Leaks reveal next Harley-Davidson electric motorcycle could go cruiser direction

Harley-Davidson’s electric motorcycle brand LiveWire is still up to its riding leathers in its second electric motorcycle model, the LiveWire S2 Del Mar. But even as the company is pushing out deliveries of that bike, new leaked details are already revealing design information about the company’s next model. And it may just be the more comfortable cruiser that so many have been waiting for.

I hear it all the time, “Why aren’t there any electric cruiser motorcycles?”

If there were, it’d make sense for Harley-Davidson to be the one to make it happen. And it’s starting to look like that could be the case.

While naked bikes, often known as roadsters, feature a modestly tucked ride with rear-set foot pegs, cruiser bikes tend to offer a more relaxed ride with lower saddles and more forward-mounted pegs or even platforms. And those just may be features found on the next LiveWire motorcycle.

That info comes to us thanks to some sleuthing by Motorcycle.com’s Dennis Chung, who helped us get our first look at new details regarding a second model built on LiveWire’s Arrow platform.

The Arrow platform was always expected to have a multimodel future. Its design includes a structural battery that allows major hardware to be built around the same platform, resulting in different styles of electric motorcycles that share the same basic guts (i.e., batteries, motors, and controllers).

While the S2 Del Mar that is currently making deliveries is more of a naked street bike with flat tracker roots, new details show that the next model on the platform is likely to draw from a more cruiser-styled heritage.

Harley-Davidson filed trademarks for the bike this year that suggest it will be called the S2 Mulholland. Just as the S2 Del Mar bike got its name from the Del Mar Flat Track Races, the S2 Mulholland likely draws inspiration from LA’s famous Mulholland Drive, a curvy road that has become a favorite among local and visiting street riders. I took the original Harley-Davidson LiveWire motorcycle down that very road a few years ago when I first reviewed the bike.

Harley-Davidson has lent credence to that naming theme after it was discovered that the S2 Del Mar’s service manual includes references to another model codified as “S2MH,” while the S2 Del Mar has its own “S2DM” abbreviation in Harley-Davidson’s service manual.

But it would take more than a twisty highway moniker to make LiveWire’s next bike a cruiser. Further hard evidence for a more relaxed ride comes from the bike’s saddle height and wheelbase, both of which have been revealed as part of the Harley’s service manual. The Mulholland’s saddle height of 30.25 inches is shorter than the Del Mar’s 30.9-inch seat height, though only slightly. It appears to have a differently shaped saddle as well.

The wheelbase of the Mulholland is stretched compared to the Del Mar’s, which could mean a slacker rake angle for the front fork or a longer chassis, allowing a more relaxed riding posture.

As interesting as a full-on electric cruiser could be, these modifications could also just be minor changes in a bike that may be more structurally similar to the S2 Del Mar. At this point, it is just too soon to tell.

But with a 2024 model year listed for the upcoming “S2MH,” we could learn more details sooner than we think. A 2024 reveal would be likely, so make sure to keep checking back here for updates.

Until then, let’s hear your thoughts. Would you be interested in an electric cruiser motorcycle? Sound off in the comment section below!