Who wins? Watch a Tesla Model 3 vs. H-D LiveWire electric motorcycle drag race

Micah Toll | Apr 1 2020 - 2:38 am PT

What happens when a Tesla Model 3 Performance goes up against a Harley-Davidson LiveWire electric motorcycle in a straight-up electric drag race?

Let’s find out right now.

Electric drag race: Tesla vs. Harley-Davidson

In what appears to be the first case of a Tesla vs. Harley-Davidson LiveWire drag race, the two electric vehicles recently went head to head on the quarter mile at the Texas Motorplex.

It was an electric matchup for the ages.

Two wheels versus four.

One electric motor versus two.

Wind in your face versus Bioweapon Defense Mode.

Alright, enough stalling. Check out the video below to see the action.

And note how quiet this drag race is compared to what you may be used to.

As you can see, the Harley-Davidson LiveWire took off with an early lead over the Model 3. I recently reviewed the LiveWire and can personally attest to how well it launches, with a 0-60 mph (0-97 km/h) time of just 3.1 seconds.

Interestingly, it isn’t even been marketed as a high-performance motorcycle, but rather as a premium bike that just happens to offer a thrill ride. And the fact that it only tops out at 110 mph (177 km/h) attests to the fact that the H-D LiveWire isn’t meant to be a sport bike.

As you can see, the lower top speed of the LiveWire appears to be its Achilles heel in this race. As the two vehicles approach the finish, the Tesla Model 3 Performance appears to narrow the gap as it gains on the LiveWire. Unfortunately we can’t quite see the finish since the video cuts off just before the end of the race and before the numbers are posted on the board.

The Tesla Model 3 doesn’t appear to quite draw even by the end of the short video, but it sure is close. While the Model 3 packs in more than 4x the power of the LiveWire (340 kW vs 78 kW), it is also around 8x as heavy (1,817 kg vs 249 kg).

Thanks to a recent performance boost, the Model 3 Performance has been putting down times as quick as 11.62 seconds on the quarter mile. The LiveWire, on the other hand, has recorded quarter mile runs as low as 11.54 seconds. So while the LiveWire likely has a slight edge on the quarter mile, thanks to its quicker acceleration, the winner of a LiveWire vs Model 3 Performance match-up likely comes down to who has a quicker wrist or ankle.

You can check out my recent H-D LiveWire review video below.