Honda is entering the electric motorcycle scene with the new Honda WN7, priced at damn near dollar for dollar the same price as the Livewire One, and we’re going to see which one’s better.

The big story here is that the LiveWire ONE used to be a $30,000 flagship, before cutting the price almost in half, but still giving you 95% of the same Livewire goodness as ever. But, Honda’s WN7 comes with a few more sensible benefits for almost the exact same money.

So, which one is actually worth your sixteen-five? As always, we’re scoring this like a boxing match, ten rounds, winner of each round gets a point. No fluff, feelings will be hurt today. Let’s get started.

About

First, hey, I’m Adrian. 15 years in the motorcycle industry. 20 years riding. I was in a bad car accident last year, so if you see me with sunglasses on, I’m not being a douche, I just have a bad concussion and bad light sensitivity. So thanks for being patient while I fight my way through this.

The Fight

Alright, I’ll be scoring it how I see it, you score the fight how you see it, and we’ll compare at the end. *ding ding ding*

Round 1: Raw Power

The LiveWire ONE is a straight-up beast. When I worked for Harley-Davidson, I had the chance to travel with one of only three in existence before the bike went into production. That’s how I met Ryan from Fort Nine.

The original Livewire made 105 horsepower and 86 lb-ft of torque. The tradeoff for the price drop on the Livewire is that it now is rated at 100 horsepower and 84 lb-ft of torque. But it’ll still go zero to 60 in 3 seconds flat with neck snapping acceleration.

The Honda WN7 on the other hand brings 67 horsepower and 74 lb-ft of torque. It’s enough for what most of us will ever need, but the LiveWire is just on a different planet of performance.

Winner: LiveWire

Score: 1–0 LiveWire

Round 2: Hardware & Suspension

Here is where Livewire’s “half-price superbike” factor comes into play. LiveWire still gives you the exact same fully adjustable Showa forks and Brembo brakes that it did when it cost nearly twice as much. There were no corners cut here.

The Honda features non-adjustable front forks and basic Nissin brakes. Again, totally sufficient for the job – but also totally outclassed by the Livewire.

Winner: LiveWire

Score: 2–0 LiveWire

Round 3: Weight & Agility

In order to “value-optimize” the Livewire, it had to gain a few pounds, from her original 549 lb weight, now weighing in at 562 lbs. Some riders find the turn-in a bit heavy.

The Honda WN7 weighs in at 479 pounds. It’s about 80 pounds lighter.

This is an easy win for Honda, but it also comes with a serious downside.

Winner: Honda

Score: 2–1 LiveWire

Round 4: Maximum Range

The Honda weighs so much less in part because it has a smaller and lighter battery than the Livewire, and that means less range.

The WN7 claims a little over 80 miles city range, and around 65 miles highway.

The Livewire One on the other hand, is claiming around 146 city miles, and around 95 miles on the highway.

Winner: Livewire

Score: 3–1 LiveWire

Round 5: Charging Options!

The LiveWire is a hero at public fast chargers, hitting 80% in 40 minutes, and a full charge in 60 minutes. But at home, the Livewire will only take a Level 1 trickle charging, which is the 110 speed. So it’ll take up to 12.5 hours for a full charge at home whether your garage has 110 or 220 service.

At a fast charger the Honda WN7 could go from 20% to 80% in about 30 minutes because it has an overall smaller battery capacity. But at home, the WN7 supports Level 2 charging at home, meaning I could charge it from zero to full in 2.5 hours in my home garage.

For most riders, charging happens at home. And as someone with a 220 service in my garage, I have to give the win to Honda.

Winner: Honda

Score: 3–2 Livewire

Round 6: Reliability!

This is a hard round to score fairly. Honda has the reputation for reliability… but the WN7 is completely new and unproven. It won’t even be in show room floors for a couple more months so we really don’t know anything about how reliable it’ll be.

And while the LiveWire has been out for years, it’s also had a few tech gremlins and screen glitches in that time.

I’m calling this round a draw and won’t be giving a point to either motorcycle for reliability.

Winner: Draw

Score: 3–2 LiveWire.

Round 7: Dealer Support!

If the bike breaks, you want a mechanic. Honda has a shop in every town. LiveWire is still a specialty brand, and they recently burned early adopters by killing their mobile app with no notice.

Easy win for big red.

Winner: Honda

Score: 3–3 Tie.

Round 8: Tech & Safety!

Both bikes share a solid foundation: 6-axis IMU, cornering ABS, regenerative braking. Honda adds a walking speed mode, which could help newer or shorter riders, and a manually adjustable top speed limiter in case you want to castrate your motorcycle.

LiveWire goes further. Cornering-enhanced ABS on both wheels. Cornering-enhanced traction control. Drag-torque slip control to manage rear wheel slip in case you go too hard on the regenerative braking.

On one hand, it’s nice to have that stuff on a 100 horsepower motorcycle, but on the other hand, that’s more stuff to break up, and my first motorcycle was a 1985 Honda with zero electronics.

If I’m riding a 100-hp bike, I want that high-end safety net, but, my first bike was a 1985 Honda. Zero electronics. So on one hand I see the value in it, on the other hand, it’s also more stuff that could break that I don’t necessarily need, so, I’m calling it a draw and they each get a point.

Draw

Score: 4-4 Tie

Round 9: All the other cool stuff!

The Livewire has looked like a motorcycle from the 2030s since I first saw it back in 2014. The WN7 on the other hand, it’s clean, it’s inoffensive, I think the next generation will look amazing, but this thing kind of looks like what my Uber Eats driver might show up on.

Beyond looks the Livewire just feels very alive for an electric motorcycle. It makes a high-pitched whine from the motor as you ride. That’s real motor noise, not a speaker. It has a haptic pulse that feels like a heart beat when you’re at a stop.

Honda’s walk mode is a good feature, and it does have a smart design, using the battery as a stressed member to avoid extra frame weight… but it won’t have the Livewire’s presence.

Winner: LiveWire

Score: 5–4 Livewire

Round 10: Strategic Value!

First off, I only buy used motorcycles, and second, with electric motorcycles, you tend to overpay, relative to the performance you get, versus what an comparable gas motorcycle would cost you… so when we talk about value, let’s imagine that you only had these two motorcycles to choose from.

And in that case, the Livewire brings so much more bang for your buck. Arguably better looks, but undeniably better suspension, brakes, performance, and range.

Winner: LiveWire

Score: 6-4 Livewire

Final verdict:

Final score, 6-3 for the Livewire, BUT, I wouldn’t blame you if you chose the Honda.

This isn’t a comparison between two motorcycles as much as it is a clash of two different ideologies.

Buy the Honda if you want the lighter, more sensible, 220-charging motorcycle backed by Honda’s dealer network and reputation.

Buy the Livewire if you want the better looking and just all-round better electric motorcycle, and having to charge overnight doesn’t bother you.

If I could only have one motorcycle, and it had to be electric, I might go with the Honda. But in reality, I have other bikes in my garage I can ride if my Livewire isn’t done charging yet, so for me, Livewire every time.

Which would you pick if you had to pick one? Leave me a comment down below I’d love to hear how you guys scored this.

I’m Adrian. Thanks for watching, ride safe, but have fun!