MT09 Squid's FIRST TIME on an ELECTRIC Bike! | Livewire One First Ride

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My buddy Ben is a certified MT09 Squid, but he's never ridden an electric bike before. Time for his first ride on the Livewire One to see what he thinks.
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[@spitescorner]

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[@joetheagent]

Spite: "The livewire has a motor. your motorcycle has an engine...so it should be an engine-cycle." This is the kind of analysis that keeps me coming back to the channel.

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

I'm not a native English speaker, but this recent trend of thinking "motors are electric and engine combustion" are a bit tiring.

[@SpaceOkuu]

Having demoed one in Golden recently, the things are a blast. It's quiet as all, sparing your hearing for the wind and surroundings to take over. 0-75 so quick in sport mode that my guts felt like they were being evacuated. It's expensive and short on range, but it's a candle that burns hot and fast. Regenerative braking coming to bikes take some guess work out of negotiating asynch brakes. No gears or clutch for less coordinated folks means anyone can focus attention on riding safer with fewer distractions. If the price comes down and rebates pile up, it could be a fun, planted bike to get to work or spit out for quick weekend rides. I see nothing wrong with it as another entry in the moto world, strictly speaking. This isn't about petrol vs batteries, manual vs auto, or whatever. It's a bike and I like bikes.

[@schrodingersmechanic7622]

I could see commuting on one. I owned an electric car and never having to plan a fuel stop was a game changer for my commute. Just charge up overnight, every day I had a full "tank"

[@NoName-jv8ek]

Well I just test road it. And I fell in love. I didn’t think I would like this but I fell in love with it. I’m literally getting the loan today for it. I’m so excited for it. My only issue is charging. I’ve never had to do that before but at some point we all have to it eventually

[@jerizzome]

Considering the Harley upcharge and the electric upcharge, the electric Harley seems pretty reasonably priced. I personally would still never consider it though 😂

[@Shah_creates]

your loss

[@naturalforlife6741]

On the MT09 you are more involved in the bike. That is one of the pleasures of riding a motorcycle.

[@MrThejunkman]

then don't get the electric bike. Not everyone NEEDS to shift gear to have fun or get the full pleasure of riding a motorcycle, that is why some motorcycles have automatics.

[@Ramonatho]

There's a chance some people might be more involved in their turning and breaking without gears then if they had to ride with gears and engine spool.

[@dave4148]

@@MrThejunkman then get an electric bike. Not everyone wants to just brainlessly put around

[@MrThejunkman]

@@dave4148 Never said I wanted one 🤷🏼‍♂️ go ahead and stay mad though

[@dave4148]

@@MrThejunkman so when i repeat the same pointless comment that you left, im the mad one, ahaha

[@getty6974]

Im not even trying to justify price of these bikes but the "Get up and go" analogy work so perfectly for city riding. While stopping/stopped at red lights you dont need to think about what gear you in or clutch. When lights go green you just pull the throttle and go. Also if you are sitting still long in traffic it is nice to put the bike in neutral and basically all of that is gone with electric bike.

[@bikerinbeta]

Ben is such a nice guy. Great vid

[@rm25088]

I thought that was Sean from bikes and beard for a minute. I was like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!

[@Magic_Toaster]

"it just goes" i agree

[@MrWolf2212]

It just goes

[@Mathei91]

Hey Spite, maybe Ben could join some more videos in the future? He seems like a fun and chill guy. Awesome video!

[@chasingghost4499]

Cool video, as always.

[@Rabessey]

I'm a 2022 MT-09 SP squid as well. I'm still learning and playing with it. (First bike and all). Electrics are probably the future, which means that prices will drop as more people adopt it as a standard...just like how computers and flat screen TV's have had price drops.

[@aaronaaronsen3360]

That and the technology / range / charging times will improve a lot. The only thing that's bothering me is that in Europe, fuel is really heavy taxated, so I fear that when more people will use electric vehicles, the governments here may want to tax more the electricity used to charge vehicles.

[@StephenJohnson-jr5hp]

I have a 2022 LiveWire One, my 19th Harley-Davidson, which included 4 Buells. Good work, thank you for sharing, Ride Free

[@benbarber2369]

Cool video guys. Drove past my parents house a couple times haha. Ski shores, pierce road and city park road in Austin. 👍

[@JMeyer-qj1pv]

I test rode the Livewire when it first came out and it is fun to ride. The big downer is the lousy range and slow recharge time. I also don't like the phallic shape of the motor. It's a pity they haven't made any technical updates to it since it was first introduced. I think we need solid state batteries to be mass produced before electric motorcycles become practical. And the "nothing for my left side to do" rings true. I would miss the engagement of clutching and shifting.

[@MikesProjectsandHobbiesMC]

OK ordered a set of flying eyes. Oh and great video. ;-)

[@612doteth]

These sell used now online for $16k. Also, livewire now has the Del Mar S2 which is brand new at $15k.

[@VexArk]

Spite, we all know this was just an excuse to get on the SP again lol 😂👍 taking delivery of my 2023 SP next week, can’t wait! Edit: I’ve taken delivery and it truly is amazing and terrifying at the same time. I’ve got it on the lowest power mode and have no ambitions of going higher for a while

[@littlearsehole75]

Part of the riding experience for me is the sound and vibration of the engine. My 2010 Heritage sounds and feels different from my 2014 VFR 800. Roar vs. Wail.

[@justjeffrey]

i always wondered what happened to that pair of Flying Eyes you ran over in that video... they put it on their "trophy shelf" that's some pretty good bragging rights they got there!

[@dave4148]

Gears, RPMs, and audio feedback is a ton of the fun part

[@redman2751]

Im looking for one of these used with very low mileage for about $15k-16K near me. I agree that price is the sweet spot.

[@winnythekahuna8073]

The savings on fuel and maintenance makes it interesting and if RRP is lowered, then it would be extremely competitive.

[@killerdeviant]

Anybody with a MT09 SP is welcome on for me!

[@michelangelo3674]

I love the brake lever, smooth and sculpted . The fit and finish is superior over the MT 09

[@benparaan3618]

I took a test ride on the Livewire. I wanted to replace a BMW C Evolution electric scooter which I loved. While I had the C Evolution, my BMW K1600GTL touring bike sat idle in the garage while I logged over 23k miles on the scooter. I think the BMW scooter was a better bike than the Livewire for my use as a commuter. It was more comfortable, got just as much range as the Livewire (if not more) when I rode it (always +5 to 10 mph over speed limit), had plenty of storage space, and was pretty quick that I beat a Hayabusa off the line badly. It's easier to ride fast than my K1600 since I just twist the throttle and hang on. On to the Livewire. The LW is the king. Much better brakes than the BMW scooter. Better handling too. The LW was a very fast bike. Passing slower traffic was effortless. The imaginary safe distance from oncoming traffic to allow room for passing got shorter and shorter, more so than the BMW C Evolution. But the big fly in the ointment for me was the reach to the bars. At 5'7", I was just reaching far enough to crank my neck that it was uncomfortable and I had a neck ache for half a day. As an aside, if you are a high mileage rider but do mostly shorter rides like commuting and rides that only last an hour or two, then a LW will be worth the premium as the breakeven point compared to a gas bike will come sooner. If you barely put mileage on an electric motorcycle, stay with a gas bike. You recoup a lot of the price of an electric motorcycle from not having to do service on them. Electricity to ride one for 12.5k miles a year would probably cost $93.75 on my BMW C Evolution. Tires were the only "big" expense for that bike at about $250 for F/R plus install if I use Shinko tires (lasted 14k miles for me on the scooter). I wish I had a Livewire but all is not lost. When the Livewire DelMar comes out, I will test ride one. I might end up buying one of those.

[@theneverman]

I test rose one of these and if it weren't for the fact that my body doesn't match the ergos of this bike, it may have been mine. I got on the freeway and in seconds I was at the limit and a couple more seconds I was going 100mph, silently. It was amazing.

[@SemiDad]

The old pirates complained up such a storm about an electric Harley that they dropped the name & badge. A big mistake! Younger riders love the Harley Davidson name & gear, my son being one, but are attracted to the move to electric. Younger riders are the future of Harley.

[@punchbuggyyellow7097]

I'm enjoying the content & would love to get one for myself. Electric bikes sound like a hoot to ride, if only they had around 3 times the range. With their current range I could only use it as a commuter & with the new Livewire not currently available in Australia, dropping $30-40,000 AUD on a used Livewire as a commuter doesn't seem like sound financial advice. Batteries may work for cars, but I think hydrogen will be the savior for motorcycles. And I can't wait to see what Kawasaki, Honda, Yamaha & Suzuki cook up for us in their hydrogen partnership.

[@HALLish-jl5mo]

I’m hopeful for hydrogen motorcycles. It will require hydrogen infrastructure, but it offers most of the advantage of electric, but most of the advantages of petrol too.

[@punchbuggyyellow7097]

@@HALLish-jl5mo You're not wrong. There are currently 3 public hydrogen fuel stations in Australia & none of them are here in Sydney. Fortunately there are plans to build more along the entire East Coast in the future.

[@robertholland7558]

Whatever happened to the “ bottom sprocket” podcasts with Whitney?

[@bolindow176]

Part of what I find fun is feeling the rumble of an engine, actively driving through a 1.5 lane (european) mountain road. An electric maxiscooter won't cut the mustard for me.

[@MichaelMeyer]

This is far from a maxi scooter man, you must be thinking BMW electric. This is proper naked sport.

[@kirkvj8330]

How did you guys talk while riding? Earbuds?

[@sanxi34]

I have tried the Zero SR-S and, the best thing about that bike was the chassis rigidity combined with the Pirelli SC3 that came with for cornering... I saw the use case of that package for one single session at the track and then an 8-hour charge... Beyond that, meh!

[@KeViNMCMXXCIX]

I agree with the statements made in this video. Sure, can be nice, sure it's less involved then riding an gasoline powered bike with a manual transmission. The sounds generated by the engine, air being sucked in, the transmission shifting etc all adds to the riding experience. But the electric bike will and can be great fun to ride and great for commuting within a certain distance for example in town or something. Pricewise the LiveWire is pretty decent I think but haven't looked in what electric bikes cost. Cause there's a lot more option for that amount of money with gas powered bikes. Same goes up for cars to me. Not worth the increased price tag compared to it's gasoline or diesel powered options.

[@mistadj]

I seen this at the dealer today and ill test ride tomorrow. From what I saw...yes, i like it BUT not at that price point. There is still a charging limitation which isnt bad if youre riding and stopping for lunch...but..you would have to make sure there is access to a charger and not to mention...you cant ride all day like you can on a gas bike because you will take too much time charging....so i think its great...but the technology for charging needs to be there. Its not there for the bikes yet....its ok for a car because you still get 250-300 miles...but 100 miles on a bike goes fast when joy riding

[@mattmccallum2879]

Now that you’re into e-bikes, are you gonna test the new eGo minibike?!!!

[@JnLightning1000]

i own a shadow and an e-bike and i'm just imaging the ebike on steroids

[@MichaelMeyer]

Why are you using the brakes? I ride mine in full regen and only use brakes at full stop.

[@dominodoggy1]

I think I would have enjoyed this review more if there wasn't a loud non-electric bike right next to it the entire time. I watched this hoping to hear the sound the Livewire One made. I know what a MT09 sounds like.

[@stephen2wheels]

Aftermarket fidget spinner 😂😂😂

[@stephenmaxwellfuks3484]

I really and truly believe that the only true failure of most electric motorcycles is there high price point

[@shawnmurphy1891]

The range is always an issue, even living on a tiny island in the middle of the pacific there’s range anxiety … make the range better and it would be more worth the 22 8 😜

[@danielcbrecht]

What is the swing arm license plate mount brand?

[@spitescorner]

Harley Davidson. It's stock.

[@kittywampus]

Doesn't it use regenerative breaking sa substitute for engine breaking? I'm still praying the early adopters make this affordable some day.

[@AdventuresonZero]

Yes it has regen braking as well as traditional front and rear brakes

[@MichaelMeyer]

It works great, I only use brakes at stop light.

[@yescavol1637]

I’d say get one if you like it. The cost is what it is just like any other HD. I do think a potential buyer should also get an estimate for having a charging station installed in their garage. Probably will be an extra $4,000+, but is that a deal breaker for someone who has to have a Livewire? I really don’t think it will be.

[@AdventuresonZero]

You don’t need a charging station at home. The bike comes with a cable to plug into a regular 110 outlet

[@MichaelMeyer]

Many of us already have L1/2 charging at home for our other EVs. They are not even close to $4k.

[@nessie42786]

What exhaust are you running on the Harley? 😂

[@AdventuresonZero]

Coal exhaust

[@JCrozier1]

this makes me want to go get on my enginecycle and burn some dino oil.

[@Zach2Wheels]

Left foot turn signals??? 😂

[@stevetaylor9265]

300 miles today just paying bills. Two tanks of gas on my Z900. How many times would I have to charge it? Over 60mph for most of it

[@getty6974]

I think spite said in the last video about livewire that it does 80miles with full charge so you'd have to charge it 4 times. Also z900 is really poor reference as those bikes have awfull fuel economy.

[@dave4148]

Why do you have 5 spaces between sentences

[@phantom_10792]

Coming from a tuono v4 to the livewire, i still preferred the tuono. The livewire is great

[@revmatchproductions]

Well yeah that thing is perfection!

[@CheetoPhingers]

​@@revmatchproductionsand less expensive

[@tonyjourneyman1944]

They will drag my ICE motorcycle out of my cold dead hands :-)

[@e.l.9589]

You can't beat a great sounding bike, and you can't beat the torque of electric. Build a stable of what you enjoy. 🐆🐅🐂🐎🐏🐑🐐🦙🐪🐒🐘

[@intensegamer7559]

Energy density of battery chemistries has to at least quadruple, so do charging speeds. Prices have to go down at least 50 percent. And THEN we‘re talking.

[@spoenk7448]

It's mostly the range for me. After a 3-4 hour ride I want to wait at least 30 minutes.

[@intensegamer7559]

@@spoenk7448 That makes sense. Charging speeds usually correlate with battery capacity (and voltage) anyways. Given 3-4 hours of spirited riding on back roads with an average speed of around 60mph you can go up to 240 miles (the range of a Model 3 base model). A strong e-motorcycle in this case would need a battery capable of holding 45-50kWh. To charge a battery like that in 30 minutes you need charging power averaging 100kW. That‘s eight times as much as a current Zero SR/F can handle with its tiny battery of 18.8 kWh in max configuration. As you can see I ain‘t asking for much. And of course such future bikes should be significantly lighter than current ones. Therefore instead of only tripling the energy density manufacturers will have to at least quadruple it. Which brings me back to my initial statement.

[@automech01]

What about engine braking around corners?

[@spitescorner]

The regenerative braking feels just like engine braking, but with a touch of rear wheel trail braking. It feels great

[@automech01]

@@spitescorner Thanks for the reply.

[@kugangles9860]

To me shifting, rev matching, engine noise, heat, vibration are all part of the viseral experience of riding a motorcycle. Electric bikes are just too "sterile" for my liking.

[@maguslascivious4980]

if he rides it for too much of a 'good while' he'll kill the battery lol. I'm much more interested in electrics with transmissions... Not so much for rowing gears but more for highways and mileage. that livewire with a 3 speed would be cool and would get more range. There's a china electric dirt bike with a 4 speed out now.. so hopefully that will trend. No matter how hard people shill for electric motorcycles they'll never catch on as long as they're heavy, charge slow, and have shit range. The real win is gonna be the in between stuff. The slightly bigger than a bicycle 'dirtbike' type stuff with great city range and quick charge but also not very heavy and approachable by most people. Townies and city folks would eat those up if they weren't expensive.

[@postersm7141]

2023 MT 10 owner here, would I own the live wire? Absolutely if I were a millionaire and could have a stable. I’m gonna stick with my MT 10 because it’s so engaging. BTW The MT 10 has horrible fuel economy the way that I ride it however, I can charge/refuel it within a matter of two minutes lol

[@MrWolf2212]

MT 10 is way more fun to ride and sounds awesome... can't say the same about that electric gimmick

[@Shah_creates]

Millionaire? I am not one by a long shot. Harley financing is generous. I love mine.

[@Shah_creates]

@@MrWolf2212 Gimmick? I have a Ducati Monster with its famous air-cooled L-twin and even with its character and light weight, I prefer my Livewire.

[@karlbishop7481]

The rest of the motorcycle manufacturers need to put turn signal switches on their bikes just like Harley's. I loved 'em when I had a Harley, I don't care for the rockers. The rockers also feel crude.

[@love4boost]

I own a MT-09 and Softail Standard. I’d gladly trade my Softail for a maxi-scooter tomorrow. I wouldn’t trade either for the Livewire. I’m definitely not even considering trading my MT-09 for any electric bike. I like my wheelies. I’m all about electric cars. If I could afford an electric suv I’d definitely have one. But I can’t do electric bikes as my main bike. If the BMW CE-04 cost $7.5k.. I’d leave the MT-09 for my needed fix and take that scooter 40 miles back and forth to work everyday, rain or shine. But it’s double that so no thank you

[@AddumEnied]

So if trike riders use 3 fingers to wave, do MT09 squids only use a single finger?

[@1wesleydb]

Maybe legit seems, they're always waving eachother #1🖕😅

[@Sunbound77]

I would be interested if they introduced one that was more relaxed... Even if it was just for one person... As a bigger guy who needs to stretch out, i didn't see it. Give me an electric lazeyboy on wheels, and you, Sir, can take my money.

[@engir63]

I did not say anything on the first video of the livewire but since you are here again. I am surprised that the livewire is still around it never should have gone beyond one year as a limited edition and dropped.

[@fullmetalcorgi1350]

More for the EV cult! Welcome aboard

[@loafnugget3088]

Do you own a corgi? 👀

[@fullmetalcorgi1350]

@@loafnugget3088 of course

[@loafnugget3088]

@fullmetalcorgi1350 you're a man of culture. Thank you! My Local cycle gear manager has 3 now, but the first 2 were Tuna and Salad 🤣. Talk to him about them whenever I stop in.

[@viperq]

I still wish HD invest in the Bronx instead of the Livewire company.

[@alialtinbasak2679]

why is the volume so high?

[@GreatEgret]

Where is it loud? All peaks are normalized to not exceed -3dB and most audio is in the the range of -12 to -6dB. Maybe I’m old and deaf, but it seems normal to me.

[@WestZ]

Why did you crank your volume so high?

[@motorcyclemichael2182]

Definitely not worth the coins

[@localenterprisebroadcastin5971]

No thanks…I can buy 3 good bikes for the price of one adult power wheel 😂

[@brucewygal133]

It just goes, there is no, there is no, there is no joy of riding a motorcycle!

[@marathonrefrigeration9593]

Must be cool to have bikes thrown at you to ride, second only to.....

[@mus7715]

The novelty wear off quickly. A bike is out being engaged and connceted to it. Feeling it under you. Electric is just a short blast of Kamehameha then out of energy

[@leandroflaherty]

Beyond range issues, my biggest concern is that not only are they expensive to buy, they have a much shorter lifespan. Someone will be riding that mt09 in 20 years, not so the livewire. Once the battery is cooked you are dropping another 20k for a new one.

[@jack-636]

Do you have any data/factual info to back this claim up? Or just spewing nonsense for fun?

[@AdventuresonZero]

Battery is rated to drop to 80% capacity after 1200 cycles, so everytime the bike drains and recharged 13.6kW. I ride mine everyday, and put about 15k miles a year on it, which is well above average for most riders (anecdotally). Based on my riding, I should hit 80% capacity in 12-15 years. So for the average rider, it should last quite a while

[@Ramonatho]

No chance an mt09 owner doesn't wreck the thing within 10 years much less 20

[@dave4148]

@@jack-636 The source is literally how batteries work, they degrade with every charge.

[@spoenk7448]

​@@dave4148yeah but electric cars show they last a lot longer than people think

[@hardlife3844]

Why exactly is it important to talk about this bike?

[@notimportant1816]

Money no object in this case I would just get the Livewire just because the MT09 is so goddamn ugly and the Rider's triangle is just weird to me. Now if there was something along the line of R9 now that would sway my opinion for sure.

[@nikitaderbenev5811]

it's ugly as a mortal sin..... If I ever decide to buy an electric bike, please put me out of my misery before I do!

[@Krow884]

We have been led to believe electric bikes/cars should be more expensive....IMHO that's B.S. $$$$$$$ will keep it in the minority unless "Big Brother " mandates it.

[@peterwilson8039]

I agree that the automotive industry is taking profits from their EV products. Somehow they've convinced consumers that EV's are premium products and worth premium dollars. I would like to think that as they become more common, that they will loose the premium price, but since when do prices ever go down. I think the people in the future are just going to have to come to terms with the fact that their vehicles are electric, and that they are expensive.

[@biggums3368]

Charge you a ton for entry but will take you out back on trade

[@Ramonatho]

​@peterwilson8039 I think it also comes down to if a fundamental shift in transportation desires changes. If we can get more people on two wheels instead of four we can get a lot more vehicles for the same amount of materials which would be useful.

[@dave4148]

Make your own and sell it cheaper then genius

[@peterwilson8039]

@@Ramonatho That only really works for warmer climates. Besides I often need to carry stuff that won't easily fit on a motorcycle. Where I live motorcycles are just for fun, and probably have a per mile bigger environmental impact than cars.

[@limtc1733]

The electric bike looks horrible. What's with that grille/fins thing where an engine used to be on a normal bike. It basically looks like a portable air conditioner. Trade an mt09 for this Frankenstein? Not in a million years.