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LiveWire's DUST Hightail Electric Dirt Bike Is Headed for Production in 2027

Harley-Davidson's electric brand will show the production-intent Hightail at EICMA in Milan and preview a second DUST model, the Spur. Final specs, pricing and U.S. timing are still to come.

Trail Roamer Editorial TeamOct 23, 2026 · Updated Oct 23, 2026 · 6 min read
The DUST Hightail electric dirt bike on a stand in a dirt clearing. - Credit: LiveWire

Harley-Davidson's electric brand is going dirt biking for real. LiveWire said on October 20 that it will show the production-intent DUST Hightail, a full-size electric dirt bike, at EICMA in Milan next month ahead of a planned 2027 introduction. It'll be the first time the Hightail has been shown in public under the LiveWire name.

If you've been waiting for an established motorcycle company to build a serious electric dirt bike rather than a pit bike or a kids' machine, this is worth paying attention to. LiveWire already owns STACYC, the electric balance bike brand, and its S4 Honcho is a small machine on 12-inch wheels. The Hightail is a different animal: as its original maker designed it, it's a 21/18-inch-wheel bike with long-travel suspension and a swappable battery, built for trails and backyard tracks.

Where the Hightail came from

The Hightail started life at Dust Moto, a small startup in Bend, Oregon. LiveWire announced on May 19, 2026 that it had acquired Dust's assets, its first acquisition, and said it would use its own engineering, manufacturing scale and global sales and service network to push Dust's electric dirt bike platform toward production. LiveWire's quarterly SEC filing puts a number on it: $375,000 in cash, $500,000 in stock at closing, three annual stock installments of $875,000 each, and up to $11.25 million more in stock tied to earn-out targets.

LiveWire Group CEO Karim Donnez framed the deal as the next step after STACYC: "LiveWire pioneered the on-road electric motorcycle market, and this acquisition allows us to build on that leadership as we expand into off road, continuing the journey that began with STACYC ten years ago."

Dust Moto CEO Colin Godby put it in rider terms: "With LiveWire's scale, resources, and global reach, we can bring our electric off-road bike to market with a worldwide audience and deliver an unmatched off-road experience."

Back in May, LiveWire promised more launch information in the second half of 2026. The October release is that update, and it pins the year down: 2027.

What LiveWire has actually confirmed

The facts in the release are short and worth reading closely. The Hightail on the stand in Milan is described as "production-intent," and LiveWire says the show will mark its first public presentation under the LiveWire brand. A second model, the DUST Spur, will be previewed there too, also planned for 2027. LiveWire hasn't said what the Spur is, only that it extends the DUST family and that the company wants distinct products for distinct kinds of riders. The same release went out on Business Wire, and Motorcycle.com ran it on October 22 with a LiveWire photo gallery of the Hightail.

Jon Bekefy, LiveWire's Head of Commercial, summed up the whole display: "From STACYC to S4 Honcho to DUST, we're creating more opportunities for people to get on two wheels, have fun, and build a lifelong connection to riding."

On timing, the release says preliminary target specs and timing, plus more details on the newly announced models, will be shared on November 2, 2026, with official production specs and pricing in the first quarter of 2027. That section of the release is headed for the S4 Honcho Skate and DUST Spur, so it isn't clear yet whether firm Hightail numbers arrive on November 2 or wait for the production details.

Where and when to see it

LiveWire will share space with Harley-Davidson in Hall 14, Stand E46, at Fiera Milano. The two versions of the release don't agree on dates: LiveWire's own post says November 5-8 and the Business Wire copy says November 4-8. EICMA's official schedule settles it. The show runs November 3-8 at Fiera Milano in Rho, with November 3 and 4 reserved for press and trade visitors and the public days running November 5-8. If you're going as a regular visitor, plan on the 5th through the 8th.

What Dust said the Hightail would do

Here's the important caveat. Every number in this section comes from Dust Moto before the sale, and LiveWire hasn't confirmed any of them for the bike it plans to build. Dust's Hightail page is still live and marks its figures as preliminary. motorcycles.news also walked through Dust's earlier specs in its October 21 story.

  • Power: 32 kW peak. Dust lists that as 42 hp, while motorcycles.news converts it to 43.5 hp.
  • Drive: single-speed, with no clutch or gearshift, and a chain to the rear wheel.
  • Top speed: about 75 mph.
  • Range: about 40 miles, which Dust quoted at a 25 mph cruise.
  • Battery: a removable 4.4 kWh pack that Dust said swaps in under a minute and takes about four hours to charge from empty.
  • Suspension: an adjustable 43 mm fork with 260 mm of travel, which motorcycles.news describes as upside-down, and an adjustable shock on a linkage with 285 mm of travel.
  • Wheels: 21-inch front and 18-inch rear, with 80/100-21 and 100/100-18 tires.
  • Weight and seat height: 235 lb and 35.4 inches.

On paper, that's a lot of bike for its weight. For context, KTM's 2027 Freeride E carries a 5.5 kWh pack and a 19.2 kW peak motor, so Dust's numbers pointed at a lighter, punchier package with a smaller battery. Whether LiveWire keeps that formula, changes the battery, or reworks the chassis is exactly what the production specs will tell us.

The rest of LiveWire's stand

The Hightail is the headline, but it won't be alone in Milan. LiveWire says the production S4 Honcho Street makes its European debut at the show, with European retail sales starting right after it and the U.S. launch set for next week. The S4 Honcho Trail is now on sale globally. The all-new S4 Honcho Skate gets its first public preview there as another planned 2027 model, and STACYC will show its 16eDrive, 20eDrive, 16eDrive Elite and 20eDrive Elite balance bikes.

What we still don't know

Quite a lot, honestly. LiveWire hasn't published final specs, a price or a U.S. on-sale date for the Hightail. The release says "planned 2027 introduction" without naming markets. It also hasn't said where the bike will be built, how it'll be sold, or whether it'll be offered in an off-road-only form, a street-legal form or both. And we know nothing yet about the Spur beyond its name.

What's clear is the direction. Honda and Yamaha are still showing their electric motocross bikes as prototypes with no retail dates, while LiveWire is saying out loud that a full-size electric dirt bike from the Harley-Davidson family is headed for production next year. The production-intent bike in Milan and the spec sheets that follow will show how much of Dust's original idea makes it through.

For riders, that's the takeaway. If the production Hightail stays close to Dust's light, simple, swappable-battery formula, it could be one of the more interesting electric trail bikes to land in 2027. Until LiveWire publishes its own numbers, though, treat the specs above as a starting point, not a promise.

Sources

FAQ

What is the LiveWire DUST Hightail?
It's an electric dirt bike originally developed by Dust Moto in Bend, Oregon. LiveWire, Harley-Davidson's electric brand, acquired Dust's assets in May 2026 and plans to introduce the production Hightail in 2027.
When and where will the Hightail be shown?
LiveWire will display the production-intent Hightail at EICMA in Milan, in Hall 14, Stand E46, alongside Harley-Davidson. EICMA runs November 3-8, 2026, with press and trade days on November 3-4 and public days on November 5-8.
How much power does the Hightail have?
LiveWire hasn't released numbers yet. Before the sale, Dust Moto listed a 32 kW peak, which it called 42 hp, along with a 4.4 kWh removable battery, about 75 mph top speed and about 40 miles of range. LiveWire hasn't confirmed any of those figures.
How much will the Hightail cost?
There's no price yet. LiveWire says official production specs and pricing will come in the first quarter of 2027.
What is the DUST Spur?
It's a second DUST model that LiveWire will preview at EICMA, also planned for 2027. LiveWire hasn't released any details about it. Preliminary target specs and timing for the newly announced models are due November 2, 2026.

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