New LiveWire S2 Alpinista Teased Amid Sliding Sales
Not much is known about the new model, although we can tell you it’ll be revealed on January 15
LiveWire isn’t letting dwindling large-capacity electric bike sales stop it from launching a new bike, as the next machine from the S2 platform gets ready for its reveal.
Not much is known about the model, other than it's called the S2 Alpinista, and that name has us visualising sinuous ribbons of asphalt snaking into the distance. Indeed, the nod to the Alpine region seems to be a bit of a ‘thing’ for this model, as the teaser page for the new bike on the LiveWire website includes the words “Via Ferrata” dotted about it in the now-obligatory edgy and youthful typeface.
Via Ferrata, which translates into English as "iron path", is a protected climbing route in the Alps and Italian Dolomite mountains. And while we don’t expect this to be some two-wheeled electric mountain goat, it’ll likely be more at home on a twisty mountain road than either the S2 Del Mar or S2 Mulholland are.
While not much is known about the new model (in fact these pictures are the clearest ones we have of it), it is based on the S2 battery and motor platform, meaning we can at least have a stab at some tech specs. We know from Visordown’s review of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar that the motor, battery and speed controller combined to produce around 80bhp and 194lb-ft of torque. And that maximum usable range is around 100 miles of real-world riding. Whether or not those specs are the same the new Alpinista remains to be seen.
Another thing that remains to be seen is how well the new model will sell. Mid-size and large-capacity electric bikes (which is the category the S2 platform fits in) are looking like a harder sell than ever in the UK and beyond. And while Zero registered roughly one new bike a month in sales in the UK (and sometimes slightly more), LiveWire’s name isn't shown anywhere in the 2024 sales data when filtering specifically to large and mid-sized electric bikes. If one thing is for sure, it’s going to take more than a sweet handling version of an existing electric bike to swing sales in favour of battery power. In fact, It’ll take a gargantuan shift in public opinion, a giant leap in range and recharge times, and significant financial incentives from manufacturers and the government.
The new bike will be getting its covers pulled off on January 15, and we’ll be keeping an eye on the proceedings to bring you all the news as we have it.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
