The LiveWire S4 Honcho Street is now eligible for use in motorcycle rider training programs that meet the standards of the Motorcycle Safety Foundation (MSF), in a move that could ease a common barrier for electric motorcycle users seeking to move to faster and more capable motorcycles.
The electric motorcycle allows trainees to learn basic riding skills without needing to master clutch operation and gear shifting on a fuel-powered motorcycle. This development is particularly significant as an increasing number of users enter the world of two-wheeled vehicles through electric motorcycles rather than conventional motorcycles.
A Motorcycle Suited to Training
LiveWire designed the S4 Honcho to be its smallest and most approachable electric motorcycle. It weighs 266 pounds, or about 121 kilograms, while its seat height is below 30 inches. Its specifications place it in a category comparable to conventional 125cc motorcycles, making it less intimidating than larger motorcycles.
Its top speed is 59 miles per hour, or about 95 kilometers per hour. It also offers low-speed riding modes that limit it to 18 miles per hour and 28 miles per hour, roughly corresponding to the practice environments associated with first and second gears. These limits suit MSF training, which is typically conducted in closed parking lots to teach basic motorcycle control.
LiveWire estimates the motorcycle's range at 53 miles, or 85 kilometers, according to the WMTC standard, rising to 73 miles, or 117 kilometers, when traveling at 20 miles per hour. The swappable battery system also allows training centers to keep the motorcycles in use for longer periods without waiting for charging to finish.
What Changes in Practice?
Jon Bekefy, LiveWire's chief commercial officer, said that the new generation of riders is becoming familiar with transportation through electric motorcycles and electric vehicles, and that an electric motorcycle may be a more natural entry point into motorcycle riding for them. According to the company, the Honcho removes some barriers to entry when paired with MSF training programs.
For its part, MSF said that the motorcycle will join the demonstration fleet for the MSF RiderCoach Tour, allowing instructors to use it in multiple exercises and training providers to assess its suitability for their programs.
Benefits and Limitations
The motorcycle's approval under MSF standards does not mean that all programs or regions will adopt it immediately; it is not yet clear which MSF programs will offer it or where it will be available to trainees. Training on a clutchless motorcycle may also not automatically qualify a rider to operate manual motorcycles, a point whose implications vary according to local licensing and testing rules.
Nevertheless, the development focuses on skills shared by electric and conventional motorcycles, such as braking, cornering, low-speed maneuvering, situational awareness, and executing emergency maneuvers. For electric motorcycle users who do not intend to ride a motorcycle equipped with a manual transmission, learning these skills on the vehicle they plan to use could make the transition to the motorcycle category more direct.
The move also points to a potential path for expanding the base of electric motorcycle users: instead of requiring people coming from electric motorcycles to first learn a skill specific to fuel-powered motorcycles, they could be trained on a small, lightweight electric vehicle from the outset. However, the actual scale of the impact will depend on decisions by training centers and regulators, not on MSF approval alone.