Page 31 - Riding On Spring
P. 31
PETER “THE BEAR” THOEMING TAKES ON SOME FURPHIES
There are still people out there who live under the delusion I have to admit I thought it was odd when the bloke who
that “loud pipes save lives”. I am sorry to have to tell you handed the bike over to me suggested that I should not
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the citizens’ conviction that motorcyclists are drooling idiots 11-hour charge time that’s plain impossible, although i9f
with overwhelming feelings of inadequacy. you don’t run it down completely it will of course take
less time.
Lack of exhaust noise does not disqualify the LiveWire or
any other electric bike from being a ‘proper’ motorcycle. Have I been bribed by Harley-Davidson to write this blog
Take away the exhaust sound and your ride becomes richer, debunking a couple of preconceptions? Well, they did
and more pure. You have an opportunity to devote yourself give me a leather jacket some dozen or so years ago.
to the performance and handling of the motorcycle, to the I suspect they thought that any of my devoted readers
visceral communication between you and the machine, who saw me wearing it would also buy one. The success
without being distracted by mere noise. of that ploy can be judged by the fact that it has never
been repeated.
Fortunately, both the performance and the handling of the
LiveWire are worth experiencing. Even something as simple So would I buy a LiveWire? No. But that is because of
DV ¿OWHULQJ WKURXJK WKH WUDF WKH ELNH LV VOLP HQRXJK WR EH the price, which puts it out of my reach. Fifty big ones (in
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electric motor to blast away from the citizens in their cars at VFULEEOHUV JHW SDLG RU UDWKHU GR QRW "
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on the tollway, which I know I should not do, becomes Peter “The Bear” Thoeming #675 and Editor Emeritus
enjoyable because of the chuckability of the bike. of Australian MOTORCYCLIST Magazine. Bear was also
responsible for our ‘old man’ logo, drawn with a biro on a
Play with the comprehensive suspension settings and the pub drink coaster!
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LiveWire can become just the motorcycle you want it to
be. Few if any other bikes I have ever ridden allowed the Peter “The Bear”
amount of personalisation that lurks in this one. Well, none
actually. Thoeming #675
Now to so-called range anxiety. I am especially dubious
about the relevance of this because there are many thou-
sands of riders out there whose bikes have less range than
a LiveWire, and I have yet to hear anyone seriously point
this out as a disadvantage of choppers.
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LiveWire more than adequate for their requirements. Plug
it in at work and plug it in at home. You just need to think
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RIDING ON 31