LiveWire One city and highway range review highlights:

• Harley-Davidson claims the electric 2022 LiveWire One has up to 146 miles of range in the city, with highway-only riding limited to 70 miles
• Riding on real Midwest streets and highways, I matched the One’s city range claims and beat its highway and combined-riding estimates
• The LiveWire One isn’t a touring bike, but it has more than enough range for urban commuting

In just a few years, the idea of an electric Harley-Davidson has gone from a wild concept to a full-fledged brand. And the bike that’s lead the charge is the LiveWire One, the updated version of the original Harley LiveWire. Yet something hasn’t changed in the two-wheeled EV space: range anxiety. Even as charging stations proliferate and batteries improve, people still worry about not having enough juice. But after testing the 2022 LiveWire One’s range on city streets and highways, I think those concerns might be overblown.

On paper, the 2022 LiveWire One has range to spare, at least in the city

First things first: the 2022 LiveWire One is nearly identical to the OG LiveWire, and I don’t just mean in terms of specs. A Harley-Davidson spokesperson confirmed that, apart from some software and charging hardware updates, the One is the LiveWire. So, it has the same electric motor and Samsung battery cells, which means it has the same range estimates.

For those unused to EVs, the LiveWire One having more city than highway range might seem odd. But that’s because, in urban and mixed riding conditions, the One can use its regenerative braking to bolster its battery. In addition, the regen is strong enough in Sport and Range Modes that you don’t need to use the bike’s physical brakes. What’s the motorcycle equivalent of one-pedal driving, no-lever riding?

Regardless, compared to a touring bike like the 2022 Energica Experia, the LiveWire One’s range might not seem impressive. However, keep in mind that the One is a standard/naked bike: highways are not its intended hunting grounds. Also, I’ve ridden lighter gas-powered motorcycles with similar horsepower figures that couldn’t match the electric Harley-Davidson’s city range.

What’s the 2022 LiveWire One’s range like on real roads and highways?

From driving habits to weather effects, EV range estimates aren’t always real-world accurate. Fortunately, I got plenty of IRL experience with how much range the 2022 LiveWire One gets in the city and on the highway.

During my two weeks with the electric motorcycle, I made two roughly 80-mile trips between Milwaukee and Chicago, once on high-speed country roads and once on the interstate. That’s on top of riding it in and around the Chicagoland area the rest of the time. And while I wouldn’t recommend the One for highway road trips, I never thought it lacked range.

Let’s put some numbers to that assertion. Riding back from Milwaukee on urban streets and 55-60-mph country roads, I burned through 76 miles of range in 81.5 miles. That left me with a 34% charge. Using my actual ridden miles and that remaining charge, that puts the LiveWire One’s combined range at 123 miles. If you’ll note, that’s better than Harley-Davidson’s claims. It’s also better than the Indian FTR S I rode last year got, and it has 20 more hp and weighs 48 pounds less.

Heading to Milwaukee on I-94, though, which has a 70-mph speed limit in parts, cost me 124 miles of range in 75.3 miles. And when I arrived, the battery was at 24% charge. That gives the LiveWire One a real-world highway range of 99 miles. But hey, that’s still better than Harley’s claims, if only slightly.

As for city riding, when I plugged the LiveWire One into a public fast charger for the first time, I’d ridden 60 miles and used 41% of the battery. That works out to 146 miles of city range, exactly what Harley claims its electric motorcycle can do. Furthermore, in urban conditions, the One’s range estimate perfectly matches its energy consumption. In other words, if you ride a mile, you lose a mile.

Does the electric Harley go far enough?

Admittedly, I got that 146-mile range in the city by using the 2022 LiveWire One’s regen-heavy modes. However, stop-and-go traffic conditions are exactly what Range Mode was designed for. And regenerative braking is a major EV selling point. Plus, regenerative braking didn’t help the One beat its highway range estimate.

OK, but even if the 2022 LiveWire One can exceed its range estimates, does that give it enough range to be worthwhile? Well, if you want a light-duty touring bike, you might want to look elsewhere. A “meticulous road tripper” could work around the One’s range limits, not to mention charging station access, RevZilla muses. Though as I said earlier, this bike isn’t designed to be a highway cruiser. It’s meant to tear around city streets and countryside back roads.

As such, if you want a commuter bike that can tackle short freeway blasts and weekend rides, the electric Harley-Davidson has more than enough range. A buddy of mine, who’s a former automotive and motorcycle journalist, regularly commutes on his Harley-Davidson LiveWire. And during my 300-mile stint with the One, I only had to charge it three times.

So, how can you ride on the 2022 LiveWire One? More than far enough.

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