Plugged In or Tuned Out: Are We Trading Freedom for Firmware?

LiveWire ONE

LiveWire just announced a partnership with Swiss tech outfit c.technology AG to build what they’re calling the next generation connected experience for electric motorcycles. Translation: deeper data, tighter integration, and a bike that knows more about your ride than you probably do.

On paper, it’s a solid move. Riders get real-time telemetry, location tracking, ride history, and even community sharing baked into LiveWire’s app. The tech backbone—c.technology’s modular cloud platform—means the system can grow with over-the-air updates rather than aging out in two years like an old phone. It’s clean, scalable, and, yes, absolutely the direction the e-moto world is heading.

But Here’s the Question: Is This a Good Thing?

LiveWire S2 Del Mar

Because let’s be honest—most of us got into bikes for the disconnect. The turn-key simplicity. No loading screens, no login prompts, no firmware updates. Just key in, throttle, and go. Electric bikes have already changed that rhythm with charging routines, software patches, and app tie-ins—but the growing push for a “connected experience,” takes the digital leash one step further.

Sure, the upside is real. Remote diagnostics could catch a failing cell before it ruins your weekend ride. Anti-theft tracking is a godsend in sketchy city lots. And for data-driven riders, telemetry can make you faster and smarter—if you actually use it correctly.

Damon HyperSport 2.0

But as bikes become “connected devices,” the experience starts to feel less like owning a motorcycle and more like managing a subscription. You’re no longer just maintaining a chain or topping up tire pressure—you’re updating firmware, checking app permissions, and hoping the cloud doesn’t crash mid-ride. Suddenly, your weekend escape depends on whether a server in Zurich or California decides to cooperate.

Ultraviolette X47 Crossover

Then there’s the question of ownership. When every throttle twist, GPS ping, and charging cycle is logged somewhere, who actually controls that data—you or the brand? Today it’s sold as convenience and safety, but data always finds a way to become currency. If your bike knows where you ride, how you ride, and when you ride, what happens when that information is worth more to someone else than it is to you?

And let’s not forget longevity. Will that “connected experience” still exist in ten years, or will your perfectly functional e-moto become an orphaned gadget when the servers go dark? We’ve seen it before—apps discontinued, networks shut down, hardware bricked by updates. A motorcycle should be something you can rebuild or pass down, not something that stops working because your subscription expired or the manufacturer moved on.

This isn’t a shot at LiveWire—they’re doing what every OEM will have to do to stay relevant. And Livewire aren't alone, connectivity is the way it's going. Damon have seemingly adopted a pivot towards AI, Stark are offering full ride telemetry in their eco system, both taking tech integration a whole step further. This is more a reflection of where we are as riders: somewhere between old-school independence and the algorithmic future.

Connectivity is coming whether we like it or not. The trick will be finding brands that respect the rider first—keeping the ride at the centre of the experience, not the cloud account.

For now, LiveWire’s move sets a high bar. Just don’t forget what made motorcycling electric in the first place—it wasn’t the data. It was the thrill of the ride.

Ride safe, folks.

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