Harley-Davidson ’s electric motorcycle arm, LiveWire , have teamed up with Taiwan-based Kymco to bring out a pair of electric mini motos called the S4 Honcho Trail and S4 Honcho Street, which are to be released in the UK this summer.
First revealed last summer at the Harley festival in Milwaukee, Wisconsin , these machines are designed to be equivalent to a 125cc petrol-powered steed . They have identical powertrains capable of a top speed of 59mph and can accelerate from 0 to 30mph in just three seconds. This places them within the UK’s A1 licensing laws , meaning these bikes can be ridden by anyone over 17 with a CBT and L-plates.
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The estimated range for the twin, removable 1.74 kWh batteries is 53 miles , or 73 miles if you’re able to maintain a steady 20mph. Recharge times are estimated at two hours from 20-80%. They can be charged either on or off the bike, a particularly useful feature for those living in flats.
Unlike the road-legal Street variant, with its headlight, mirrors, indicators, speedo and numberplate hanger, the Trail has none of these features, replacing them with a pair of knobbly tyres; it looks to have been designed with strictly off-road use in mind.
Both are accessibly miniature , with a 737mm seat height for the Trail and 762mm for the street, and weigh a manageable 114 –120kg, respectively. And run on relatively wide 12in wheels.
These don’t come cheap at £4599 for the trail and £4999 for the street, which, for reference, is around £1000 more than Honda’s petrol equivalent, the Dax 125 .
This will be the manufacturer’s fifth model this decade and the first low-capacity machine. This may well be a prudent move, especially given the UK market, where 14.8bhp-powered, 125-style electric bikes accounted for 62% of electric bike sales last month, according to the Motor Cycle Industry Association.
Production started in May, with the bikes first dropping this summer before being filtered through to global markets later in the year. They come in either Mossy Oat (a light green) or Liquid Black, and the street model comes with a two-year warranty.
What a natty little blighter this looks to be. Small, accessible motorcycles are exactly what the world needs right now, not only to help decongest our clogged and aging roads, but to give people affordable travel options. Lets hope they sell like hotcakes!
Interested in almost anything mechanical, Tommy has written about everything from bicycles to politics. He uses his Himalayan 411 for absolutely everything and hasn’t cleaned it in two years.
motorcycle tinkerer, gaffer taper and rider both on and off the tarmac.