LiveWire files trademark on S4 Honcho name
What is a ‘heavyweight motorcycle’ and what would an electric version look like? Filings by LiveWire have us asking just that.
Harley-Davidson-owned electric motorcycle brand LiveWire has filed a trademark application that may give clues on future direction.
Late last week, an application was processed with the United States Patent and Trademark Office seeking permission to trademark and use the name “S4 Honcho” for “motorcycles and structural parts therefor.”
Credit once again to internet super sleuth Dennis Chung for spotting this one. Unfortunately, there’s not a lot of solid information beyond the filing.
What, exactly, is the S4 Honcho? When will we see it? Those are mysteries, with answers perhaps still unknown even to the folks who filed the patent.
In Europe, LiveWire has been dropping prices and expanding its network recently, ostensibly a sign that it is eager to shake off notoriously disappointing sales and seriously compete in the (highly volatile) electric space.
As Chung points out, when the LiveWire brand first split off from Harley-Davidson (those whose brains haven’t been destroyed by the algorithm will remember that the LiveWire ONE was originally known as the Harley-Davidson LiveWire), it did so with big plans.
In a 2021 presentation that envisioned the production of 100,000 electric bikes, the brand spoke of a portfolio of four different series of bikes: the premium ONE models, the slightly less premium S2 models, the Kymco-partnered affordable S3 models, and S4 models intended to make use of “the latest technologies to address heavyweight motorcycles with expected improvements in range and charging capabilities.”
A lot has happened since those heady days, and still is happening. It’s reasonable to assume that plans have changed. Or, at the very least, been adjusted.
Harley’s been dealing with a challenging financial situation, and traditionally when the MoCo hits rough waters, it jettisons side projects (eg, Buell, MV Agusta). In less than a month, a new CEO will be taking over, and that will have all kinds of yet-to-be-known implications.
Meanwhile, LiveWire’s hung in there, but only barely. It reportedly sold just 612 motorcycles worldwide in 2024. That means that roughly 1.5 per cent of its annual sales are represented in that “You fellas know how to ride, right?” scene in The Naked Gun.
So, whatever the vision of an S4 model might have been in 2021, that may not be what LiveWire is thinking now. In other words, the S4 designation may no longer be intended for “heavyweight motorcycles.”
But if things haven’t changed on that end, the mind boggles at thoughts of what the S4 Honcho might be. What is the definition of a heavyweight motorcycle when you’re owned by Harley-freaking-Davidson? An electric bike to compete against the likes of a Fat Boy? An electric touring motorcycle on par with the Road Glide?
No clue. And unfortunately, it will probably be quite some time before we find out. If at all. Companies will often trademark names and do nothing with them.
Certainly it seems, however, that the electric motorcycle segment has the wind at its back right now. Honda’s going all-in on teasing its EV Fun concept, Stark Future is claiming it can beat traditional bikes in every way, Maeving is riding high on additional funding, Energica is working toward restarting production, and on and on. Something’s happening in the segment and perhaps LiveWire wants to be the head honcho.
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Chris Cope is a fourth-generation journalist, originally from Texas. He has lived in the UK for roughly two decades and has been writing about motorcycles for most of that time. He has written for dozens of publications and websites in the UK, US, Canada, and Australia.
