LiveWire S2 Del Mar LE coming: What do you hope to see?

To reach sales figures like that, they’ll need more than just the LiveWire ONE electric motorcycle — a motorcycle designed to be sold as a low-volume halo product in Harley-Davidson’s portfolio. H-D spun the LiveWire motorcycle off into an entire LiveWire brand and promised more models to join the ONE. Despite a substantial price reduction to $21,999 (base), the ONE is still a ‘spensive motorcycle. More affordable models to be sold in greater numbers are needed if LiveWire wants to cross the hundred thousand sales mark in half a decade.

Enter the Arrow powertrain, a modular battery/motor/built-in charger platform that will be used in multiple future models and variations. The S2 line will supposedly be the middleweights, and the S3s will be light electric motorcycles. Heavier S4s would fill the top of the range.

Decoding the S2 Del Mar LE

Details on LiveWire’s upcoming model are thin on the ground, but that hasn't discouraged rabid fans on social media from hunting for clues about the upcoming release. The bike’s name provides some hints about its purpose and positioning. S2 indicates a middleweight per LiveWire's proposed ranking system. A safe bet would be less power, weight, and range than a ONE. The Del Mar name suggests flat-track inspiration from the famed California fairgrounds of the same name. And LE could hint at a Limited Edition release for the Del Mar’s first customers. This is the first time we’re seeing these naming conventions from LiveWire, so it’s hard to say anything for sure.

This short teaser video from LiveWire’s YouTube channel gives a glimpse of the new model. The few frames that include the bike’s tail look awfully close to the light flat-track-inspired concept bike Harley-Davidson showed several years ago. Hmm…

What do you hope to see from the new bike? Personally, I think the flat-track look is definitely going to happen, and that means this motorcycle will be meant for short blasts instead of long hauls. Quick charging and a nimble weight would appeal to urbanites, who will probably represent a large number of customers because LiveWire’s dealerships/experience centers are mostly in major metros. I wouldn’t mind a relatively low top speed of 65 to 70 mph if the Del Mar offered 120 miles of range and enough torque to make me smile every time I twist the throttle. Here’s hoping it has some way to disable rider aids for genuine flat-track sliding. You don’t need to be a racer to enjoy a little sideways fun on a field or fire road. 

I’m not the only one wondering what LiveWire will show us next week. I asked my Common Tread colleagues what they hoped to see from the S2 Del Mar LE.

Brandon Wise: Gimme a widowmaker!

The tracker aspect of this bike gets my attention. I was very excited when the prototypes of the Indian FTR 1200 came out, and when I finally threw a leg over that machine for the first time, I wouldn't say I was disappointed… but it wasn't what I really expected. It felt a lot more like a hopped-up cruiser than a flat-tracker, to me. I get it, people aren't buying FTRs to flat-track them, and it was a very powerful and comfortable street ride. I just wish it was a bit more low profile and a bit more compact. If you've ever seen any real flat-track bikes, they have that "small but mighty" look and feel to them.

With the Del Mar, I'm wishing for a light and tight e-tracker with "widowmaker" power like the ol’ Kawasaki H2 750. When will somebody put crazy electric power in a truly sleek package? Hopefully the Del Mar holds its line well and feels stable with whatever power it brings to the table. Based on its looks, I don’t think it’ll have the fumbly-bumbly weight and feel of a cruiser.

Much like the FTR, the LiveWire One has awesome power, but it still feels like a little piggy cruiser to me. If the Del Mar sticks to what we've seen in the renderings, I think it's going to be a fun little bike that is approachable by many from its overall stature, but it would be most fun with the power seasoned riders desire… even though I know that probably won’t happen.

I guess while I'm at it might as well give it a 1,000-mile range, a five-minute charge time, and let's keep the cost under $10,000, OK?

Zack Courts: First impressions don't get second chances

Boy oh boy, the LiveWire brand is sitting on a golden opportunity. Vehicle prices are high, gas prices are high, and the market is ready for an electric motorcycle to define the era. Of all the companies vying for a share of people’s interest, LiveWire has the best shot. First of all, because the Harley-Davidson LiveWire (now the LiveWire ONE) is a show of force. It’s a fast, capable, and impressive motorcycle, never mind that it’s electric and futuristic and was built by a company famous for being behind the times.

The two big downsides is that it weighs almost 600 pounds and costs 20 grand. But, this whole separation of LiveWire from the Bar-and-Shield logo is the linchpin. If this new Del Mar had a Harley-Davidson logo on it, there would be a tax levied on the consumer due to its relationship with the pedigree of the Harley brand. Crucially, there’s no need for that now. LiveWire sits on a short but strong reputation of building a premium electric motorcycle associated with the 800-pound gorilla of the American motorcycle market, with no pedigree to drive up prices.

Point being: For the love of all things that burn rubber and do wheelies, make it affordable. Yes, also make it approachable and fun, like a Zero FXE with flat-track style and Suzuki SV650 performance, but undercut the price of anything Zero can realistically match. Flex that bicep of motorcycle manufacturing that only Milwaukee has, take a risk and deliver to the people what no other company can afford to — a zippy little alternative to an expensive electric bicycle or a budget foreign motorcycle, something that tugs at people’s heartstrings and leaves them no other choice but to buy in to the LiveWire dream. Chances like these don’t come along very often.

Jen Dunstan: Rapid charging could change the game

After some serious quality time on the LiveWire One, I see so much opportunity and potential for the Del Mar middleweight concept. Naturally, next week's announcement will reveal all, but while we have time left in the realm of fantasy here, there are a few things I would love to see in the next generation LiveWire.

First off, a reasonable price point, somewhere in that $8,000 to $12,000 sweet spot. Secondly, the performance of an Alta Motors SM model but double the range. Lightweight, nimble, and quick for city street hooliganism with a range of 80 to 120 miles would be formidable. Finally, and this is the big pipe dream, slash the charge time for the Del Mar in half from the LiveWire ONE. City dwellers who do not have a garage for an electric bike to sit in and charge all night would benefit greatly from an e-motorcycle that can charge hyper fast at the charge station or at work (and preferably be capable of Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 DC fast charge).

Those are some big asks of the current EV technology, but if the Del Mar even comes close on one or two marks we will definitely be getting somewhere. The LiveWire ONE is a competent but expensive machine. A pint-sized version of those capabilities might just electrify the e-bike market (harhar!).

Editor Lance Oliver: Why flat track?

This is a digression from Andy's question of what I'd like to see in the S2 Del Mar LE, but I can't help but wonder why we're seeing what we are seeing. I think if you made a Venn diagram of the types of motorcyclists, the overlap between electric motorcycle owners and flat-track fans is somewhere between tiny and none. There are early adopters who love electric motorcycles and there are people who like going to county fairgrounds horse tracks to watch motorcycles slide around noisily on the dirt in a form of sport that hit its peak 50 years ago, and I don't see the two groups having much in common. So why is LiveWire styling its next electric motorcycle like a flat-tracker?

The Del Mar S2 may look great and people may like its looks. But grafting flat-track style on an electric motorcycle makes as much sense to me as putting a rotary dial on the next new iPhone.

The LiveWire S2 Del Mar LE will debut on Tuesday. Watch this space for more coverage of the new model as LiveWire enters a new era.