One of the biggest issues limiting the adoption of electric motorcycles in America is the unfortunate reality that you pay a ton of money for a bike that does less than a gasoline equivalent. Electric motorcycle manufacturers know this and are working to make cheaper, more appealing all-electric two-wheelers. Harley-Davidson’s electric spinoff, LiveWire, has unveiled two new electric motorcycle prototypes that should get people excited. These new, unnamed 125cc-class electric motorcycles preview a cheaper, more accessible future for a brand known for its high-dollar rides.
Running an electric vehicle down a highway commands a lot of juice from the battery to overcome drag. The EVs with the best range often have gigantic, extraordinarily heavy battery packs. The Chevrolet Silverado EV can tow a heavy camper trailer over 200 miles on a highway on a single charge, but it needs a mammoth 205 kWh battery to do so. The truck also weighs over 8,500 pounds all on its own. A Lucid Air sedan can go over 500 miles on a charge with a 118 kWh battery, but it weighs over 5,300 pounds. However, car buyers have been willing to trade weight for range.
The problem comes when trying to apply this same logic to motorcycles. Nobody wants to ride a motorcycle that weighs a million pounds, so a manufacturer can’t just layer on the batteries. These batteries also aren’t cheap, either, and pricing a motorcycle into the stratosphere is a risky move.
As an engineer at BRP once told me, this has put electric motorcycle companies into a bit of a pickle. They can make electric motorcycles that go further on a charge, but the bikes will then become prohibitively expensive and weigh too much. They can make cheaper and lighter bikes, but then they’ll be largely urban commuters with little usable range. So, companies are more or less just pulling levers in different directions, hoping to find a winning formula.
LiveWire, Harley-Davidson’s EV spinoff, has long struggled to find the right concoction. But I think the company’s latest prototype bikes might hit the spot for today’s EV technology.
A Long Road
Its original motorcycle, the 2019 Harley-Davidson LiveWire (now called the LiveWire One), is legitimately one of the best motorcycles I have ever ridden. I have said that the LiveWire rides like the Harley team had found an old Buell and slapped an electric powertrain on it. However, its highway range of around 100 miles and original price of $29,799 was a non-starter with riders. LiveWire later dropped the price to $22,799, which was better, but still unattractive. Now, the LiveWire One is $16,499, or nearly half of its original price.
LiveWire took the lessons it learned when developing the original LiveWire to create a new scalable architecture it calls Arrow. This platform allows LiveWire to rapidly create electric motorcycles of varying styles and sizes while using fewer, less complex parts. We’ve been able to see the Arrow architecture at work with LiveWire’s middleweight S2 lineup, which includes the new S2 Alpinista sport standard, the S2 Mulholland cruiser, and the S2 Del Mar street tracker. These three bikes are essentially the same underneath, but have different riding styles.
The S2s struggle from the same issue that pretty much every other electric motorcycle in this category does, and that’s a big price tag for what you get under the tank. The cheapest S2 is the Alpinista, which currently costs $15,999. Its sustained 55 mph range is 71 miles, and its combined range is 89 miles. The bike takes a minimum of 1 hour, 18 minutes to replenish 60 percent of its battery, which means that if you use the Alpinista as it’s depicted in advertising, you will spend more time charging than riding.
To be clear, I am not singling out LiveWire here. I’ve reported in the past that BRP’s Can-Am electric motorcycles and Zero’s electric motorcycles currently have the same issues. It’s unfortunately the nature of the beast with current battery technology.
Smaller, More Accessible Bikes
Thankfully, I think LiveWire’s latest round of prototypes might just be the ticket. Harley-Davidson just held its yearly Homecoming Celebration in Milwaukee, and among the festivities was an unveiling of LiveWire’s newest idea.
Neither of these two motorcycles has a name yet, but LiveWire says that they are a sneak peek at its new platform that’s currently in development. LiveWire’s long-term plans have long included the introduction of smaller, more accessible, and more affordable motorcycles. Both of these prototype motorcycles are said to be 125cc equivalents, so think about the size and power of a Honda Grom or a CFMoto Papio.
One of the motorcycles on display is a knobby-tired trail model that, per LiveWire, would be at home in backyards, trails, and campgrounds. The other bike is set up for street duty with a similar urban use case as a Honda Grom. So, it’s supposed to be easy to ride, great to learn on, perfect for zipping around a city, and easily personalized.
What LiveWire says about these bikes is promising. Both prototypes have seat heights around 30 inches and top speeds of around 53 mph. The company also notes a range of around 100 miles and a 30 mph acceleration time of 3 seconds. This is as the prototypes currently sit, and the final numbers will likely be different.
But the interesting twist comes from the fact that these little guys use two swappable batteries that can be exchanged or recharged.
Back in 2022, LiveWire partnered up with Taiwanese scooter giant Kymco, with both companies throwing a ton of money and technology at each other. Kymco gets to play with the Arrow architecture while LiveWire gets to borrow Kymco’s scooter expertise. In 2023, RideApart reported that Kymco’s Ionex EV platform, which features swappable batteries, will be shared with LiveWire. Cycle World reported in 2024 that Kymco was also leading the development of LiveWire’s Arrow-based lightweight S3 platform.
So, is this what the S3 platform is going to look like? LiveWire won’t say, but if you look closely at the image above, you will see Kymco-branded brakes. But who really cares what it is called, because this thing is pretty awesome.
Other players in the electric moto space have figured out that, at least for now, one winning strategy is to focus on what electric motorcycles do really well, and it’s to provide large doses of fun in small packages. Taiwanese scooter and tech company Gogoro has shown the world that swappable batteries work great for scooters and motorcycles. Meanwhile, the popular Sur-Ron brand has shown that you don’t need to spend mega bucks to have fun with an electric two-wheeler.
It’s no surprise to see some companies shifting toward smaller, more affordable bikes. Even Zero recently announced a lineup of sub-$10,000 electric trail bikes.
Trending In The Right Direction
LiveWire has not revealed any further details at this time, but is looking for public input on the new prototype bikes as it further refines the design and the platform. LiveWire also hasn’t even given a ballpark figure on price. However, the S3 is supposed to be the cheaper, more accessible range. I would hope that the starting price is well under $10,000. The Honda Grom is $3,599, making it affordable for the masses. LiveWire would have to get really aggressive on pricing.
But we don’t have those numbers yet. So, for now, I’m just happy to see LiveWire moving in the right direction. Sure, these bikes will never see a highway and cannot be long-distance commuters, but that’s fine. Small and slow motorcycles are a ton of fun, especially when you can buy one without breaking the bank. The Honda Grom has proven that you don’t need 100 HP to have a big smile on your face.
I also love the swappable batteries, because a lot of city dwellers don’t have a garage to charge their bikes in. You could also keep batteries on charge at home to swap out when you want to extend your fun. I’m excited, to say the least. Now, I just hope that Harley’s offshoot nails the price. I believe in you, LiveWire!
They should follow Egos lead on electric lawn tools. All Ego batteries can be swapped into most tools without any confusion or issue. Swappable batteries can make the range issue a mute point. If you want more range, carry and extra battery under the seat or in a back pack.
On paper, it makes sense that a compact commuter motorcycle offers the best fit for electrification.
In the real world, I would find it very hard to justify something like this over a pedal assist e-bike.
Besides costing a mere fraction, the e-bike actually has a lot of advantages. It can travel on paths, and the light weight makes it easier to bring inside, or load onto a rack or transit.
Basically the only advantage to the motorcycle is a hand throttle and faster speeds. (Legally, anyway…) That is an important distinction, but not enough to change the use case from a practical perspective. You have to stick to your area, can’t go on the freeway, and you’re still getting wet in the rain.
Here in Ontario, electric assist bikes and scooters are absolutely everywhere. I don’t endorse how some of their riders chose to behave, but for low cost commuting, they simply cannot be beat.
Given the costs, I think this prototype is basically a toy, or at best a commuting alternative for someone who already owns a full-size gas motorbike.
It looks like something you could build in your garage from left over mountain bike, lawnmower and vacuum cleaner parts. Cheap, improvised, under-developed, unprofessional, unrefined and unserious. Like everything Cake put together.
R.I.P. Cake (PS what a stupid name)
Meanwhile in India – https://www.bikedekho.com/electric-bikes
(looks like 1 Lakh ~= $1200 according to the interwebs)
Who knew there would be a limit to the number of $30K+ gender affirming toys the market could support?
They’re at a huge disadvantage to all the asian electric ebikes flooding the market; Harley is still playing by the rules! They have pedals for assist to put them in class whatever, meanwhile my neighbor sent me a $1000 eBike on Amazon that hits 48mph.
I don’t know how they’ll survive the onslaught; eBike prices are dropping like crazy and performance is rapidly increasing. There are people that modify them too, and they can hit 70mph+ on a literal mountain bike frame with 2wd (motor in each hub)
And here’s the kicker: There’s ZERO enforcement. I see electric skateboards, electric dirt bikes like Surrons on the bike path buzzing along at 30+, on trails shared with people walking their dogs, moms pushing strollers, and elderly and toddlers bumbling around without a clue people are on bikes.
People are going to die, and until there is actual enforcement IDK wtf HD is doing…. nobody will buy these when you can get the same performance for less than 1/4 of the price.
Around here call it an Ebike give it pedals and it is not a motorcycle, you need no license or insurance. There are speed rules and power rules, they don’t seem to be enforced. Roads, paths, sidewalks or crosswalks it is all fair game, play it as your roll.
Herein lies the rub: they’re looking for a formula, singular. What works for touring will not work in the city, and vice versa. Why not lean into making a really good commuter bike *and* a different but equally good touring bike? Or, if only one is feasible, why not aim at the market segment that seems to have the greatest opportunity?
tl;dr – One size will not fit all. The Venn diagram of electric motorcycle use cases looks like a bowl of Cheerios.
I’m glad. Given the realities of current EV technology, trying to build Touring, Sport, or “Adventure” EV motorcycles is a fool’s errand. In these 3 classes combined, I’d venture EV motorcycles sell less volume in a year than Honda sells Super Cubs in a WEEK.
Commuter bikes are where current EV technology is supreme. Every day I see people commuting on electrified 2-wheel vehicles, from EV kick scooters to e-bikes, so I know there’s a market. But none of those vehicles require a motorcycle license, registration, or insurance, so selling EV motorcycles that need all of those things is a hurdle.
I was commuting on a 45 mph roadway last week, and right next to me in the bike lane was some mega EV kick-style scooter running at least 40mph. Scary, but also amazing.
Well said. I would buy a $1000 E-bike to run errands and have some fun and get way more use out of it than this think at nearly $10K
Read the comment I wrote just above yours; I’m seeing the same shit. People are doing to die. Zero regulation, zero enforcement, it’s a free for all with ever faster eBikes sharing a narrow strip of pavement with pedestrians and dogs.
Legislation hasn’t kept up with technology since the Industrial Revolution. Nothing new here.
Bring back the Rupp in EV form (E-Rupp T?).
hang on I just realized something…
are the next Autopian not-their-real-name kids gonna be Mulholland and Alpinista?
If that’s the case, it won’t be from me! I’m on team no kids, at least until I move out of my tiny apartment.
And with housing costs what they are, good luck with that :/
There are still plenty of cheap properties here in Illinois. The problem is that everything else is so expensive. I’m about to pay something like $35k to fix my teeth, and the thought of that still hurts.
$5,000 or bust
You’ll sell a few at $7,000, maybe enough to limp along for a few years
$9,000+ and there’s blood in the water.
I would be extremely pleasantly surprised at $5,000 at might even consider one. I will be genuinely shocked and appalled if the final figure is $9,000
I can’t help but think that motorcycles aren’t getting electrified as a whole super soon. A motorcycle is already pretty efficient, so people aren’t going electric to cut down on fuel costs. I don’t think many people are going to look for them because they’re quiet, when you have the wind roaring past you anyway (not to mention the people who believe loud pipes save lives). And the range/price/charging speed trifecta makes them a hard choice. Unless they can get the industry onto one standard swappable battery, I don’t see quick battery swap stations making recharging both fast and affordable.
That said, I think it would be neat to have an electric motorcycle to zoom around the backroads with. Something that can take my weight up to about 60 mph pretty rapidly and is fun to ride, plus it won’t wake the neighbors if I decide to ride to work in the morning. I’ll be watching these, though it’ll take a heck of a value to get me to buy one, I think. After all, I’ve been looking at Royal Enfields for years without going for one, and they’re value incarnate.
Isn’t this basically what Levatich was originally trying to do with LiveWire (and Harley as a whole)? Basically, the whole More Roads thing?
In a weird way, yeah, it seems More Roads is slowly becoming reality, albeit through a really convoluted route.
The whole deal with More Roads was Harley realizing that it needed to dramatically broaden its customer base. So, it began greater marketing pushes towards women, LGBTQ people, and so on. Then, once Harley reeled in new faces, More Roads called for a variety of different bikes to get those people on. Hence, the existence of the Pan America, too.
Of course, a lot of young people aren’t rolling around with $16k or more to spend on a toy, so Harley missed the mark there. A lot of the young folks I see out there are either buying used, or they get something like a Royal Enfield or a Honda.
But if these come in at an actually affordable price, yeah, that’s something in the right direction.
I previously owned an HD Livewire and currently own a Honda Monkey, so a 125 cc class Livewire seems to be built specifically for me. I loved the instant torque and acceleration of the Livewire, and I love the easy handling/unintimidating nature of the Monkey. A bike with the handling characteristics of a Grom/Monkey and the instant torque of a Livewire should be an absolute riot. If nothing else, this could be an epic wheelie machine/stunt bike.
My only concern is cost. With their previous bikes, H-D/Livewire misjudged the premium buyers are willing to pay for an electric motorcycle. I hope they are more realistic this time. This bike could succeed if it costs no more than $6k and can deliver 80 miles of real-world range (if 80 miles of real-world range seems low, take a Grom/Monkey/Dax/Z125 on a road trip and then tell me 80 miles isn’t enough). The electric powertrain has enough advantages (i.e. rapid acceleration, low fuel costs, minimal maintenance, low noise, etc.) the premium would be worth it to some buyers. The swappable batteries only make this bike more desirable.
The commentariat seems to hate this bike, but they are misguided. This bike sounds incredible. If this bike is built and sold at a semi reasonable price, there is about a 110% chance I will buy one. I also believe in you, Livewire!
You’re real close to the BMW CE 02. $7.5k price, similar top speed and acceleration as this, but range is 56 miles. It also has a dual battery thing where you can remove one at a time for charging (or both).
The CE 02 is cool. My concerns about the CE 02 are price and styling; I am less bothered by range. I think an EV is going to struggle if it costs more than 1.5-2x that of a comparable ICE bike. As a Grom is $3,300, I think the S3 needs to come close to $6k. $1500 may not be a huge amount of money, but it is ~40% of a 125 cc ICE bike so it is a lot in relative terms.
As for styling, while taste in styling is subjective, I am not keen on the BMW. To me, the CE 02 styling is futuristic in a bad way. From the photos shown above, the S3 appears to have traditional minibike styling, which I like.
I am happy the CE 02 exists, though. Electric motorcycles are great!
As you say, these bikes are fighting a losing battle against energy density. Absent a breakthrough in battery chemistry, EV bikes are never going to make sense unless they’re mandated.
Removable Batteries and extendo range quick connect saddle bags with say batteries way down low in the packs would be a good idea to cover a broader range of….ranges. Also allows the starting price to not reflect the “Add-Ons”. And when you really get down to it, having no battery in the bike when not in use kind of helps with security somewhat.
These e-motorcycles are currently for the rider with a lot of disposable income looking for their next toy. They don’t stack up against ICE or moped style e-bikes in terms of price and convenience. Battery tech needs to greatly improve before they become attractive for the average buyer.
Wow, the big grey panel is very ugly. You could tell me this is a $600 moped from Harbor Freight and I’d believe it.
The upper frame looks nice. My compliments end there. The rest looks cheap as hell; the big grey panel, the rear swing arm…
I feel like this is a non starter honestly, like sure the electric version would appeal to some, but when the grom and the like get nearly 100mpg, it’s a real hard sell to me unless the prices are the same. Even if this is like $6k, it’s double the price of a grom, with no real advantage. These are cool looking, and would undoubtedly be fun, but it just doesn’t make sense in my head, not that vehicle decisions have to make sense.
The one thing I have not seen is addressing what I think is biggest hurdle for bikes which is aerodynamics. They are simply terrible outside a fully faired bike with a rider full tuck. Until that is addressed I can only see an inner city/commute use case for them and I say that having come close to getting a Zero many times. Even then the value proposition is terrible against ICE bikes. They are simply so cheap and already require minimal maintenance.
How the heck are they going to address it, and still have it be functional like a motorcycle/scooter. Start adding more cladding and it gets more expensive. Continue adding cladding and you are approaching the BMW C1, which was an utter failure and not something most people want.
How is this that different from a scooter/moped style (love the loaf seat) $1-2.5K E-Bike that has peddles when the battery goes down?
Easy! This one costs 5x as much, and goes a little bit faster. And is also less practical due to the lack of pedals.
Those aren’t street legal vehicles.
Up to 750 W they are legal where I live.
Those are legal in the same since a bicycle is legal. Those don’t typically have 100 mile ranges and top speeds in the near ~55mph. You also can’t take them on highways. Also, as you said, it’s only a max of 750W. This thing likely has somewhere around 5x-10x more.
They seem too small for the highway and not 5x-10x better.