One of the only genuine electric performance cruisers on sale, decoded with real physics: where the range actually goes at speed, why it is Level-2-only, what it truly costs over five years, and who it is for. Sources on everything.
A comfortable, torque-rich electric cruiser that fills a real market gap, wrapped around a city range number that vanishes at highway speed. Plan for ~73 real miles at a sustained cruise (not 121), 194 lb-ft instant torque, Level 2 only, ~$11,900 net to own over 5 years, and yes, it is fully street-legal.
Assumptions: street-legal (registration + insurance included), ~3,000 mi/yr, $0.17/kWh, maintenance ~$120/yr, resale ~45% of sticker at year five. Full table in §10.
Every module behind the headlines: who it is for, claims vs. physics, true cost, reliability, parts, and the standard scorecard. All sourced.
The S2 Del Mar's powertrain dropped into a low, laid-back cruiser body, one of the only genuine electric performance cruisers on sale. Roughly 84 hp and a huge 194 lb-ft of instant torque, a comfortable stance, and a 10.5 kWh pack. Plan for ~73 real miles at a sustained cruise (not 121), Level 2 charging only, ~$11,900 net to own over 5 years, and it is fully street-legal. Here is exactly how we get there.
Start here, the right answer depends entirely on who is asking.
Same bike, very different answer depending on the rider. We lead every report with this so nobody buys the wrong machine.
The sweet spot. A comfortable cruiser stance, near-silent power, and ~73 miles of real range cover most day rides and back-road loops. Reviewers call it the easy long-seat-time pick of the S2 family.
Where the Mulholland shines. 194 lb-ft available the instant you roll on is more than almost anything in the segment, gas or electric. On a cruiser, that sensation is genuinely novel.
Range falls to ~73 miles at sustained speed and there is no DC fast charging, only Level 2. As an interstate machine the refill math gets slow and tight. This is a regional bike, however comfortable the seat.
At $16,499 it is a premium price, and the range is not exceptional for the segment. You are paying for the format, a real electric cruiser, as much as the function. If the silence and torque are not worth that premium to you, cheaper paths to electric exist.
Same bike, two stories. The struck-through line is what the listing leads with; the big number is what to actually expect. The "why" is in Part C.
What is genuinely clever, and which "innovations" are really table-stakes. The part the brand's own page never tells you.
The standout features, rated honestly. Each badge tells you whether it is a real engineering edge, normal for 2026, or marketing gloss.
Very few rivals offer a real low-slung electric cruiser with this much instant torque. The Mulholland fills an actual market gap rather than being another standard or naked bike, and that is the main reason to want one.
★ Genuine edgeCommon architecture with the Del Mar and Alpinista. Shared hardware and software aids parts commonality and ongoing development, and it means the Mulholland inherits a powertrain that has already been on sale and tested in siblings.
✓ SolidNo oil, no clutch, no gears to manage, just twist and go. Low routine maintenance is the electric dividend and it is real, the quiet reason five-year running costs stay low.
✓ SolidApp connectivity and ride data, normal for a 2026 premium e-moto. Useful, but not a differentiator: nearly every bike at this price does some version of it.
≈ Now standardMarketing specs vs. the physics. The math is simple, battery capacity and a few formulas, so let us run it.
Unlike the range claim, the Mulholland's power figures hold up, and the torque number is the whole reason to ride one.
LiveWire quotes roughly 84 hp and 194 lb-ft from the S2 powertrain. Convert the power to the unit everyone feels:
The figure that defines the ride is the 194 lb-ft. Electric motors make peak torque from 0 rpm, so all of it is there the instant you roll on, with no gears in the way. On a cruiser, where you sit back and roll on, that is a genuinely novel sensation reviewers single out.
The headline gap. The 121-mile figure is a city number, real only the way EPA city figures are real: low speed, stop-and-go. Here is the arithmetic.
Step 1, real energy in the tank. Range starts with how much energy the battery holds. LiveWire lists a 10.5 kWh high-voltage pack. LiveWire does not publish a simple nominal-voltage and amp-hour split for this pack, so we work from the energy figure directly rather than invent a V and Ah.
Step 2, how much you spend per mile. Consumption (Wh/mi) is the whole game, and it climbs steeply with speed because drag rises with the square of speed. Gentle city riding sips; a sustained highway cruise gulps.
The Mulholland is happiest on relaxed regional roads. Push it to sustained freeway speed and the same physics that flatter the city number work against you.
Held at a sustained highway cruise, the bike draws hard just to maintain speed, so consumption climbs toward ~125 Wh/mi. Run the same range formula at that pace:
So the "121 miles" city figure and a long freeway slog are mutually exclusive: you get the gentle city number or the highway slog, never both at once. With Level 2 as the only refill, the practical takeaway is to treat this as a regional bike and ride loops, not legs.
Charge time is just battery size ÷ charger power. The Mulholland's headline number is fine, the catch is what it cannot do.
LiveWire actually publishes three range figures. Knowing which is which is the difference between a happy and a stranded rider.
| You will see | What it really is | Trust it? |
|---|---|---|
| "121 miles" / city | City range: low speed, stop-and-go. The best-case figure the brochure leads with. | city best-case |
| "91 miles" / combined | Combined at a steady 55 mph (SAE J2982). A fair "easy day" number. | gentle cruise |
| "73 miles" / highway | Sustained-highway figure. The number to plan freeway rides around. | plan on this |
| 10.5 kWh | High-voltage pack energy. Usable is roughly 88% of that. | do the math |
| "fast / quick charging" | Level 2 only: ~78 min for 20–80%. No DC fast charging at all. | L2 only |
| ~84 hp / 194 lb-ft | The real powertrain figures. The torque is the headline that holds up. | real |
The sticker is the biggest number, but not the whole bill. Here is the rest.
The MSRP is a headline, not a checkout total. Here is what actually leaves your bank account on day one.
| Line item | Typical | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Bike (MSRP) | $16,499 | LiveWire S2 Mulholland, US |
| Destination / setup | $200–$600 | Dealer freight and prep, varies |
| Sales tax (~8%) | ~$1,320 | Varies by state |
| Level 2 home charger (optional) | $300–$700 | If you do not already have one; install extra |
| Starter gear (helmet, jacket, gloves) | $300–$500 | Non-negotiable on a 99 mph bike |
| Realistic out-the-door | ≈ $18,600–$19,600 | Before a single mile |
The number almost no one shows you. We itemize it, show the math, and state every assumption so you can adjust it to your own riding.
| Cost over 5 years | Estimate | What drives it |
|---|---|---|
| Purchase (MSRP) | $16,499 | Excl. gear; tax/freight vary by state |
| Insurance + registration | $1,500 | Street-legal; ~$300/yr, estimated for a mid-power cruiser |
| Tires, brakes, consumables | $600 | Low: no oil, clutch, or valves; ~$120/yr |
| Gear (one-time) | $500 | Helmet, jacket, gloves |
| Electricity (charging) | $230 | Almost nothing, math below |
| Battery (replace / upgrade) | $0 | None expected in 5 yr |
| 5-year total (before resale) | ≈ $19,329 | |
| Resale value (yr 5) | – $7,400 | ~45% of MSRP, condition-dependent |
| Net true cost to own | ≈ $11,929 | ≈ $2,400 / year |
What breaks, who fixes it, and whether you can get parts.
We read the reviews and owner groups so you do not have to, and summarize the recurring themes honestly, including where the data is still thin.
A bike is only as ownable as its parts supply. Here the Mulholland is workable but young.
The Mulholland is serviced through select Harley-Davidson and LiveWire dealers and shares S2 platform parts with the Del Mar and Alpinista, which helps commonality. The aftermarket is still limited given how new the platform is, so most owners will stay close to OEM and dealer support for now.
| Part category | Availability | Rough cost |
|---|---|---|
| OEM service (HD / LiveWire dealers) | fair, select dealers | varies |
| Shared S2 platform parts | good commonality | varies |
| Tires, brakes, consumables | good | $20–$300 |
| Aftermarket / custom | limited | thin for now |
One scorecard, identical axes on every bike.
Every e-moto on the site is scored on these same eight axes, by the same rules, so a 7 here means the same thing as a 7 anywhere.
Our standing methodology, run identically on every e-moto, including bikes we would otherwise have reason to flatter.
The only honest way to compare two batteries. When a maker only publishes kWh (as LiveWire does here), we use the energy figure directly rather than invent a V and Ah split.
You never use 0 to 100%. The BMS holds a reserve and voltage tapers at the bottom. We assume ~88%.
Consumption is the lever: low in the city, much higher at sustained highway speed. Drag rises with speed².
Always ask which number a spec quotes. On the Mulholland the power figures hold up; the range figures need decoding.
"Fast charging" is meaningless without the charger's wattage, and here there is no DC fast charging at all. The ×1.1 covers losses and taper.
| Cost assumption | We used | Change it if… |
|---|---|---|
| Annual mileage | 3,000 mi/yr (15,000 / 5 yr) | You ride more → maintenance & tires rise |
| Electricity rate | $0.17 / kWh (US avg) | Your utility differs |
| Sales tax | ~8% | Your state differs |
| Battery life | No replacement in 5 yr | Very hard use → sooner |
| Resale | ~45% of MSRP at yr 5 | Recent model; estimate, market vary |
We cite everything and date it, because specs and prices change. Manufacturer figures are labeled as claims; real-world numbers are our estimates from the methodology above. Spot an error? Our corrections policy means we fix it in public.
Sources retrieved May 2026. Manufacturer pages state claimed specs (range tested per SAE J2982); treat them as the maker's figures, not independent tests. Long-term owner reliability data is still limited given the recent launch. We re-check prices periodically because they move.