UPDATED: Harley-Davidson Resumes LiveWire Production After Brief Pause

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

LiveWire production suspended over charging issue

Update: Production has resumed on LiveWire, after tests confirmed a “non-standard” condition was a singular occurrence. The bikes may now again be charged using any method previously available. Below is the statement, direct from Harley-Davidson Motor Company:

After completing rigorous analysis this week, we have resumed LiveWire production and deliveries. Customers may continue riding their LiveWire motorcycle and are able to charge the motorcycle through all methods. Temporarily stopping LiveWire production allowed us to confirm that the non-standard condition identified on one motorcycle was a singular occurrence. We take pride in our rigorous quality assurance measures and our drive to deliver the world’s best motorcycles.

More from an official statement from Harley-Davidson Motor Company: We confirmed that this was a singular occurrence on one motorcycle. Our rigorous analysis showed our strong quality assurance measures are working as designed. The findings also reaffirmed the strength of LiveWire’s technology and product design. Production has resumed and we are delivering to dealers.

The original report on Harley-Davidson suspending LiveWire production is below.

The Wall Street Journal today reported Harley-Davidson is suspending production of the much-anticipated LiveWire due to an undisclosed issue involving the vehicle’s charging system. According to the WSJ article, Harley-Davidson has asked customers to avoid charging their LiveWires with their home outlets and instead charge via DCFC at their local Harley-Davidson dealership until the matter is resolved.

The charging issue, says Harley, does not compromise the safety of the LiveWire to operate.

The news comes as a major blow for The Motor Company, as it is already facing the reality of cut shipments and weak sales during the last quarter. The LiveWire represents a rejuvenation within Harley-Davidson, as it enters the electric motorcycle market in an attempt to attract new blood who would not have considered the brand – or motorcycling at all – in the past. However, its $30,000 price tag is a major barrier to entry for the exact customer it’s trying to woo. Still, the LiveWire represents Harley’s halo product within the electric space, with other electrics to come in the pipeline.

Harley-Davidson is conducting tests and investigating the cause of the LiveWire’s charging issue, but has yet to announce what it has found so far or when production would resume. When asked to comment about the suspension, Harley-Davidson representatives replied with the following email response:

“As we lead in the electrification of motorcycles, we have delivered our first LiveWire motorcycles to authorized LiveWire dealers. 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.”

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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  • Kevin Butler Kevin Butler on Oct 20, 2019

    The media really made a mountain out of a molehill out of this. Forbes got it right about the overreactions of all the media outlets.

    • See 2 previous
    • Mad4TheCrest Mad4TheCrest on Oct 21, 2019

      Ah. I see the article was updated rather than a new article about the resumption being posted - missed that.

  • ADB ADB on Oct 21, 2019

    Whew! That was close. Glad they got that fixed...

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