Kymco has been working on launching a pair of large electric motorcycles for several years, having first unveiled its SuperNEX electric sportbike at the 2018 EICMA show in Milan. Now, the project is nearing completion with significant changes from the original design.

Initially, Kymco aimed to develop the electric motorcycle project independently, showcasing the SuperNEX in 2018 and the naked RevoNEX roadster concept in 2019. Both models were intended to feature a bespoke electric platform, including a conventional manual transmission and clutch to enhance rider engagement. Kymco even planned to establish a factory in Italy for their production.

However, that plan has since been abandoned. In 2022, Kymco revealed second-generation concept bikes with the same RevoNEX and SuperNEX names but with a markedly different appearance. This shift came after Kymco partnered with Harley-Davidson-owned LiveWire to co-develop the upcoming LiveWire S3 models. The S3 will utilise a lower-performance, cost-effective version of the "Arrow" modular platform, which is also the foundation for the LiveWire S2 Del Mar and Mulholland models. It is now evident that the RevoNEX and SuperNEX will incorporate LiveWire components.

Earlier this year, Kymco filed a patent application featuring the LiveWire Arrow platform under the silhouette of the original 2019 RevoNEX design. A subsequent patent, however, directly addresses the bike’s bodywork, displaying the 2022 RevoNEX concept on a LiveWire chassis and powertrain.

The 2022 RevoNEX and SuperNEX concepts were heavily covered in bodywork, obscuring their frames and power units. It appears they concealed LiveWire S2 components. The new patent demonstrates how well the LiveWire Arrow chassis, battery, and motor fit beneath the RevoNEX’s design, particularly noting the lower fairing's sculpting around the LiveWire’s electronics box.

The latest patent application does not focus on the bike’s electric powertrain but rather on a specific bodywork element—the flap covering the charging socket, located below the rider’s seat on the right-hand side. This design has been slightly reworked from the 2022 concept, featuring a more practical shape. The concept bike’s distinctive bodywork, which included an outer layer with hexagonal holes resembling a honeycomb, will likely be simplified for production.

The charging port cover will be mounted on a parallelogram linkage, allowing it to swing forward without protruding excessively when open. A secondary cover beneath it opens conventionally to reveal a Type 2 AC charging socket. Type 2 chargers operate at 3.7kW or 7kW on single-phase AC, and up to 22kW on three-phase infrastructure. The patent does not indicate provisions for rapid DC charging.

Although the patent illustrates the RevoNEX’s naked outline, it also features the low, dropped bars of the faired SuperNEX model, suggesting both models are still in development.

Details on how the LiveWire S3 models—also based on the S2's Arrow platform but scaled down and developed with Kymco—will differ in performance and range from the S2 remain unclear. When announcing the platform and the Kymco partnership (including a 4 percent stake in LiveWire) in 2021, LiveWire stated that the S3 would form the basis for a range of lightweight two-wheelers, indicating it might feature smaller batteries and motors than the S2. Whether the RevoNEX and SuperNEX will utilise the S2 or S3 platforms has yet to be confirmed. The images suggest a resemblance to the S2, but the possibility of the S3 chassis being visually similar to the S2 cannot be ruled out.

One concept Kymco is pursuing, likely to differentiate its LiveWire-based bikes from LiveWire’s models, is a manual transmission simulation. Instead of a physical multi-ratio gearbox used in the original 2018 and 2019 concept bikes, the latest idea involves a simulated manual transmission. This system includes a clutch lever and a foot-operated shifter, both connected to the bike’s computer system rather than mechanical components. With appropriate programming, operating the clutch and shifter can mimic a conventional gearbox by altering power delivery based on the selected "gear" and connecting or disconnecting drive when the faux clutch lever is used. This approach promises enhanced rider interaction and control without the weight or complexity of a real clutch and gearbox.

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