Harley-Davidson Livewire: electric motorcycle review

After a rather controversial start to his career, the first electric motorcycle, Harley Davidson, will have to return to concessions. Problem: A malfunctioning on-board charger can result in a power outage.

Officially launched on Tuesday, October 20, the recall campaign applies to all electric motorcycles produced by the brand between September 13, 2019 and March 16, 2020. Without specifying the number of models affected, the American brand estimates that about 1% of its bikes could be accidentally shut down due to a malfunction of the software that controls the on-board charging system.

« On-board charging system (OBC) software can initiate a shutdown of an electric vehicle's transmission without providing the pilot with a reasonable indication that a shutdown sequence has been initiated. In some cases, the vehicle cannot be restarted or, if restarted, may stop again shortly thereafter. " Details of the manufacturer are contained in a document filed with NHTSA, the American road safety organization.

Harley-Davidson is expected to contact owners affected by the recall in the coming days. There are two solutions available in the USA: contact your local dealer or return the motorcycle directly to the manufacturer. In the second case, the costs will be directly borne by the brand. 

While the update should clean up the mess, this isn't the first time Harley-Davidson has run into trouble with its electric motorcycle. At the end of 2019, the manufacturer was already forced to suspend production for several days due to a malfunction related to recharging.