LiveWire buys Dust Moto as electric off-road bikes become the industry’s hottest ticket

LiveWire has announced the acquisition of American electric dirt bike startup Dust Moto, in a move that feels both surprising and completely logical at the same time.

Surprising because, LiveWire’s own recent performance has hardly painted a picture of a booming business. Sales have continued to slide, profitability remains some way off, and the wider premium electric road bike market still looks like a tough sell outside of a fairly niche audience.

It becomes a more logical move when you take into account that right now, electric off-road bikes are arguably the one part of the electric motorcycle world that actually appears to be gaining traction with consumers.

That’s the backdrop to LiveWire’s latest announcement, which sees the Harley-Davidson-backed EV brand acquire Dust Moto’s assets and bring its electric dirt bike platform under the LiveWire umbrella. The goal now is to push the project toward production using LiveWire’s engineering resources, manufacturing capabilities, and dealer network. It’s a similar story to what happened with Oset when Triumph acquired the electric trial bike brand in 2022. Although in the case of the LiveWire acquisition, it’s expected that Dust Moto’s bikes will be completely rebranded as LiveWires and no longer sold under the DM nameplate.

The company says the acquisition marks a strategic expansion into the off-road market, pointing to growing demand for lightweight electric bikes offering instant torque, lower noise levels, simpler operation and reduced maintenance.

In fairness, there’s evidence to support that thinking.

While premium electric road bikes continue to struggle with high prices, range anxiety and lukewarm mainstream demand, electric off-road machines have found a much more natural home. Lightweight chassis, short-duration riding, easy home charging and the performance benefits of electric power all suit motocross, enduro and play-bike riding far better than they do long-distance road touring or out-and-out sports riding.

You only have to look at the rise of Stark Future and its hugely successful Stark Varg range to see where the energy currently sits in the market. Stark has rapidly gone from ambitious startup to genuine disruptor, with the Varg earning widespread praise for delivering performance that can genuinely rival, and in some cases outperform, traditional petrol motocross bikes.

And Stark isn’t alone, either. Smaller electric off-road brands continue to emerge, such as Radian, which we reported on already. Add to that the boom in youth-focused electric bikes, which have already proven successful through brands like STACYC and the aforementioned Oset, and the move from LiveWire seems less like a reckless post-pub eBay buy, and more like a push to at least get a finger in a profitable pie.

LiveWire CEO Karim Donnez said: 

“LiveWire pioneered the on-road electric motorcycle market, and this acquisition allows us to build on that leadership as we expand into off-road, continuing the journey that began with STACYC ten years ago.”

Exactly what the final product will look like remains unclear for now, although LiveWire says more information will arrive during the second half of 2026.

The bigger question is whether this marks the start of a wider industry shift. Because while the dream of premium electric superbikes replacing petrol machines still feels some distance away, electric off-road bikes increasingly look like the one area where the technology genuinely makes sense, both for riders and, potentially, for the companies trying to make money from them.

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