Every year, Harley-Davidson's Global Dealer Forum (GDF) brings together dealership owners, managers, and industry leaders from around the world for an exclusive look at what's coming next. Hosted in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, the annual event gives dealers early access to upcoming products, direct conversations with company leadership, and opportunities to collaborate with peers from across the global dealer network. It serves as an important moment for aligning around the future of Harley-Davidson and LiveWire while providing dealers with a firsthand look at the products that will soon arrive in their showrooms.
This year's forum also gave dealers something they had been eagerly anticipating: an opportunity to ride the new LiveWire S4 Honcho Street and S4 Honcho Trail.
For LiveWire, that may have been the most important part of the week.
Because after hundreds of demo rides, the reaction was remarkably consistent.
People got off the bikes smiling.
Dealers from North America, Europe, and Asia may have arrived in Milwaukee with different expectations, different riding backgrounds, and different customer bases, but they left with a shared impression. The S4 Honcho delivered something many riders didn't expect from an electric motorcycle: pure, uncomplicated fun.
One attendee described the reaction best:
“People remember how you made them feel, not necessarily what you said. From the faces and body language after the demo rides, Honcho made them feel like kids again.”
That sentiment surfaced repeatedly throughout the week. Dealers consistently praised the bike's playful character, approachable performance, and immediate sense of freedom—along with the added surprises of both reverse and purple power mode Long before conversations turned to specifications, pricing, or sales opportunities, most riders were focused on the experience itself.
And it didn't take long for the smiles to turn into enthusiasm.
One of the most common reactions heard around the demo area was simply, “REDACTED” Another dealer stepped off the bike and exclaimed, "I had no idea. This thing rips so hard!" Others compared the experience to being inside a real-life video game, with one attendee joking that riding the Honcho felt like being in Mario Kart.
What made those reactions especially encouraging was how universal they were. Language barriers seemed to disappear the moment riders returned from their laps. Dealers who struggled to communicate before the ride were suddenly exchanging smiles, high-fives, laughs, and animated stories afterward. As one attendee recalled, Italian dealers enthusiastically gestured while discussing their rides, while a dealer from Tokyo simply responded with a wide-eyed smiling expression of amazement.
The most common word heard after the demo rides wasn't "electric," "technology," or even "performance."
“It was simply fun.”
The demo experience also changed some minds. Riders arrived with questions about whether a compact, lightweight electric motorcycle could deliver enough excitement to keep them engaged. Larger riders wondered about comfort and fit. Traditional motorcycle riders questioned whether the bike could live up to the enthusiasm surrounding it.
For many, those concerns disappeared within seconds.
One attendee recalled a stoic rider who spoke very little during registration and didn't seem particularly excited about the experience. After completing his ride, however, he couldn't stop talking about the motorcycle. Another dealer said the demo ride would determine whether he order two units or ten. By the time he removed his helmet, he had made up his mind: he would be ordering more than two.
Perhaps most importantly, dealers immediately understood the role Honcho could play in customers' lives. Without prompting, many began describing the exact use cases LiveWire envisioned when developing the platform. They talked about taking it camping, throwing it in the bed of a pickup truck, exploring trails near a cabin, riding around a ranch, or simply having an easy and enjoyable way to get outside with friends and family.
The conversations quickly evolved beyond the motorcycle itself and focused on the opportunities it could create.
Dealers frequently asked when the bikes would be available, how accessories would be offered, and what ownership would look like for customers. Several attendees reported hearing some variation of “When can I buy one?” throughout the week. Others saw significant potential in introducing new customers to powersports, particularly riders coming from e-bikes or looking for a less intimidating entry point into motorcycling.
Many also recognized the bike's potential as a rider training platform, noting how its approachable design, intuitive controls, and ease of operation could help welcome a new generation into the sport.
One of the week's most memorable endorsements came from actor Robert Patrick, known around the world for his role as the T-1000 in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. After experiencing the S4 Honcho firsthand, Patrick reportedly remarked that he hadn't paid much attention to LiveWire in recent years.
Now he is.
That reaction captured what many dealers seemed to be experiencing throughout the forum. Honcho wasn't winning people over through presentations, spec sheets, or sales pitches. It was winning them over the moment they rode it.
The best motorcycles have always been about more than numbers. They create memories. They make people laugh. They inspire spontaneous adventures. They remind us why we fell in love with riding in the first place.
That was the overwhelming takeaway from Global Dealer Forum 2026.
As one attendee put it, “A global group of Honchonians gathered and none were disappointed.”
Another offered an equally simple conclusion:
“We finally have the right bike for the masses.”
What mattered most in Milwaukee was the reaction. The laughter. The excitement. The requests for another lap. The dealers already imagining how customers would use Honcho in the real world.
After hundreds of rides and countless conversations, the message coming out of Milwaukee was clear:
S4 Honcho isn't just another motorcycle.
It's a reminder that riding should be fun. And judging by the reactions at Global Dealer Forum, the future is looking very fun indeed.
Sometimes the universe has a messed-up sense of humor.
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