With the introduction of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar, the electric motorcycle OEM that sprang fully formed out of Harley-Davidson aimed to offer a stylish, more accessible middleweight-equivalent machine to riders. Even without full details available, the S2 Del Mar Launch Edition still sold out in under 20 minutes, which shows a certain level of both confidence and expectation about the experience.
Fast-forward to mid-July 2023, and at last, we have full specifications on the LiveWire S2 Del Mar. What can riders expect out of this bike? Let’s take a look.
Gallery: LiveWire S2 Del Mar Production Version
Performance, Battery, and Charging Time Claims
The electric motor that sits at the heart of the S2 Del Mar produces a claimed 84 horsepower and 194 pound-feet of torque. Top speed, says LiveWire, is 103 miles per hour. It has a zero to 60 time of 3.0 seconds.
From the factory, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar is equipped with a 10.5 kilowatt hour battery. The charging port meets the J1772 Type 1 standard, and can use both a standard 110V household outlet and Level Two charging at public charging stations that support it.
Charging from zero to 100 percent using an L1 charger will take 8.4 hours. Charging from 20 to 80 percent, as many people might do, takes 5.9 hours with the L1 charger. If you use an L2 public charger instead, you can go from zero to 100 percent of a full charge in two hours and 22 minutes. Going from 20 percent to 80 percent of a full charge with an L2 public charger, by contrast, takes an hour and 18 minutes to complete.
Range
The LiveWire S2 Del Mar is intended primarily as a city bike. Its claimed city range is 113 miles on a single charge. As is the case with all electric bikes, sustained running at higher speeds eats up battery more quickly than stop-and-go running at lower speeds. Highway range at a sustained 55 mph speed is estimated at 70 miles, while highway range at a sustained 70 mph speed is estimated at 43 miles.
Since many riders in the real world will do mixed riding (city and highway, not either/or), the combined range with a sustained highway speed of 55 mph is 86 miles. Meanwhile, the combined range with a sustained highway speed of 70 mph is 62 miles.
As with all electric vehicles (motorbikes or otherwise), actual range may vary based on a number of factors and riding conditions. Uphills/downhills, head- and tailwinds, how much momentum you carry through corners and more can all affect your real-world range.
Frame, Suspension, Brakes, and Wheels
The frame of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar is modular, with a great deal of cast aluminum involved. The powertrain is a structural cast aluminum unit, and the swingarm is also made from cast aluminum.
Suspension consists of a fully adjustable 43mm Showa upside-down, 1x1 cartridge fork in front, and a Showa Free Piston monoshock with progressive linkage in the back. The rear shock features both preload and rebound damping adjustability.
Braking duties are performed by a single Brembo M4.32 four-piston monoblock caliper and a floating brake disc up front, as well as a Brembo PF34 single-piston floating caliper and fixed rear disc setup in the rear. A pair of 19-inch, 10-spoke cast aluminum wheels finished in black complete the S2 Del Mar, and come wrapped in Dunlop DT-1 tires.
Ride Modes and Electronic Rider Aids
The LiveWire S2 Del Mar comes with five ride modes: Sport, Road, Range, Rain, and one user-defined Custom mode. Additionally, the S2 Del Mar is equipped with a six-axis inertial measurement unit (IMU), and utilizes Bosch technologies to offer cornering ABS, a drag-torque slip control system, and a cornering-enhanced traction control system.
Each ride mode offers a mix of five different elements: Power, Throttle, Regen, Traction Control, and ABS. Sport Mode prioritizes performance over range. As such, it offers 100 percent power, 75 percent throttle, 65 percent regen, and both standard traction control and ABS. Meanwhile, Road Mode seeks to strike a balance between performance and range. It offers 100 percent power, 85 percent throttle, 35 percent regen, and standard levels of both traction control and ABS.
Range Mode is the one to choose if you’re looking to achieve greater distance on a single charge over outright performance. This one dials the power back to 45 percent, throttle to 40 percent, regen at 80 percent, and standard levels of traction control and ABS. Rain Mode amps up the control over performance, which you’re more likely to want in a low-traction situation such as rain. Power is dialed back to 25 percent, throttle is also 25 percent, regen is set to 20 percent, traction control is set to High, and ABS is now in its own rain mode.
Finally, the user-defined Custom Mode allows riders to dial in their own settings from zero to 100 percent for Power, Throttle, and Regen. Traction Control can be set to Low, Standard, High, or Off, and ABS can be switched between Standard and Rain modes.
Electronics, Connectivity, and Lighting
The LiveWire S2 Del Mar comes with a four-inch round color TFT display on the dash. There’s a USB-C charger to keep your phone (or other device) charged on the go. Software updates for the S2 Del Mar are available over-the-air, which marks a first for a LiveWire bike. Using your smartphone and the available LiveWire phone app, you can navigate, interact with phone and media features, and more—but it’s all dependent on your phone. Bluetooth connectivity between your phone and your bike is required to make use of those features.
The LiveWire S2 Del Mar comes with full LED lighting all around.
Dimensions
The LiveWire S2 Del Mar has a wheelbase of 57.2 inches, rake of 24 degrees, and trail of 3.6 inches. Seat height is 32.2 inches. Curb weight is 436 pounds. Ground clearance is 6.5 inches.
Pricing and Availability
Pricing and availability will vary by region. As of July 17, 2023, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar is available for reservations in the US, France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK. US pricing starts at $15,499.
Prices for the four European markets where the S2 Del Mar will launch first on that continent, along with details on the rollout plan, can be found here. If you are not located in one of the above regions, you’ll unfortunately have to wait for if and when the S2 Del Mar rolls out in your region.
