It’s been a minute since Harley-Davidson's electric offshoot LiveWire unveiled two new concept motorcycles at the company’s Homecoming festival in Milwaukee. Well, the street model of the two, the Honcho, looks all ready now and is currently in its pre-release phase. And here’s why it might just be the redemption for the brand.
Everyone knows LiveWire motorcycles haven’t exactly been flying off the shelves. There was plenty of buzz pre-launch, but once the bikes were released, sales tanked. Premium pricing, terrible range, little-to-no charging infrastructure, and a complete dissociation with the Harley identity were all contributing factors.
The Honcho might just be LiveWire’s redemption arc. And the thing that’s the most interesting is, it’s unlike anything that LiveWire or even Harley-Davidson, for that matter, has ever produced. Heck, you wouldn’t be able to guess it’s a LiveWire/Harley product if not for the badge.
We don’t know much about the specs yet, but here’s everything we’ve been able to decipher so far. It will likely fall under the 125cc-equivalent class. So expect a modest power output of around 15 horsepower (10 kW). The Honcho will also be the lightest of all LiveWires yet, and will come with two swappable batteries.
Previously, preliminary testing indicated that the bike could go as fast as 53 mph (85 km/h) and offer a range of about 100 miles (160 km). Not too shabby!
Many assumed at the time that the concept might just be the S3 version of the Arrow platform. We now know it is an S4 – a code that was previously suspected of being specifically earmarked for big, premium electric motorcycles.
It’s no superbike – the Honcho is a lightweight, small-format electric moto that prioritizes practicality, fun, and accessibility over everything else. And Americana. Boy, the Americana in there.
It doesn’t just dip a toe into Americana, it cannonballs into it wearing double denim and a Stetson. Scroll through the marketing, and you’re hit with flannel shirts, pickup trucks, dusty backroads, fishing trips, hunting season vibes. And yes, even a cowboy-hat cursor.
It’s as if someone at LiveWire pinned a 1974 Sears catalog, a Marlboro ad, and a Yellowstone mood board to the same wall and said, “Yes. All of it.” And you know what? It’s refreshing to see a big bikemaker not selling range or torque figures first. Instead, LiveWire’s marketing so far has been all about lifestyle montage set somewhere between a county fair and a tailgate bonfire.
Visually, the Honcho leans more pit-bike than prairie conqueror. The chunky tires and upright stance give it a playful, almost mini-moto silhouette – the kind of thing you’d toss in the back of a side-by-side or park next to a golf cart at a lake house. Which raises an important question: is this really a torchbearer for American motorcycling, or is it targeting the recreational crowd that already owns minibikes, SxSs, and campsite toys?
The entry-level, lightweight segment is one of the few markets for electric motorcycles that is continuously expanding. There’s a big chunk of young riders who are choosing compact, accessible e-bikes as their first motorcycles. And brands like Segway, SurRon, and Zero have been enjoying the fruits of this growth.
However, the majority of established, legacy motorcycle manufacturers have mostly ignored this market. The S4 Honcho might just be where we see the trend shift.
Everything would ultimately depend on the price, performance, real-world usability, and, most importantly, LiveWire’s nationwide dealer and service network. We all know LiveWire’s premium offerings in the past have fallen short of expectations.
Even models like the LiveWire One and the S2 Del Mar, with their premium components, impressive 80+ horsepower output, and a 3-second 0-60 mph time, have sold poorly, partly due to weak demand for premium e-motos and partly due to LiveWire’s poor service and dealer network.
Will the S4 Honcho be the one to give LiveWire the liftoff it needs, finally? What do you think?
Source: LiveWire
