S2 Del Mar – a more affordable LiveWire

LiveWire One was only ever the first of the battery electric revolution instigated by the Harley-Davidson offshoot. Now the company has released details of its second offering, the limited edition 2023 S2 Del Mar. It’s already sold out; the 100 they plan to build were spoken for in just 18 min.

The Launch Edition features special 19-inch alloy wheel designs inspired by circuit boards, and delivery is set for the second quarter of 2023. They come in Jasper Gray or Comet Indigo paint finishes that evidently take five days to complete.  

This new model’s styling is inspired by XR750 flat trackers that made Harley famous in dirt racing. Features include high-mount handlebars, a flyscreen, and a narrow tail section. Both this and the regular production model to follow are underpinned by LiveWire’s new S2 Arrow platform. This features a battery, motor, charging, and control system developed by the company in its California tech lab. Modular architecture makes it easy to utilise in various bike guises. 

The powertrain, which is fully integrated within the chassis, is good for 60kW (80bhp) and the bike tips the scales at precisely 200kg, roughly 50kg less than LiveWire One. Up front is a Brembo four-piston radial-mount caliper.

The firm claims a 0-60mph time of 3.5sec, and urban battery range of 160km. No highway or combined figure is available.  

The new bike is aimed primarily at urban riders and commuters in any case. That said, its Dunlop DT1 tyres are said to be equally at home on dirt and bitumen. 

Pricing has the launch edition Del Mar variants at $US17,699. Production of the standard S2 Del Mar model will follow and it should kick off from $US15,000.

Harley-Davidson CEO, Jochen Zeitz, commented “The Arrow architecture underpinning the Del Mar….demonstrates our ambition to lead in the EV space and establish LiveWire as the most desirable electric motorcycle brand in the world.”