The customization potential of the LiveWire One was on full display in early December at Autopia 2099, a new EV event in Los Angeles. Designed to showcase electric motorcycles, bicycles, cars and other mobility solutions the organizers included a “retrofuturism” motif. Two local shops, SMCO and Earle Motors, stepped up and showed off their interpretation of the future of motorcycling.
“The custom bikes showcased at Autopia make a big statement on behalf of LiveWire,” said Ryan Morrissey, Chief Electric Vehicle Officer. “Personalization has always been an element of motorcycle culture, and this weekend SMCO and Earle Motors demonstrated the customization potential of LiveWire One. These custom bikes and components are early indicators of our intent to incorporate limited edition builds and accessories into the digital bike builder on LiveWire.com.”
Brothers Aaron and Shaun Guardado founded SMCO in 2010 to sell branded T-shirts and started building custom competition motorcycles in their Long Beach, shop. They also started racing what they worked on, of course. This past July, Shaun and Aaron entered a pair of LiveWires in the Roland Sands Super Hooligan Championship at Laguna Seca. “The bikes are so fast and so much fun to ride, but we wanted to find ways to improve on that performance,” said Aaron.
“We started by reducing rotating mass with a set of carbon fiber wheels from BST. Then we removed all the stock bodywork and used it to make molds for our own lightweight carbon fiber body pieces. We also designed our own rear-set foot controls to put us in a more-aggressive posture for road racing the bike.” The SMCO race-prepped LiveWires were displayed at Autopia in the unpainted carbon bodywork.
Alex Earle from Earle presented a more refined approach at Autopia. “I’ve spent a lot of time riding off road, but I discovered the LiveWire One was the perfect stress-relief street ride,” claims Earle, who teaches powersports design at the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. Earle Motors is more of an outlet for Earle’s creativity than it is a business, so he turned that creative design bent on his LiveWire One.
“Initially this bike was intimidating, because it’s electric,” said Earle. “There’s no exhaust, for example, which is always an easy starting point for customization. And no fuel tank. I had two goals in mind – to consolidate the design and adjust the ergonomics for my own comfort. I want it to fit like a tailored suit.”
Earle replaced most of the bodywork with pieces of his own design, created in composite on a 3D printer, except for the “fuel tank” in front of the seat, which covers tightly packed electronics that can’t be reshaped. He removed the rear fender and lighting and replaced the tail section with one he formed of welded steel.
How does this shape a retrofuturistic motorcycle movement? “This generation customized a bike… They can 3D print their own parts. They could liquid cool the electronics. I’m hoping this project gets on Instagram and some 17-year-old in Portugal sees it and gets a spark of inspiration. That will be the future of customization.”
