Electric Range
Zack Courts is one of my favorite motorcycle personalities. I have followed him and Ari Henning from one media company to another for years. Parasocial attachments aside, I have a real bone to pick with Zack over his comments in a ‘Daily Rider’ episode on the Revzilla YouTube channel. On this particular episode, Zack was riding the LiveWire S2 Del Mar.
A little background for those of you who don’t know who LiveWire is. Harley Davidson began selling an electric motorcycle called the LiveWire in late 2019 with an MSRP just under $30k. They spun it off into its own company in 2022 and it had just one model until now. There are currently three offerings in LiveWire’s portfolio: the original ‘ONE,’ the S2 Mullholland and the S2 Del Mar. The latter two are the same platform with different styles.
If you want to walk into a Harley…er…LiveWire dealership and put a Del Mar in your garage, it is going to cost you 106,767 Danish Krone ($15,499USD) plus taxes, tags and fees. If you can get out the door for less than $17k, you probably don’t live in California.
Overview of the LiveWire S2 Del Mar on www.livewire.com
So what do you get for the equivalent of 19,560 twinkies? 0-60mph in 3 seconds is pretty good but not mind-blowing for a motorcycle. 84hp is more than most of my bikes and is plenty for most things.
194 ft-lb of torque? Sure sure. That’s believable.
It looks kind of cool, definitely inspired by the flat track style it is named after. It doesn’t scream at you that it is anything other than a regular ICE motorcycle. How about that range? 113 miles ‘city,’ Ok, not too bad. If only it were true.
Back to Zack
Before even jumping on the bike during the intro, he says:
“[…]and just like any electric motorcycle, there are plenty of concerns and criticisms swirling around this bike about how far you can go before the battery runs out and how much it costs. And to be honest, I’m just a little bit bored with those conversations.”
While cruising on the highway, Zack gets to the root of the problem:
“Now on to the topic of Range for the LiveWire Del Mar. Basically it seemed like 50 5-0 to 70 miles of range was what was to be expected […] That’s what I think you’ll find. 50-70 miles approximately. Now, in my opinion, that’s not bad. I think that that’s pretty acceptable actually for a bike like this if you can go 50-60 miles whatever. That should cover a pretty sizable commute especially if you can plug in on the other end”
Ok, Mr. Courts.
I love ya, man. I really do. But what the hell is this nonsense? Have we lost our collective minds? Fifty miles is an acceptable range for a human-powered bicycle, not a $15k+ motorcycle.
One of the most exciting things you can do on a motorcycle is use it for something other than its primary or intended purpose. Like maybe riding a 9hp bike 458 miles. Zack has done similar things himself, riding a Trail 125 1000 miles to Prudhoe Bay or trying to ride 1000 miles without a single stop. There are several other similar shenanigans he and Ari have gotten up to on YouTube.
You can’t do any of that on a bike that you can’t count on for traveling more than 50 miles. My commute is 50 miles of Southern California interstate. If I were to acquire a Del Mar, I couldn’t confidently ride to work and expect to make it there. I already have pretty bad range anxiety (and regular anxiety). If my dash is throwing low battery warnings before I ever make it to the parking lot of my job, I would need a Xanax. I can’t take Xanax at work, Zack.
I’ve already commented on the video and Revzilla’s Instagram post but I’ll say it here, too.
Booger (2023 Trail 125) can squeeze up to 180 miles out of its 1.4 gallon tank. Even the worst mileage I’ve ever seen (61.4mpg) can get me 80 miles. Sure, it is only going to get you those miles 50 miles per hour at a time but it will do it.
There’s a possibility that this bike COULD MAYBE be more than stupid if someone farther east in the US had one. Out West, we’re a bit more spread out. One of my favorite places on Earth is Death Valley National Park and the surrounding desert. The park’s border is about 180 miles from my house. You’re telling me I’d have to stop and charge my shiny new motorcycle at least three times before I even get there?
There aren’t even chargers in the desert.
I’ll say it again: Have we lost our minds?
When Ewan and Charlie did their Long Way Dumb (Or maybe it was called Long Way Up? Who can remember four years ago anyway?) on LiveWires in 2020, they had factory support and people installing chargers all over South America just so they could attempt the trip. The journey was little more than an advertisement for Harley Davidson and they still couldn’t make adventure look practical or remotely attainable.
I understand Zack works for Revzilla and isn’t just some guy on the internet telling us his thoughts. He has bosses to answer to and there is always pressure to not burn bridges. I imagine that is why this atrocious range is being downplayed. However, I don’t think anyone, including Zack himself, believes what he is saying.
I’m a nobody on the internet and have a lot more freedom that someone who works for a media outlet or does this for an income. Even so, I’ve been approached to review various motorcycle products. When I tell them I’ll do it but only if I can say whatever I want about the product, they ghost me. I’m not saying I wouldn’t sell out. I’m just saying my price is much higher than a free pair of heated gloves. Looking at you, KEMIMOTO.
I challenge anyone with one of these bikes to a 200-mile race. You on your S2 and me on my MiniMOTO. I won’t carry any spare fuel and you can’t have some guy in a van with a generator or tow one behind you. No one will take that challenge. I wonder why.
Want to turn a day trip into a week trip? Stop every 50 miles to charge for 8 hours.
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