HARLEY-DAVIDSON top brass has announced that the next machine to arrive from the recently created LiveWire electric motorcycle brand is arriving this year, with the LiveWire S2 Del Mar being touted for a Q2, 2022.
The news comes from a Harley-Davidson investors roundup when H-D CEO (and acting LiveWire CEO) Jochen Zeitz confirmed that the second LiveWire branded motorcycle would land sometime in Q2 2022. That means at some point between the beginning of April and end of June, we should have the final details of the next step in the Harley electrification story.
Exactly what the S2 Del Mar will look like, sadly, is still unknown. What we do know is it’ll be the first of a range of bikes that uses a newly designed proprietary driveline, that comprises a battery, speed controller, inverter and charger, and motor all in one neatly formed package. LiveWire calls the package its Arrow Architecture, and it’s a similar theory to the CP2 style of building a bike that Yamaha has utilised so well with the MT-07, Tenere 700, XSR700, and new R7. One engine platform that is versatile and cost-effective to produce and is used in many platforms with minimal alteration.
It also means that as regulations around powered two-wheelers evolve further down the line, updates can be applied to one piece of technology and trickle down to multiple machines.
What comes after the LiveWire S2 Del Mar?
It’s tricky to say at this stage, and LiveWire is obviously not getting too far ahead of itself with any ‘forward-looking statements’. We do though know that the next generation of bikes will be denoted S3 models and based on a scaled-back version of the S2’s Arrow powertrain. For these bikes, Harley-Davidson and LiveWire are said to be turning to manufacturing partner Kymco for help with production and delivery.
These S3 models are likely to be key in LiveWire’s growth and expansion plan – think cost-effective, mass-market motorcycles. To help fulfill that requirement, the mass-production know-how and ready-made supply chain that Kymco offers will no doubt be vital to Harley and the burgeoning LiveWire brand.
