One month with a… LiveWire S2 Alpinista (Verdict)

The argument for electrifying looks more convincing for car drivers than motorcyclists but the direction of travel is clear and the pressure to ditch internal combustion power will only get stronger. Are we ready for it, though? Certainly, choice in electric bikes is growing by the day and the arrival of Honda’s first real effort with the WN7 definitely marks a moment in the evolution of battery-powered two-wheelers. Perhaps surprising that Harley-Davidson of all mainstream brands was there first, though, its pioneering LiveWire One now the figurehead of a standalone brand. It’s been joined by a whole family of newer and more affordable S2 models,this Alpinistathe sportiest and fanciest of the bunch. All very well. But can it do what a combustion bike does in terms of delivering the thrills and handling the daily commute?

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​Intro - the future or just a dead end? ​

​​Verdict - an electrifying experience!​

What is it?

Who’s testing it?

“Car journalist turned biker combining reviews on four wheels and two. Experience of testing electric cars means an open mind to all things battery-powered and an understanding of how to make them fit with daily life, and a curiosity about whether or not motorcycling is ready to transition away from the combustion engines that currently define it.”

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Intro – The future ... or just a dead end?

Dan says: “At nearly 12 grand the Alpinista is certainly not cheap compared with combustion-engined alternatives”

What is the S2 Alpinista and where does it sit in comparison to conventional, combustion-powered motorcycles? Always a tricky one with electric bikes, given they don’t always align with our traditional understanding of engine capacity hierarchy in terms of licence compatibility, performance or status.

At nearly 12 grand the Alpinista is certainly not cheap compared with combustion-engined alternatives, but it’s on a par with electric bikes I’ve ridden previously, like the Honda WN7. While Livewire now counts as a standalone brand and it’s not officially a Harley-Davidson any more it still carries the name on the motor housing, and there are interesting comparisons to be made with the petrol-powered Nightster given the power output, price and target audience look on a par. Interesting to note the LiveWire’s 263Nm of torque absolutely trounces the 95Nm of the Nightster’s 975cc combustion twin, though.

Question being, does that make it as deadly as it is silent? I’ll get to that. First some more practical points, like range. The battery on all the bikes in the S2 family is 10.5kWh in capacity, which is a little more than the Honda WN7 and good for a claimed 89 miles in ‘combined’ riding conditions. Given my commute is around 70 miles there and back that should be enough to make it viable, though as I’ve learned with other electric bikes I’ve tested the reality can sometimes fall short.

Charging is another important consideration, and the LiveWire can’t match the Honda’s car-style rapid charging flexibility for plugging in on the public network. It does have a Type 2 AC charging port, which works with most home car chargers. And the bike arrived with a Type 2 adaptor for charging on the go and/or from a regular three-pin domestic socket. But, however you intend to do this, you need to carry your charging cable with you, and unlike the Zero DSR/X I tested previously there’s no onboard storage for doing so. Meaning I either risk going without or find space to put it in my already crowded backpack along with my laptop, waterproofs and many and various locks required for securing a bike in central Manchester.

Good news? On my first run to and from the office I made it home with 19 per cent charge and 16 miles still ‘in the tank’, so I know it can do the commute ridden at the pace I’d be doing on a combustion bike and with no allowances for battery conservation. With that proof of concept established I’m now interested to see what life with an electric bike is actually like…

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Verdict - an electrifying experience ... or not?

Dan says: “The Alpinista is small and narrow enough to filter through the tightest of gaps and the low-speed handling is confidence-inspiring”

With proof of concept established and the confidence I could do the commute without having to worry about charging for the return journey the Alpinista quickly proved its worth, both as a means of transport and stylish, enjoyable way to get about.

I realise electrification is a big leap for many motorcyclists, especially given the links to Harley-Davidson. But I’m still new enough to bikes not to have any emotional baggage about what came before, and the fact I’ve covered a lot of miles in electric cars perhaps means I’m less hung-up at the idea of battery-powered two-wheelers. And open to the benefits.

These absolutely include the instant power delivery, which is devastatingly effective in city traffic! Certainly, the Alpinista is small and narrow enough to filter through the tightest of gaps and the low-speed handling is confidence-inspiring thanks to the way it carries its weight down low. This and the low seat make it super-easy to carve through stationary cars and thread your way to the front of the queue. And when it goes green you’re off and across the junction before anyone else has even started moving, meaning ‘clean air’ to ride in before you repeat the process at the next set of lights. The ability to slow to a stop on regenerative braking by rocking the throttle forward also makes it very efficient, meaning my range barely drops for the urban section of my journey.

This all means very rapid progress across town, the lack of noise also strangely relaxing. Though you have to keep your thumb hovering over the horn button for the fact pedestrians can’t hear you coming. A common problem with all electric bikes, given even people who do look before stepping off the pavement seem to have some sort of disconnect and think a silent motorcycle doesn’t represent any sort of hazard. Yes, that means you with your giant noise-cancelling headphones walking out blithely between stationary cars and staring blank-faced when confronted with a motorcycle readying to pull away with the rest of the traffic…

This aside the Livewire has proven fun beyond city limits as well, where its ‘proper bike’ size and gutsy performance are fun on more open roads. True, I have missed the sound and ‘punctuation’ you get through shifting up and down the gears on a combustion bike. And the handling is more cruiser than sports bike. But the silent progress has appeal of its own, and I’d simply describe the experience as different, not better or worse.

Overall, the Alpinista has impressed me with its looks, its build quality and the sense it’s been thoroughly developed by people with significant experience of electric bikes. It’s certainly an interesting comparison with the Honda WN7, which I liked and carries the weight of the Japanese brand’s vast experience. But even Honda is playing catch-up to a degree, though its option to plug into rapid car chargers is a trick Livewire could do with copying. It’s still early days for electric motorbikes, and they’re some way behind electric cars in their development curve. But I’d invite even the most sceptical rider to at least try a Livewire as a demo, even just out of curiosity. You may be more impressed than you’d imagined.

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