Alpinista: we tested the LiveWire roadster

THE long-awaited electric roadster from LiveWire, it’s here! We were able to test the LiveWire Alpinista during a short hands-on session in the streets of the capital. Based on the S2 platform including the Del Mar tested in summer 2024 was the first born, the Alpinista is a “real” roadster with 17-inch rims. “Finally” some will say! Because among the testers of the S2 Del Marwe all agreed: the 19-inch wheels made the bike understeer. On the Alpinista, the 17-inch wheels create a more visually pleasing motorcycle, a lowered saddle and are the least expensive in the range.

Despite the 10 degrees Celsius and the rainy weather, the first turns of the wheel allow us to directly identify that the machine is more manageable. The fork has retained a certain verticality with a trail of 24.5° (i.e. 0.5° more than the Del Mar) but this micro adjustment is imperceptible. It is above all the size of the 17-inch wheels that advantage the Alpinista. The 120/70 and 180/55 tires, still from Dunlop, fulfill their mission, and we do not change course “on eggshells” as was the case on the Del Mar. The rear tire must still withstand more than 200 Nm of torque! Having the choice of tires is important. These good impressions will be confirmed in a longer test, on more winding roads, and with luck, dry ones.

The aesthetics also change on this Alpinista, like the headlight and indicators borrowed from the LiveWire One. On the handlebars, the circular dashboard is now placed under the handlebars. It looks better, but it easily gets out of the field of vision when wearing a full-face helmet. The handlebar end mirrors offer visibility that can always be improved, even they can be moved above the handlebars, to the detriment of style. In short, the performance and electronics remain identical. The controls, tilted slightly forward, are still massive but relatively intuitive.

For the rest: nothing changes. The electronics, the thin seat, the carrying battery, the engine, everything is identical up to the final gear ratio which allows – due to smaller wheels – a maximum speed of 158.5 km/h compared to 165.8 km /h for Del Mar.

However, the Alpinista model is the most affordable of the S2 range. In France, you can get it for €18,990 (before ecological bonus). Its rival the Zero S is sold more expensive but with a larger battery, so it is well placed on the electric market. In addition, the catalog of accessories is expanding: our model tested had soft saddlebags.

If the Alpinista has relevant arguments to compete with the market leader Zero Motorcycles, we wonder what the strategy was behind this product plan: the Alpinista being the spearhead of the range and the most accessible, why is it being released more than a year after the original S2 Del Mar? The Mulholland, a third cruiser model, should be released immediately in the first quarter of 2025. Next year, the LiveWire x Kymco scooter designed on the S2 platform would come and tickle the BMW CE-04… Five years late.