harley davidson livewire s4 honcho 2026

The S4 Honcho represents a major shift for LiveWire—Harley-Davidson’s all-electric spinoff—marking its entry into the rapidly growing, lightweight electric "mini-moto" category. Built in partnership with Taiwanese scooter giant KYMCO, this 125cc-equivalent platform strips away the heavy weight and premium pricing of LiveWire's earlier full-sized models to deliver an agile, highly accessible urban runabout. Mechanically, the Honcho features a mid-mounted electric motor utilizing a traditional chain drive to provide a familiar motorcycle feel, capable of hitting a top speed of 59 mph (95 km/h) and sprinting from 0 to 30 mph in a punchy 3.0 seconds. A standout feature for the brand is its dual removable, swappable 3.48 kWh battery packs tucked neatly under the flip-up bench seat, offering a WMTC-estimated range of up to 53 miles (which can stretch past 70 miles during low-speed city cruising) and a 20-to-80% charge time of roughly two hours via a standard household outlet.

The S4 Honcho platform targets two distinct riding lifestyles right out of the gate with its launch variants:

S4 Honcho Street: The fully road-legal urban commuter configuration. It is built for city streets with a 31-inch seat height, basic telescopic forks, 12-inch cast wheels wrapped in street-biased tires, and scooter-style handlebar-actuated linked disc brakes. It comes fully equipped with a 5-inch digital display, mirrors, a license plate bracket, and full LED lighting—making it ready for M-endorsement riders in the US and A1 license holders in Europe.

S4 Honcho Trail: A stripped-down, off-road-only recreational variant. It swaps out the street gear for an extra inch of suspension travel (raising the seat height to 32 inches), beefier handlebars, increased ground clearance, and chunky, knobbier balloon tires designed for dirt tracks. By deleting the headlights, indicators, and mirrors, it sheds weight down to 253 pounds (compared to the Street's 266 pounds). It also curiously features a reverse gear—making it an ideal, license-free option for outdoorsmen, hunters, and weekend trail riders seeking silent propulsion through nature.