Silence at the Drag Strip
Many riders summarize their first EV motorcycle riding experience with something along the lines of “it’s like a slingshot” or, “the power is instant and never-ending”. This makes them a deadly track weapon (take MotoE – electric motorcycle circuit racing – for example) due to the wickedly high levels of torque giving you the ability to return to full speed quickly after exiting a corner.
Do you know what else is like a slingshot? Drag racing; it is an important and historical American pass-time that has blossomed into a full-blown motorsport in itself. The only thing more American than owning a 900 horsepower Chevy Malibu is the act of sending it in a straight line down the strip for some blistering 1/4 mile timeslips.
Just like how Tesla’s electric cars have been dominating the supercar 0-60 numbers, the Harley-Davidson Livewire dominates the 0-60 times in the motorcycle world with it being a tenth of a second faster than the Kawasaki H1 (a $33,000 superbike).
Harley-Davidson has recognized the insane straight-line performance of the LiveWire and decided to take it to the drag strip to showcase the potential their technology has in the world of straight-line speeds. The brand has partnered with their 10-time championship-winning Vance & Hines drag racing team (H-D Screamin’ Eagle) to bring us this ‘Science of Speed‘ video featuring team member Angelle Sampey, who recently broke some drag records using the LiveWire last month; namely feastest 1/4 mile drag for a production motorcycle (highest top speed, as well).
Well heck! How fast was it?!