Cotswolds sidecar specialists Watsonian have built their first fitting kit for a production electric motorcycle – and they’ve chosen the Livewire S2 Del Mar to pair it with.
Adapting the electric bike for sidecar use wasn’t as simple as you might think, largely because the S2 Del Mar doesn’t have a conventional frame. In its place sits a cast alloy battery box where the engine would normally be, leaving no obvious points to bolt an outfit to.
“Our engineering department had to fabricate a complete subframe, that inserts neatly around the battery box and allows the four arms from the sidecar to be perfectly positioned,” said Watsonian General Manager Ben Hall.
The subframe is built from steel tube at Watsonian’s factory near Blockley in Gloucestershire and powder-coated for durability. It comes with heavy-duty couplings designed specifically for sidecar work, and a steering damper is added to help low-speed handling.
The bike shown in the images is paired with a Watsonian Monza Jubilee sidecar, which costs from £6995. Add to that the complex £2495 fitting kit and the cost of buying the Livewire in the first place, and you’re looking at a bill well into the mid-£20,000s before fitting.
It’s the latest in a run of unusual outfits from the firm. In February 2026 Watsonian revealed a kit for the Triumph Rocket 3 , and back in 2023 they launched a fitting kit for the four-stroke Lambretta V-Special scooter range.
More recently, they tackled the latest BSA Bantam 350 , creating a three-wheeler from the small-capacity modern retro model.
“We were approached by a long-standing customer who wanted to add an electric-powered outfit to his collection,” said Watsonian Managing Director Ben Matthews. “It’s a great example of technical expertise and in-house engineering enabling us to fit a sidecar to almost any motorcycle or scooter.”
Watsonian argue that the smooth, linear power delivery of an electric motor actually suits sidecar duties well. The S2 Del Mar produces 194lb.ft of torque – more than the 2.5-litre Triumph Rocket 3 , which makes a comparatively modest 163lb.ft.
As MCN’s then Chief Road Tester Michael Neeves noted in our review, the torque is “delivered smoothly” and its “brutal acceleration never gets old”.
The Del Mar also has the hardware to cope with the extra demands of hauling a third wheel. It runs 43mm Showa upside-down forks, a 320mm front disc with a four-piston Brembo monobloc radial caliper, and a 260mm disc at the rear.
It’s a niche modification with a niche price, and few Livewire owners will go this route. But for anyone who wants near-silent, torque-rich sidecar motoring, the S2 Del Mar is well suited. The bigger question, as ever with electric bikes, is range: on test we saw as little as 43 miles at a sustained 70mph, and adding a sidecar’s weight and drag won’t help…
Ben Clarke began riding (legally) at 21-years-old when he passed his direct access one month before shipping his Yamaha XT660 R to Miami and embarking on a 13,500-mile tour of the USA and Central America. He's worked at MCN for the last six years, riding everything from super nakeds and superbikes to small-capacity electrics and scooters across several continents. In more recent years, he's worked closely with the bike kit team to bring you all the latest news and reviews about the bike-related products we all use every day.
Lover of V-twins and big singles, partial to a tour.