A Minor Glitch Only
It turns out that Harley’s charging issue with the LiveWire was a very minor one. According to multiple reports, the issue was limited to one single bike. This means that the issue will not impact any other LiveWire motorcycles. It honestly looks like Harley did some rigorous quality control here.
“Temporarily stopping LiveWire production allowed us to confirm that the non-standard condition identified on one motorcycle was a singular occurrence,” a Harley spokesperson told The Verge. “We take pride in our rigorous quality assurance measures and our drive to deliver the world’s best motorcycles.”
While the fact that production had to be temporarily stopped surely didn’t help the reputation of the bike, it was smart of Harley to do so. If the LiveWire turned out to be seriously flawed in some way, it would essentially kill the already controversial bike. Harley is counting on the LiveWire to usher in a whole new line of electric motorcycles and a new era for the brand. If it failed due to quality issues, then that could spell disaster for the whole company.
Jim and I chatted about the company stopping production. We both agreed it was good of Harley to catch it early rather than let things go too long. I see this a proof that Harley is really trying its best. It had only one faulty motorcycle and shut down production. That’s a strong move towards ensuring the LiveWire is a success. If the company takes all of its future electric bikes this seriously, I’ll be even more interested than I already was. Kudos to Harley for doing the right thing here.