDForums.com.

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