LiveWire is rolling closer to the summer 2023 release of its second electric motorcycle model, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar. The company has just confirmed new pricing for the production model in the US as well as for the upcoming EU version of the electric motorcycle.
The S2 Del Mar is technically the second model from LiveWire, but it’s really the first model developed by the brand after its spin-off from within Harley-Davidson.
H-D originally developed its own LiveWire electric motorcycle that was released under the bar and shield nameplate in 2019. However, the company rolled its electric motorcycle work into a new separate brand known as LiveWire in 2021.
The new LiveWire brand inherited the H-D LiveWire, re-releasing it with minor updates as the LiveWire One electric motorcycle, making the upcoming S2 Del Mar motorcycle even more monumental as the brand’s first totally unique bike.
It was originally unveiled nearly a year ago with the limited Launch Edition selling for $17,699 and the production version claiming an anticipated $15,000 target price. Reservations for the Launch Edition sold out in just 18 minutes.
As time (and inflation) rolled on, the target price for the production version walked up to $16,999 in late 2022. But now LiveWire has announced new lowered pricing for the production version of the bike in the US, dropping to $15,499. That puts it within $500 of the original price, and around $7,000 lower than LiveWire’s flagship One electric motorcycle.
Deliveries of the production version of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar are expected to begin in the US in July.
Reservations for the European version of the S2 Del Mar Launch Edition will open at 4 p.m. CET on April 27. There are only 100 bikes available in the European Launch Edition, and the quickest to their mouses will be able to reserve one for €100.
The Launch Edition of S2 Del Mar is planned for delivery in Europe this September.
The pricing for the S2 Del Mar European Launch Edition including VAT varies by country as follows:
- France: €20,190
- Germany: €19,990
- Netherlands: €20,390
- U.K.: £18,990
We don’t yet have full specs for the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, though the company says that info will be revealed in June.
For now we know that the bike is targeting a power rating of around 80 horsepower (60 kW) and a city range of approximately 100 miles (160 km). The S2 Del Mar features a 0-60 mph time of around 3.1 seconds, offering urban riders a high performance bike that can handle commuting or pleasure rides – though not necessarily long pleasure rides at highway speeds.
Level 2 recharging is said to top up the battery from 20-80% in 75 minutes, though that is a far cry from the nearly 30-minute charge with the LiveWire One’s DC Fast Charging.
For commuters, though, it’s likely plenty. Most riders charge up on a lower power outlet overnight, and the S2 Del Mar isn’t really intended for cross country rides. But for apartment dwellers or anyone without home charging, the ability to get a mostly full charge in just over an hour will still be a major convenience compared to slower charging bikes.
So far test rides of the few prototype LiveWire S2 Del Mar’s have been few and far between. In fact, I seem to be the only motorcycle journalist who has had a chance to ride one which is strange, because the experience was absolutely incredible. Pretty much the only downside to the bike is that the range is modest. I don’t know the battery size as it hasn’t been released (and it wasn’t printed on the side), but I’d guess it will be revealed to be around 9-10 kWh. As a commuter bike, 100 miles (160 km) of city range will still probably be enough for most people.
Even with a modest battery, I still rode the bike all through NYC and New Jersey with range to spare. My testing included a mix of city traffic as well as highway riding at speeds that were not what legal scholars would define as “legal.”
So that one single solitary downside isn’t even that big of a deal for the type of riders the bike is targeting, as I discovered. And once you get past the fact that you won’t be taking this bike touring around the country, everything else is an upside. It’s powerful, fast, quiet, comfortable, sexy – and if you’re under 45 then the fact that it doesn’t have a huge H-D logo on it is probably another plus.
But why read about my thoughts on the S2 Del Mar when you can watch them in real time? Check out my ride video below for the full scoop. Oh, and a note to you Europeans: You might set an alarm for 16:00 on April 27 so you don’t miss out on the Launch Edition like I did.
