Just $250 in parts made my best bike even better: Jalopnik

I absolutely love my 2020 Harley-Davidson LiveWire. Of my seven motorcycles, this is the one I ride the most. After riding the bike for a few years, it is almost exactly the perfect, fast-accelerating medium-distance bike of over 100 km per hour per day. However, after a few thousand miles on the bike, I’ve discovered a few things that I felt needed changing. Last summer I spent some time on the aesthetics of the bike, so now I wanted to focus on making the bike a bit more ride-oriented. In case you didn’t know, Harley-Davidson always makes it really easy to customize their motorcycles because Harley people love to make them their own. Even though this isn’t a traditional Harley, modifications are just as likely to be needed.

So I heated up my credit card and sent my browser to Revzilla.com to look around a bit. I was looking for a better mirror solution than the factory mirrors, because they are mounted just a little too narrow for me to see anything past my shoulders in the rearview mirror. I always love the idea of ​​mirrors on the end of the handlebars, partly because they look great, and partly because it helps me see what’s behind. I’ve been wanting to get a set of ODI’s Vans “waffle sole” pattern grips for a while, so I bought the 1-inch Harley handlebar diameter grips in a maroon color that almost matches the paint on my bike. Again, this is an aesthetic choice, but I desperately wanted to get rid of the standard “handles” that have no texture at all. I constantly noticed that I had cramps in my hands because I had to put in extra effort to keep the throttle open. These should help.

Bradley Brownell

Another comfort/style addition was found in exchanging the too-distant chrome brake lever for a blacked-out piece that was ordered straight away from Oberon Performance in Great Britain. After looking around the LiveWire Reddit, these things seemed to be the right move for me as others recommended them. I’m glad they did, this is a beautiful piece.

Bradley Brownell

Coincidentally, ODI also makes it a Vans style grip set for all e-throttle Harleys. It doesn’t quite look as simplistic as the traditional throttle cable grips, but it fits, it works and I’m happy. There was no maroon option with this style, so I opted for ‘bubble gum’ to match my Vans soles.

Bradley Brownell

The adjustable brake lever will definitely make things a little easier on my wrists and hands. With the stock brake lever I found the reach just a little too long, and I found I was riding with just one finger on the lever. It was worth the $80 to get a nice machined aluminum (excuse me, aluminum, they’re British) lever with adjustable reach. Now the lever sits nice and close to the handle, so I don’t have to stretch my middle finger as far. With a better grip on the accelerator and a more comfortable reach of the brake for my right hand, my driving became a lot safer than before.

Bradley Brownell

Ultimately, my Harley’s handlebars are significantly cleaner than they were a week ago. I now have at least one functional mirror, a brake lever that I can actually put some effort into, and grips that actually provide grip. We’re in the grip of a freezing winter, and while there have been a few heavy thaws that have allowed me to get back on the bike for a day or two here and there, it’s been mostly indoors. When I can’t ride the thing, it’s nice to complete a few small projects. It feels good, dude. Now we are ready for spring.

Bradley Brownell

There are two more projects I want to complete on this bike before I consider it “done” once and for all. The first is a production issue known to these first-year LiveWires. The large rectangular dash screen was very nice when new, but the heat of a few summers has caused the screen to become loose and a large bubble to form across the width of the viewing area. Apparently Harley has issued a service bulletin for this purposewhich means an update to the new LiveWire One round gauge pod, which looks quite nice. I made an appointment at my local Harley dealer to get the job done, but haven’t scheduled an appointment yet. The second project I want to complete is removing the stock passenger footpegs from the motorcycle. With the carbon fiber passenger cover and the fact that I never have a backpack passenger, I don’t need these pegs or the thick poles they sit on. I need to take the aluminum off, but haven’t found the time yet. Maybe soon I’ll walk you through both projects. Until then, keep it with two wheels down and on the black stuff.