Livewire’s Next Motorcycle Will Be the S2 Mulholland
S2MH will be lighter, lower, and longer than the S2 Del Mar
Shipments of the Livewire S2 Del Mar should now be underway, and not a moment too soon, as Harley-Davidson’s electric brand needs to start gaining momentum after a very disappointing 2023. While we wait to see how the brand’s second model does, Motorcycle.com can exclusively report that Livewire’s next model will be called the Mulholland, and it will share the S2 platform introduced on the Del Mar.
We first caught wind of the name after the Harley-Davidson-owned brand filed a trademark application for “Mulholland” in April. At the time, we weren’t sure what to make of it, especially knowing there was a one-off Livewire One created last year by custom bike builder Alex Earle, called the E/Mulholland. We kept that on the back burner for a while until things started picking up, with Livewire filing more trademarks for “Mulholland” in multiple markets in October.
We can now confirm the name will be used for a Livewire S2 Mulholland, which we expect to be announced soon for the 2024 model year. The evidence comes to us from Harley-Davidson itself, which recently published an updated version of the 2024 Livewire S2 Del Mar’s owner’s and service manuals on its Service Information Portal site. Both documents make reference to the Mulholland, with the model code “S2MH”, along with other clues.
The S2MH model code is mentioned twice in both documents, once in a vehicle information number breakdown (embedded above) and in a specifications section detailing the dimensions and weights for the S2 models (both pictured further below).
The breakdown assigns the code “GD” as the fourth and fifth digits of the S2 Mulholland’s VIN, differentiating it from the Del Mar which uses the code “GC”.
The section on the S2 models’ dimensions includes the measurements for the Del Mar, but only the wheelbase and seat height of the Mulholland, suggesting that these manuals are still preliminary drafts. Assuming the measurements listed are accurate, the Mulholland will also have a wheelbase of 57.8 inches, or 0.6 inches longer than the Del Mar’s.
It also looks like the Mulholland will have a lower seat height of 30.25 inches compared to the Del Mar’s 30.9-inch saddle height (these are all laden heights, with a 180-pound rider, so the unladen seat height will be slightly higher).
Looking at the weights, we learn the S2MH claims a running weight of 429 pounds, which is 7 pounds lighter than the Del Mar. The gross vehicle weight rating is four pounds lighter than the Del Mar’s weight, but the gross axle weight ratings - the maximum load supported by either axle, are the same as the S2DM. This tells us that the two models are relatively similar, which comes as no surprise as they share the S2 Arrow platform, and thus many of the same parts.
Elsewhere, the updated manual adds in parentheses “S2 Del Mar” under the diagrams for attaching the seat and using the under-seat helmet lock. As with the flat track mode, these parentheses weren’t in previous versions of the manual. This implies both the existence of a second model, but also that it has a different seat, which would explain some of the difference in seat height.
The parenthetical note appears again in the section about ride modes. Livewire doesn’t talk about it much, but the Del Mar has a hidden Flat Track mode activated by switching to Sport mode and holding down the ride mode button. Previous versions of the owner’s manual describe the feature, explaining what it does and how to activate it. The updated manual adds parentheses in the description of Flat Track mode noting it is for the “S2 Del Mar only.” This again implies the existence of a second model, and that it would not have access to the flat track mode.
The Del Mar name is a reference to flat track racing at the Del Mar Arena, so a mode that disables the rear ABS and allows more wheel slip and front wheel lift makes sense. The lack of this mode plus the Mulholland name suggest a bike more suited to canyon carving than sliding on a dirt track. We suspect the Mulholland will also have different tires from the Del Mar’s Dunlop DT-1 rubbers.
Beyond these clues in the updated manuals, we don’t know very much about the Livewire S2 Del Mar. Considering the manuals are for the 2024 model year, we expect further details to trickle out very soon.
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Dennis has been a part of the Motorcycle.com team since 2008, and through his tenure, has developed a firm grasp of industry trends, and a solid sense of what's to come. A bloodhound when it comes to tracking information on new motorcycles, if there's a new model on the horizon, you'll probably hear about it from him first.
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Interesting! I love reading Dennis’ amazing detective work.
A 30-inch seat height and it is considered a CRUISER? I would have loved to have seen a 28-inch height.