On the back of impressive last-quarter revenue figures, Harley Davidson enters 2022 in bullish form, with big plans for the electric Livewire brand.

New Livewire Del Mar Model Expected in Q2 2022

Things are certainly looking up for Harley Davidson. Thanks to bold moves such as the introduction of the Pan America and the similarly-engined Sportster S, revenue in the last quarter of 2021 showed a healthy hike to 32% over the same period the previous year.

Not only that, but Livewire was separated from the parent company to be a stand-alone brand and was then floated on the stock market and a partnership with Kymco announced. In the meantime, a new modular platform called the Arrow had been developed for Livewire which was intended to form the basis for that company's future model expansion.

And it seems that in Q2 of 2022 we will be seeing the first fruits of that platform development in a model that could possibly be called the Del Mar. This will be a middleweight machine, both weighing and costing less than the current Livewire One.

The Arrow EV architecture combines the battery pack, electronics and motor, which can form the basis of many different model configurations. This is important as it will enable new models to be brought to market quickly and efficiently, while the relative simplicity of its construction will streamline production and be adaptable as and when regulations change and technology is developed in the future.

While the Arrow platform has the battery pack and motor forming the 'chassis', saving weight and complexity, the platform differs from the Livewire One in that the motor is mounted on the swing arm and the motor and battery can be either liquid or air cooled.

Harley also stated that it intends to extend the Arrow platform and EV systems to future models and segments. The current Livewire One is known internally as S1. Livewire S2 models will be the middleweight range, of which the Del Mar will be one.

S3 is likely to see the fruits of the tie-in with Taiwanese brand Kymco in the shape of ultra lightweight two wheeled models, for use mainly in urban environments. This is where the scaleability of the Arrow platform would work.

A projected S4 range would be heavyweight bikes, perhaps in a performance or touring mould, taking advantage of the latest developments in charging and range capabilities.

If anyone had said to you ten years ago that H-D would be a leading contender in the electric vehicle market - oh, and had produced an adventure bike - you might have looked at them as if they were mad and you would have been justified.

And yet, here we are, in 2022, with not only an adventure bike and an electric bike, but a brand new liquid-cooled v-twin that is brilliant and plans to expand significantly its electric range of bikes.

These are indeed interesting times in American motorcycling.