LiveWire’s S4 Honcho Gets the Green Light for Motorcycle Training Programs

LiveWire has just cleared a significant hurdle for its smallest electric motorcycle. The S4 Honcho Street now satisfies the Motorcycle Safety Foundation’s (MSF) requirements for use in rider training courses, meaning aspiring motorcyclists can complete their instruction and potentially earn their license without ever touching a clutch lever or shifting gears on a gas-powered bike.

The move is especially timely. A growing wave of riders is coming to motorcycling from e-bikes and other electric two-wheelers, and they often have no interest in learning manual transmission operation. The S4 Honcho addresses that gap directly. It weighs just 266 pounds (121 kg) and has a seat height below 30 inches, making it far less intimidating than a typical full-size motorcycle. Its electric drivetrain eliminates the clutch and gearbox entirely—twist the throttle and go. In practice, it functions almost like a scooter or a Class 2 e-bike, even though it looks like a conventional motorcycle.

Performance-wise, the S4 Honcho is built for urban duty. It tops out at 59 mph (95 km/h), but it also includes reduced-speed profiles that LiveWire says mimic first- and second-gear training conditions, capping speeds at 18 mph (29 km/h) and 28 mph (45 km/h) respectively. That makes it ideal for the parking-lot exercises common in MSF courses. Range is rated at 53 miles (85 km) under the WMTC standard, or up to 73 miles (117 km) at a steady 20 mph (32 km/h). For a full day of training, that’s ample—and the swappable battery system means schools can keep bikes running without waiting for recharges.

LiveWire’s Head of Commercial, Jon Bekefy, framed the development as a natural evolution. He noted that the next generation of riders is growing up with e-bikes and electric vehicles, so their expectations for mobility are shifting. For many, an electric motorcycle is a more intuitive first step into motorcycling, and the S4 Honcho removes traditional barriers to entry. The MSF appears to share that enthusiasm. Corey Eastman, the organization’s Director of Rider Education Expansion, confirmed that the Honcho will join the MSF RiderCoach Tour demo fleet, giving coaches a chance to use it in several exercises and letting training providers evaluate it for their own programs.

It’s not yet clear which specific MSF programs or regions will adopt the Honcho as a standard option, but more details are expected as the bikes roll out this year. For LiveWire, the payoff could be substantial: introducing an entirely new group of riders to electric motorcycles before they ever consider a gas bike. And for riders who’ve spent years on e-bikes but want more speed and range, a small, clutch-free electric motorcycle like the S4 Honcho—starting at $4,999—could be the obvious next step. With training and testing now possible on the same type of bike they intend to ride, that ladder just became a lot easier to climb.