SPEED DETOX

LiveWire Road Test, Spain

One thing was clear from the start: our long forked flathead chopper with its Rabbit Ear bars wasn’t going to break speed records on this ride. But, with the freshly arrived and slightly W&W-ized LiveWire there would be the chance of a few high tension moments on those winding Catalunya roads. Conditions were only semi-OK though. In the days before we went riding there had been heavy rains and thunderstorms, and on the quiet roads we picked there often was a fine, dusty film, left over from the recent flooding, mixing into a treacherous friction-denying coating with the night’s dew, and all the riders’ skills were asked for to keep out of harm’s way.

The LiveWire with its comprehensive rider aids

had a decided edge here, but what we really wanted to find out was: how will the team play between the two dissimilar brothers work out. Battery vs. tank, watt-hours vs. gas. Who drains the tank faster, who can stretch the fuel longer? How does it feel when you are off the beaten track and have to constantly look out for gas stations or high tension cables? One outcome is undeniable: there’s maximum speed detox available here. A peanut tank makes you stop at every gas station, which in Spain, where good food is right beyond the counter, is always good news. A few amps back into the batteries are welcome too. Other than that, we had the usual fun: take those twisties fast, hit the mud with gusto, stop for a smoke on the beach …

So why all this? There’s going to be

a somewhat longer trip later this year with those two Harleys from totally different eras, a trip on their native continent, with more snakes and potholes than gas stations and wall sockets. The cactus logo on the tanks (OK, there’s only one tank, the other is just a cover) is a clear hint that this time it’ll be no ice road or jungle track. But before that, the LiveWire needs to be sharpened some more in the looks department.